Beware of False Teachers

2PhiloVoid

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First, to the extent any of us has false beliefs, no matter how sincere we are, if we teach in accordance with those erroneous beliefs, we are false teachers. In that category, all men have erroneous beliefs. I am a man. You are a man. Charles Stanley is a man. To some extent, if we teach all our beliefs, we are going to be false teachers at some point.

I have been a false teacher. I have altered a number of my beliefs since I started teaching 30 plus years ago. Some of what I taught then as "fact" I now know to be "error". Getting to truth is a process, not a destination. He will continue to perfect us until His coming. I haven't arrived, nor has Charles Stanley.

When Jesus and the Apostles warn us about "false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren," this isn't a warning against other Christians who are genuinely trying to please the Lord but who have some diversity in their understandings of various aspects of Christian faith. No, false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren are false because...God didn't send them, they don't please Him, and they are not acting out from position by which to have power over the people of God.

Charles Stanley, whether I agree or not with very little nook and cranny of his teaching, is a person whom I'm pretty sure we shouldn't classify as a "false teacher."

I don't agree with Stanley about "once saved always saved," but just because I disagree with him on that, does that mean I should see him as "false"? NO! That would be a foolish thing to do. As Paul said in the last few chapters of the book of Romans, we should bear with one another in our levels of understanding on various issues.
 
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EmethAlethia

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When Jesus and the Apostles warn us about "false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren," this isn't a warning against other Christians who are genuinely trying to please the Lord but who have some diversity in their understandings of various aspects of Christian faith. No, false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren are false because...God didn't send them, they don't please Him, and they are not acting out from position by which to have power over the people of God.

Charles Stanley, whether I agree or not with very little nook and cranny of his teaching, is a person whom I'm pretty sure we shouldn't classify as a "false teacher."

There are degrees of false teachings as there are things we are to contend earnestly for, and others that are meaningless contention. This is why we should all be noble minded and be examining the scriptures to see if what is said is so. The question is, when does having incorrect beliefs and thus incorrect, or false, teachings, constitute being a false teacher. I drew the line at teaching something false, regardless of the beliefs, zeal, intentions ... or even the correctness f other doctrines, beliefs and teachings. Thus, from my perspective, all of us may be false teachers at a given doctrinal point or another. A specific line does need to be drawn, be it mine or someone else's. Why? Because we are commanded to be aware of them and are told how we should respond to them. If no one can recognize that point, no one can know when to respond the way scriptures state we should respond.

Does your view of a "False Teacher" require picking and choosing which doctrine is "false" and then only if it is a grievous violation of the precepts of those key issues o they become false teachers? Does it require a number of these grievous erroneous / false teachings? Mine is pretty much cut and dried. Yours seems to be ever changing, clouded, fuzzy, maybe for this and not for that ... To me, since the consequences for teaching the precepts of men as the commandment of God, or nullifying His commands to hold fast to our traditional views is so grievous, I would state that we should be aware of and respond to any false teaching the same. Does that make sense to you? Where do you draw the line, and on what techings?
 
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2PhiloVoid

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There are degrees of false teachings as there are things we are to contend earnestly for, and others that are meaningless contention. This is why we should all be noble minded and be examining the scriptures to see if what is said is so. The question is, when does having incorrect beliefs and thus incorrect, or false, teachings, constitute being a false teacher. I drew the line at teaching something false, regardless of the beliefs, zeal, intentions ... or even the correctness f other doctrines, beliefs and teachings. Thus, from my perspective, all of us may be false teachers at a given doctrinal point or another. A specific line does need to be drawn, be it mine or someone else's. Why? Because we are commanded to be aware of them and are told how we should respond to them. If no one can recognize that point, no one can know when to respond the way scriptures state we should respond.
And that is my point; we need to do our best to draw the lines that Jesus and the Apostles drew, rather than our own...the problem is that because of relative human perception and conceptions, as well as inundation of new data, it is not always easy to try to cut the lines as Jesus and the Apostle Paul would cut the lines; so...we should appropriate grace and mercy to others BEFORE applying judgement.

Does your view of a "False Teacher" require picking and choosing which doctrine is "false" and then only if it is a grievous violation of the precepts of those key issues o they become false teachers?
No, my approach involves looking at various contexts affecting our understanding of what Jesus and the Apostles taught; and then not assuming that everything I conclude in my own mind MUST BE God's own truth.

Does it require a number of these grievous erroneous / false teachings? Mine is pretty much cut and dried. Yours seems to be ever changing, clouded, fuzzy, maybe for this and not for that ... To me, since the consequences for teaching the precepts of men as the commandment of God, or nullifying His commands to hold fast to our traditional views is so grievous, I would state that we should be aware of and respond to any false teaching the same. Does that make sense to you? Where do you draw the line, and on what techings?
I take a different tact. I rather try to gather up, inductively, the statements and insinuations from the New Testament writings, and secondarily from the Old Testament writings, about what makes something false, and then I try to come to an understanding as to what the 'least' is that we HAVE to be aware of regarding "false brethren." And from what I can tell, that 'least' element for me is not that our fellow Christians brethren have differences of opinion of various doctrines, but that the intents and purposes of the hearts of false brethren is such as to not be conducive to the growth of the Fruit of the Spirit, whether in their lives or their relationships. Moreover, if we look close enough, we'll see that false brethren typically want power, or money, or privilege, not the things of the Spirit.

