True or false? One who doesn't know the Bible might be closer to God than a Bible scholar.

[Anne2]

On 10/14/2022 at 10:37 AM, Not of the World said:

I presume, prior to the mass production of Bibles, that most Christians did not own one and had to rely on a local Christian leader to hear and learn the word of God.  I'm inclined to believe that some or "many" eagerly accepted the word (with the help of the Holy Spirit) and became close to Jesus while living Godly lives in spite of them quite likely having relatively little Biblical knowledge.  

But their Godly lives was from biblical knowledge of their leaders, to instruct them in that.

[DeighAnn]

I am going to write this before I go and read the other 6 pages, and HOPEFULLY I am just repeating an answer you have received a bunch of times already, but I wanted to give my 2 cents.  You know, get it written in the book....

You can be close to who you IMAGINE God to be but you can't be 'closer' to Him by knowing LESS of Him. 

You can't LOVE HIM more by not obeying His WORD, and you can't obey if you don't know anything.    THIS is not about being UNDER THE LAW, but under the commandments and the laws that are made laws by the knowledge of right and wrong and the only way to know right and wrong is to know the laws .  

I know.  I had my OWN PERSONAL religion with GOD for many years of my life.  I loved Him He loved me, I took Him with me everywhere and thought we had the best thing in the world.  

THEN I began to    HIS WORDS and come to find out, GOD IS very particular in His ways and He didn't spend ALL THAT TIME getting the Letter written for us to use as a paper weight.  No, He spent all that time so that we would treat it as the most important thing in our lives.  STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED, and be  ready to be a workman for HIM. 

If you don't bother to get to know what He wants you are basically making up your own religion.  And GOD doesn't like that.  And that is how 'sin' finds it's way in.  Then you become a false teacher  because you start teaching things you only imagine to know, but none of it is HIS TRUTH.  SORRY but that is GODS HONEST TRUTH.  

 one of our first lessons:   how to do it right vs how to do it wrong. 

Gen 4
3  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

CAIN did it HIS WAY

4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

ABEL DID IT GODS WAY

5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

8  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

 



 

[Not of the World]

3 minutes ago, DeighAnn said:

I am going to write this before I go and read the other 6 pages, and HOPEFULLY I am just repeating an answer you have received a bunch of times already, but I wanted to give my 2 cents.  You know, get it written in the book....

You can be close to who you IMAGINE God to be but you can't be 'closer' to Him by knowing LESS of Him. 

You can't LOVE HIM more by not obeying His WORD, and you can't obey if you don't know anything.    THIS is not about being UNDER THE LAW, but under the commandments and the laws that are made laws by the knowledge of right and wrong and the only way to know right and wrong is to know the laws .  

I know.  I had my OWN PERSONAL religion with GOD for many years of my life.  I loved Him He loved me, I took Him with me everywhere and thought we had the best thing in the world.  

THEN I began to    HIS WORDS and come to find out, GOD IS very particular in His ways and He didn't spend ALL THAT TIME getting the Letter written for us to use as a paper weight.  No, He spent all that time so that we would treat it as the most important thing in our lives.  STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED, and be  ready to be a workman for HIM. 

If you don't bother to get to know what He wants you are basically making up your own religion.  And GOD doesn't like that.  And that is how 'sin' finds it's way in.  Then you become a false teacher  because you start teaching things you only imagine to know, but none of it is HIS TRUTH.  SORRY but that is GODS HONEST TRUTH.  

 one of our first lessons:   how to do it right vs how to do it wrong. 

Gen 4
3  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

CAIN did it HIS WAY

4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

ABEL DID IT GODS WAY

5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

8  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

 



 

I think that's all very well said.  Of course, there are some that know a lot about the Bible but don't believe any of it, nor in God.  But, yes, we need God's word so that we can walk on his path rather than our own, as most of the world does.   

[DeighAnn]

On 10/14/2022 at 11:26 AM, Marathoner said:

What other way can someone know Jesus Christ? He reveals Himself to us. The Lord revealed Himself to me before I read a single verse of scripture. God does what He pleases. 

Only problem with that is, Satan does the same thing.  He even transforms himself into an angel of light.  How do you tell the difference, if you don't have a clue?  

