Getting confused?

28th February 2003 at 10:50 AM George777 said this in Post #1

Hi all new christians,

I myself am not a new christian anymore, and I was wandering what the effect of this forum is to you. I guess all those different opinions here are getting you all mighty confused! Please tell me if this is the case, and how you go about that.

George

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Opinions are just that, opinions. Knowing the true word of God overrides opinions. I realize that people will say different things about different parts of the Bible. And that there are many translations of it which confuse even more. If you are having problems with this, I give you a guide. One that has helped me out greatly.

1. Always pray. No matter how small the problem, ask God. This is one of the biggest problems with christains. We think we can solve it all. If this were so, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross for our sins.

2. Find the correct tranlation of God's word. Ask yourself: which translation is attacked the most? Which translation is all others compared to? Which one has been around the longest?

The Devil is only interested in attacking the true word of God. It is the only thing that he is threaten by.

3. Read your Bible. Set aside an hour a day. This will keep the word of God in your heart and takes away the confusion

4. You can add other rules to this guide. This is just a starting point.

Hi george,
I understand what u're asking. Personally i don't have any problem reading all those opinions by people and on how they interpret some doctrines. It keeps me thinking and allows me to weigh and judge them. And when i see something good, I just "Hold on to [it]" 1 Thess 4:21. A text which explains differing opinions is :

"But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. " Proverbs 4:18

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As the light steals almost imperceptibly across the sky at dawn and then grows brighter at an ever-increasing rate, until the full glory of the day is seen, so the light of truth shines upon the pathway of the righteous. The closer a man comes to his Lord, the more time and effort he gives to gaining a knowledge of God through prayerful Bible study, and the brighter shines the light.
It is not only the light shining upon the Christian that increases. The reflected light that shines out from the just man is also magnified in the same measure. The darkness of the last days will accentuate the growth of this radiance. Translation will bring the outward appearance into harmony with the inner brightness of the sinless saints.(see ]GC 470, 476).

Basically all Christians are growing in the truth and knowledge of the Bible and so some of us know more truth than the rest. It just depends on the time one spends studying the Bible and dwelling in His presence daily. It also depends on the approach one uses...like always striving for humility and perfection in character by God's power. Therefore, it's inevitable u see differeces in opinion..Some of them also adopt their own Church's dogmas and incorparate into their own belief system without searching for themselves whether it is true too...i know most of many christian friends who are like that. Though it is a "bad habit" and not the right way since we're required to "test everything" 1 Thess 5:20, what we have in common is the understanding that we need a Saviour and that this life is just so meaningless and unfulfilling without Him helping us each day and to make each day worth living. Indeed, i know

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth. "
Psa 121:1-2

That's why i'm still a Christian.

One great way is to study, the more you study the more sakal (insight) you have to God's plan the easier it is to discern the truth. 

Another way is to truly examine what you believe about God, not according to your opinions about what God 'should' be like, but according to what the scriptures say He is like.  Then you simply compare what others say against those beliefs.

For example:  There are several passages that refer to the Father, Son, and Spirit within the same sentece.  On another board I posted on, someone tried to explain that the Spirit, using Greek meanings and deffinitions without any grasp or concept of the Greek language, means Holy Being (which is in English like saying 'spirit' or 'ghost')  and that this means that the Christianity only has two parts Father and Son, and that this Holy Being, is referring to either the Father or the Son.  It makes sense if you take it scritpure by scripture.  But when you look at the collective scripture you can see that the Spirit is a third part of the trinity.  Also when you look back through the times of history and see the disciples of the disciples quoted as saying (before they were killed) 'I believe in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit' (or Ghost depending on who translated the quote, even in different languages).  (Sadly enough this was a real argument and he brought up a few other points that I scripturally showed him he was wrong on, before I was called a false teacher and he left the message board)

It really just takes knowledge and knowing what you believe about God, or discernment.  I personally recomend that if you are confused on any subject that is brought up here, study it for yourself.  Another great way is to ask your teachers about the subject and get their opinions, look into Bible Handbooks about topics.  Find books that have been written on the subject as well.

Don't pick a fight with Lennox Lewis when you're two months old.
Don't listen to people who try to make you doubt. You worry about you and God. I'm not telling you to shut off your mind. Far from it. First you need to grow. As you grow you can learn. I've run into about every "issue of suspicion" with an open mind and I still beileve. Build your foundation first. Then work on checking things out.

Hi there George.
I understand where you are coming from. When I first came to this forum, I was nervous about who and what I might find.

I once posted something about evolution for example, and I got upset over some of the things that people were saying about it. But you know what? I didn't listen to them.

I agree completly with Cheese. Don't listen to people who try to make you doubt. People here I don't think will purposly do that anyway. And if they do, just report them. Abuse like that isn't allowed.

Although all opinions are welcome, opinions can sometimes cause trouble. If you end up getting into a situation like that, just ignore the opinions you don't want to hear.

You see, it's like Cheese said, you need to grow, and the more you do, the more you learn. Everyday you will learn something new. And trust me, I know it from experience. I have only been a Christian for a little over a year and a half, but it is truely worth it.

Pray for people who don't know God, and Praise people that do. You need to enlarge your boundaries.

My Pastor once brought this up:
Inside all of us is both an old you, and a new you. The old you is the devil inside of you. He is the one that causes you doubt, fear, sadness, and all of the above. The New you is the old Adam and Eve before they went against God. It is the good person inside of you.

When you die, the old you will die with you leaving you with only the new you. That new you will come into play when you are resurected into Heaven, and become an Angel. I hope you understand this.

I shall pray for you, and I hope you decide to stay with us. Hope this has helped! God Bless you!