I don't think we can say this about Charles Stanley.
 
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sparow

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HE was talking about the coming of THE HOLY SPIRIT which will be poured out upon all who believe the ONE GOSPEL. You have stuck 2 Thessalonians 2 in to imply something different than what was being spoken of in John 13

Completely different and opposite
2 Thessalonians 2 is talking about when HE who holds all things back Is taken out of the way, then will the man of sin be revealed. But we know who restrains evil
Do you?


It will look like unbridled evil for the ONE who holds all things back will be taken out of the way so that evil will have full reign


Yes. By fire



No. What followed were the things revealed to John so as to warn all the servants of the LORD what must follow just as it is written in the first chapter of revelation



In 2 Thessalonians 2 which you consider a silly letter

Not using Paul I was not aware evil was restrained; the framework of prophesy restrains Satan but evil isn't God's work; it would be nasty of God to regulate evil, although evil is relative, that great and terrible day of the Lord will seem like evil to most; you seem to be inserting a peculiar denominational teaching into 2 Thessalonians 2; suggesting a second coming of the Holy Spirit, suggesting the Holy Spirit is not with us today.

Which Gone Gospel do you have in mind, Paul's Gospel, or the Gospel of James and the Jerusalem church who Paul threatened to curse unless they stayed out of Paul's way.
 
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miknik5

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Not using Paul I was not aware evil was restrained; the framework of prophesy restrains Satan but evil isn't God's work; it would be nasty of God to regulate evil, although evil is relative, that great and terrible day of the Lord will seem like evil to most; you seem to be inserting a peculiar denominational teaching into 2 Thessalonians 2; suggesting a second coming of the Holy Spirit, suggesting the Holy Spirit is not with us today.

Which Gone Gospel do you have in mind, Paul's Gospel, or the Gospel of James and the Jerusalem church who Paul threatened to curse unless they stayed out of Paul's way.
You seem to misunderstand what I said
 
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miknik5

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Not using Paul I was not aware evil was restrained; the framework of prophesy restrains Satan but evil isn't God's work; it would be nasty of God to regulate evil, although evil is relative, that great and terrible day of the Lord will seem like evil to most; you seem to be inserting a peculiar denominational teaching into 2 Thessalonians 2; suggesting a second coming of the Holy Spirit, suggesting the Holy Spirit is not with us today.

Which Gone Gospel do you have in mind, Paul's Gospel, or the Gospel of James and the Jerusalem church who Paul threatened to curse unless they stayed out of Paul's way.
But it appears you misunderstand Paul's words as well

and misinterpret them
 
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Not using Paul I was not aware evil was restrained; the framework of prophesy restrains Satan but evil isn't God's work; it would be nasty of God to regulate evil, although evil is relative, that great and terrible day of the Lord will seem like evil to most; you seem to be inserting a peculiar denominational teaching into 2 Thessalonians 2; suggesting a second coming of the Holy Spirit, suggesting the Holy Spirit is not with us today.

Which Gone Gospel do you have in mind, Paul's Gospel, or the Gospel of James and the Jerusalem church who Paul threatened to curse unless they stayed out of Paul's way.
Sounds questionable to me. I don't see anywhere that Paul ever threatened the Jerusalem church. He and Barnabas went there and had an amicable counsel with the Apostles in Jerusalem and came away with a decision which satisfied him. One wonders sometimes which Bible folks read sometimes.
 
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sparow

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Sounds questionable to me. I don't see anywhere that Paul ever threatened the Jerusalem church. He and Barnabas went there and had an amicable counsel with the Apostles in Jerusalem and came away with a decision which satisfied him. One wonders sometimes which Bible folks read sometimes.

You should question everything; have you proved to your own satisfaction that Jesus is the Christ or have you believed someone else; the same people who included Paul in the cannon also edited the NT besides deciding what would be included in the cannon; there is history of the early churches besides the Bible and that history says the church lead by James was at odds with Paul.

Galatians 1:6-9 (NKJV)
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Paul is seriously threatening someone; Paul's epistles were all private and the addressees would have known who he was talking about; the gospel that Jesus, John, and the apostles preached was the nearness of the kingdom of God and the opportunity and need to repent which is different to the gospel of Christ or the gospel about Christ; the doctrine of James and the Jerusalem church were identical to Judaism without the doctrine and traditions of men and with the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ and king; Paul's gospel is very different so the Jerusalem church was among those Paul was threatening to curse.
 
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sparow

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Who did you think convicts the world of sin?

And how do you think evil will have its full reign unless the ONE who even by HIS everyday GRACE upon all (believer and unbeliever alike) is taken out of the way?

