Riddle me this

NeverL0ved said:

"Why should I believe what you believe, to believe in Jesus?"

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So what's the answer to the riddle?

-CryptoLutheran

NeverL0ved said:

What if people exposed me to the wrong theology? Therefore an incorrect understanding of Jesus. Obviously a lot of people are going to have unsound doctrine, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize my eternal existence by believing what other people believed.

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If, at the end of everything, it all boils down to a doctrinal exam, of getting our i's dotted and t's crossed all properly, then I suspect everyone's in trouble.

-CryptoLutheran

DamianWarS said:

He tells us to deny our self, not our responsibilities. Essentially it is a focus of changing our ambitions to give glory to God rather than self.

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There is nothing glorious about the Biblical god character!

Quackduck said:

There is nothing glorious about the Biblical god character!

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Try meeting Him and report back...

NeverL0ved said:

Can you run that by me again Carl.

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You said...

Consistent doctrine amongst all believer's should be evident if they all share one unified spirit, don't you think?

I said... "No - it is an interactive relationship with the Spirit of Truth via imperfect individuals, but core beliefs are agreed on.

Added to this the 'Father of Lies' wants to get his oar in and twist truth if he can - Temptation of Jesus is a case in point.

No real believer argues against Jesus being risen in the flesh. Read the Gospels and make your choice... True or not?

There was a typo... Is that clearer?

Carl Emerson said:

Try meeting Him and report back...

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How do you meet something that in all probability is a figment of the human imagination?

Quackduck said:

How do you meet something that in all probability is a figment of the human imagination?

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He doesn't mind being subject to the experimental method...

Just like science does, try this experiment. - ask Him if He is there to make himself known to you...

You have nothing to lose.

Carl Emerson said:

He doesn't mind being subject to the experimental method...

Just like science does, try this experiment. - ask Him if He is there to make himself known to you...

You have nothing to lose.

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I did when I was a believer and never once had any sign of its presence.

Quackduck said:

I did when I was a believer and never once had any sign of its presence.

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Yes this can be the case - I had seventeen years between being born again and being totally undone by His presence. He wants your whole heart - dont give up - keep seeking and you will find.

Carl Emerson said:

Yes this can be the case - I had seventeen years between being born again and being totally undone by His presence. He wants your whole heart - dont give up - keep seeking and you will find.

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No thanks I have much better things to do with my life than screw my head up again with the unpleasant god character.

NeverL0ved said:

And that's why you can't walk on water.

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I also can't turn lead into gold. It doesn't matter.

Quackduck said:

There is nothing glorious about the Biblical god character!

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God is either real or not but no character qualities in scripture can invent him. if you are unimpressed with how God is portrayed in the bible this creates no less demand to give him glory. the demand exists not from what scripture paints but from the existence of God alone.

Quackduck said:

No thanks I have much better things to do with my life than screw my head up again with the unpleasant god character.

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You may be interested to read my thread here...

Jesus's Ministry

Carl Emerson said:

You may be interested to read my thread here...

Jesus's Ministry

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There is absolutely no evidence that anything attributed to Jesus in the Bible is true, it all could have been created by the gospel writers years after he was dead.

Quackduck said:

it all could have been created by the gospel writers years after he was dead.

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For what purpose? Who would it have benefited?

NeverL0ved said:

Consistent doctrine amongst all believer's should be evident if they all share one unified spirit, don't you think?

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Resha Caner said:

No, I don't think that. It's desirable, but not inevitable.

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NeverL0ved said:

And that's why you can't walk on water.

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I do understand that the one Holy Spirit has us in agreement. But we are not perfect; so we can have variation. But I think there are the main things which we agree on.

And the Bible can bring us beyond our present level of maturity's knowledge. We need to grow to certain things. There can be correction of character which makes us able to get into certain things.

A baby can have a different ability to know things, than a senior mature adult can know and understand with the right, and mature perspective.

com7fy8 said:

But I think there are the main things which we agree on.

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Being an engineer, I think in terms of, and often cite the Shannon-Hartley theorem as a practical example of when a message can be extracted in the presence of noise.

com7fy8 said:

And the Bible can bring us beyond our present level of maturity's knowledge.

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Be careful not to personify the Bible (as a book made of ink and paper). If you mean the Word (per John 1:1, then yes). As such, since we are Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:27), it is better to be in Christian communion. It's the teaching, the discussion, that most often changes us for the better. And, per my first point, the most effective means. In Lutheran theology teaching and preaching the Word rises near the level of a Sacrament.