Casstranquility said:
Oh, whitestar, were you going to respond to post #52? Just wondering.
I doubt that's true. Actually, I'm sure it's not. If that's the way you want to think about other people's perceptions, that's okay, but it's not the truth.
I was reply to #64...I think...
hard to keep track. But honestly those that claim to be Christian then bash the bible...for pete sake's...they take out what they don't like (rather then trying to learn and understand God) and add IN how they think God should be. Too many Christians seem to think God is one big teddy bear that will pat them on the head when they reject His commandments and reject half His character in the bible, and just shrug it off and forgive them. It just isn't going to work like that.
Jesus warns about this...
Matthew 15:
8
`These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far away.
9
Their worship is a farce,
for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings."
Matthew 7:
21 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? 23 And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!
1 Timothy 4
Warnings against False Teachers
1Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead.
Of course the teachings from demon's doesn't mean a demon is going to stand in front of people teaching them false things about God...who would listen to some horrible looking monster! So what else could this passage mean?
http://www.studylight.org/com/guz/view.cgi?book=1ti&chapter=004
David Guzik's Commentaries on the Bible
b. Some will depart from the faith: Because of the danger of the latter times, if Timothy is going to be a faithful minister to God's people, he must keep a dead reckoning on the truth - the faith. If this is lost, not much else really matters.
i. A June 1997 article in U.S. News and World Report describes a Virginia pastor who "would rather preach on 'Bosnia, justice, or world peace' than on Bible stories or personal salvation." This is a man who has departed from the faith, and is now doing his own thing.
c. The faith: This describes the essential teachings of the Christian faith; when some depart from the faith, they are abandoning the essential teachings of Christianity.
i. The Bible uses the phrase the faith in this way many places, among them: Acts 6:7 and 14:22, Colossians 1:23, 1 Timothy 1:19, and Jude 1:3.
d. Deceiving spirits refers to demonic spirits (angelic beings who have rebelled against God), who seek to deceive men and women, enticing them away from the truth.
i. We should not be surprised that some lies are so powerful, they have an evident spiritual dynamic behind them. These are lies crafted and "marketed" by deceiving spirits.
e. Doctrines of demons speaks of the specific teachings of these deceiving spirits. Demons are theology majors, and have elaborate systems of doctrine.
i. We find the first demonic doctrine in Genesis 3. There Satan, speaking through a serpent, taught Eve You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God (Genesis 3:4-5).
ii. Since then, every demonic doctrine has found its way back to this root - the idea that we can be gods, and operate independently from God - that we can call our own shots, run our own show, and justify our own souls before God.
f. These deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons have been around since man first walked the Garden of Eden. But we should expect that more and more people in the church would depart from the faith in the latter times and accept these hellish teachings.
i. It's hard to say if there is more false teaching today, or if it is merely a case of modern technology being able to spread the lie better. But the old saying is certainly true today: a lie travels express, the truth goes on foot - and more people within the church are following these doctrines of demons.
2. (2-3) The nature of their departure from the faith and embrace of the doctrines of demons.
Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
a. Those who depart from the faith may be found speaking lies in hypocrisy. This certainly means those who willingly embrace falsehood to justify their sin or pride; but it also refers to those who claim to be teaching the Bible, while just using it as a prop for their own swelling words.
b. Having their own conscience seared: Their conscience, which at one time would have convicted them of their departure from the truth, now doesn't reply at all - the "nerve endings" of their conscience have been burnt over and are dead to feeling.
i. This is how those departing from the faith deal with "cognitive dissonance," the conflict between what they know is right before God and their conduct. They reject the testimony of their conscience and embrace sin feeling "justified."
Read through this thread again and see who is ingoring half the bible cause they don't want to deal with it, who has 'rewritten it' in their minds because they cannot accept God being a certain way, those who have totally rejected the bible and think its funny, or make false accusation that studying the bible is the same as woshipping it!! Even though its says in the bible TO study it......
And on and on... Not too mention how many on here accept many types of sins as being 'ok'...even though they know the bible speaks against it. They either accept it in others, or in themselves.
Now obviously not everyone on here is doing this...but its pretty clear, at least to me, quiet a few are. Of course the bible isn't the only way to know God...there are many in the world that have never seen the bible and never will, yet they know who God is. The bible tells us He puts the knowledge of Himself in all of us...so we have no excuse for not knowing who He is. But for those lucky enough to have a bible then teach the word of God so neglectfully...its just a shame. Especially when in some parts of the world our Christian brothers and sisters are being beated, jailed and killed for simply having a bible....that they believe is worth more then gold...more then their own life.
Its not that they woship the bible...but our Creator....THE Creator of everything...the sun, moon, earth, us...the tiniest flowers, the butterflies, the new born baby...reached down and gave US something of Himself that we can hold and can read and CAN get to know who He is. Its one of the many presents He has offered us, and its to be honored...many have died and fought for our freedom to beable to have our own bibles...rather then the 'them' telling 'us' what its says. Not everyone in the world is as lucky as we are...
I cheish the Word of God...He speaks to us in it. I could never ingore it, or dismiss it, or laugh at it...
Sure there have been parts I didn't like and got upset about, and was doing this..."how could you do that to that person, God?" type of stuff...but once I calmed down and really studied it, then it started making more sense to me...just as has the rest of the bible. We need to put some EFFORT into learning His word...considering how much He has done for us, I think that is the least we could do.
God bless