If we can't count on what is written as being TRUTH, then what are we doing? Since God made COVENANT PROMISES and has sworn by Himself, so God can't just do as He pleases, can He?  

I guess what I don't understand is why when something is so clearly written as to  the way GOD DRAWS US, would we speak like it wasn't His Truth, His way.  Isn't that how the 'narrow' path gets to be the wide path that leads to destruction?  

When it is written that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the words of GOD, it just doesn't seem like it's a good idea to say anything that would render them words null and void?  

. 

How exactly does 'draw in' someone in while in the sinful  flesh without them coming to faith?  I have heard this before and I don't understand why GOD WOULD WRITE these things if they weren't truth.  Or maybe I just don't understand what is written here.  Could you explain how you read them.  

John 9:31 - Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

Proverbs 28:9 - He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.


HOW EXACTLY DOES GOD CALL SOMEONE  IN THE FLESH, AN UNREPENTANT SINNER at enmity with HIM?  Does He speak to you?  Does He ask anything of you?  How do you know it is GOD?  And are all of these verses verses to be ignored as 'NOT REALLY truth'?

1 Peter 3:12 - For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Psalms 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Proverbs 15:29 - The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Romans 8:7 - Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

 

Edited October 20, 2022 by DeighAnn

[DeighAnn]

On 10/15/2022 at 4:36 AM, Not of the World said:

Beautifully said. I pray for that day when my sins will be forgiven, I will be healed, and I will be saved by the love and mercy of our loving savior and shepherd, Jesus Christ, who is Lord!

Then THANK GOD because the LAMB,  WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH,

BECAME A WILLING SACRIFICE AND WITH THE INFINITE VALUE OF THAT  BLOOD THAT WAS SHED,

TODAY IS THAT DAY!!!

 

You are breaking my heart. 


Do you think it possible, to repent and to ask for forgiveness for your sins RIGHT NOW, and not be WASHED CLEAN?   

YOU have been MADE a new creature.  THAT isn't FUTURE that is RIGHT NOW.

When we are baptized WE DIE with Christ and when we come up out of that water we are RAISED up to HEAVEN with Him.  That doesn't come at the PHYSICAL death in THIS WORLD,  but the SPIRITUAL DEATH OF THIS BODY NOW.   

I am not saying you are no longer IN THIS WORLD and are never going to sin again, because the flesh is weak,

but THE MORE YOU FEED THE SPIRIT the stronger it becomes and one day you find the FLESH you are in hardly ever speaks to you, let alone demands to be taken care of.   You find the ways of this world don't have any sort of hold on you anymore.  

Phil 
For our citizenship is in heaven from which also we eagerly wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ


1 Pet 
3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 

 

[Not of the World]

15 minutes ago, DeighAnn said:

You are breaking my heart. 

I am?  

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question of this thread,  but how can someone who doesn't read the Bible know the one true God? It's true that man has greatly overcomlicated the simple message of the cross and God's love for us.  The Bible gives us lessons for how to live pleasing to God and how to be a blessing to our fellow man.  Although it's possible for someone to live a holy and moral life without the Bible,  I don't believe anyone can know God's will for their life without knowing scripture,  which is God's words to us. 

[Not of the World]

35 minutes ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

...how can someone who doesn't read the Bible know the one true God?

I don't know why or how but I have always believed in God and my belief was/is not based on anything in the Bible.  However, reading the Bible certainly strengthened my faith because I have found much wisdom and many truths in it.  And I agree with a previous poster(s) who said that we need the Bible so that we truly understand what God is and isn't about.  And let's also remember that for centuries, most people did NOT have a Bible, yet still believed.  The Bible helps us to know more about God but it's not what brings us to him.  He first comes to us, or so I understand.  

 

John 6:44 ESV

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

[DeighAnn]

8 hours ago, Not of the World said:

I am?  

Maybe I am misunderstanding the 

 I pray "for that day when" my sins will be forgiven, I will be healed, and I will be saved by the love and mercy of our loving savior and shepherd, Jesus Christ, who is Lord!

as it sounds like (to me) you are looking to a 'future' time for this to be and not in the present.  Hope this helps 

[Selah7]

I lovethis verse!

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.

- Psalm 27:13