On these forums misunderstanding is more frequent than disagreement; usually when people think they disagree it is more likely that they do not know what the other person is talking about.

""convicts the world of sin?"", Sounds like a false teaching to me; when my turn comes Jesus Christ will be my prosecutor, my attorney, my judge and my jury; if Jesus is in me he won't judge Himself unfavourably.
 
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On these forums misunderstanding is more frequent than disagreement; usually when people think they disagree it is more likely that they do not know what the other person is talking about.

""convicts the world of sin?"", Sounds like a false teaching to me; when my turn comes Jesus Christ will be my prosecutor, my attorney, my judge and my jury; if Jesus is in me he won't judge Himself unfavourably.
You haven't read John 16:8 where Jesus said when the Holy Spirit is come He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. The scripture does not say that Jesus is going to be your prosecutor if you are genuinely converted to Him. John 16:8 has to do with the Holy Spirit convicting the unbelieving world so that people will turn to Christ for mercy and forgiveness. Once a person is converted, the sin question is totally resolved and there is no more consciousness of sin. The Holy Spirit does not convict believers of sin, because it is now covered by the righteousness of Christ.
 
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You should question everything; have you proved to your own satisfaction that Jesus is the Christ or have you believed someone else; the same people who included Paul in the cannon also edited the NT besides deciding what would be included in the cannon; there is history of the early churches besides the Bible and that history says the church lead by James was at odds with Paul.

Galatians 1:6-9 (NKJV)
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Paul is seriously threatening someone; Paul's epistles were all private and the addressees would have known who he was talking about; the gospel that Jesus, John, and the apostles preached was the nearness of the kingdom of God and the opportunity and need to repent which is different to the gospel of Christ or the gospel about Christ; the doctrine of James and the Jerusalem church were identical to Judaism without the doctrine and traditions of men and with the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ and king; Paul's gospel is very different so the Jerusalem church was among those Paul was threatening to curse.
This is flawed theology that comes out of a misunderstanding about how the letters of Paul synch with the Gospels. There is no evidence that Paul and James were in conflict with each other. Paul's teaching extended what was taught in the Gospels, and this is consistent with what Jesus said about there were things needing further teaching but the disciples could not bear them at the present time. But when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost, and Paul was converted and filled with the Holy Spirit, He was commissioned by the Lord to bring the gospel to the Gentile churches. His teaching contains the principles that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would give as further teaching when the Holy Spirit comes. When we read Paul in that context, then we see the synching between what Jesus taught in the Gospels, and what Paul taught in his letters to the churches.

Saying that Paul's teaching is at odds with Jesus' teaching, and is in conflict with the church at Jerusalem, is very simplistic and shows a shallow treatment of the scripture. I think a course in hermeneutics would be an advantage to have a deeper understanding of the relationship between Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and James. They were all different people with different ministries and roles in the Church. An in-depth study of the New Testament will make it very clear that there was no conflict between these men.
 
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miknik5

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You should question everything; have you proved to your own satisfaction that Jesus is the Christ or have you believed someone else; the same people who included Paul in the cannon also edited the NT besides deciding what would be included in the cannon; there is history of the early churches besides the Bible and that history says the church lead by James was at odds with Paul.

Galatians 1:6-9 (NKJV)
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Paul is seriously threatening someone; Paul's epistles were all private and the addressees would have known who he was talking about; the gospel that Jesus, John, and the apostles preached was the nearness of the kingdom of God and the opportunity and need to repent which is different to the gospel of Christ or the gospel about Christ; the doctrine of James and the Jerusalem church were identical to Judaism without the doctrine and traditions of men and with the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ and king; Paul's gospel is very different so the Jerusalem church was among those Paul was threatening to curse.
"The Gospel that Jesus, John and the apostles preached?"

Why do you include Jesus as some sort of messenger and herald in line and equal to John and the apostles

I think it is you who hasn't yet proven to your own satisfaction that JESUS is THE CHRIST
 
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miknik5

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Paul wrote letters to the baby believing body as issues arose in those baby believing "bodies" which contradicted the TRUTH of CHRIST

And when false teachers came in introducing requirements and doctrines which contradicted the TRUTH of THE GOSPEL

Paul always wrote these letters because of these issues. And his letters were to encourage to strengthen to exhort and to correct instruct and discipline the baby believers in CHRIST
 
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sparow

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You haven't read John 16:8 where Jesus said when the Holy Spirit is come He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come. The scripture does not say that Jesus is going to be your prosecutor if you are genuinely converted to Him. John 16:8 has to do with the Holy Spirit convicting the unbelieving world so that people will turn to Christ for mercy and forgiveness. Once a person is converted, the sin question is totally resolved and there is no more consciousness of sin. The Holy Spirit does not convict believers of sin, because it is now covered by the righteousness of Christ.


It is 35 years about since I read the Gospels 5 times and Rev 6 times and the universal epistles once; I read Romans and a small amount of 1 Corinthians before rejecting Paul. Since then I only read as discussion requires. Being Australian the words convict and convicts have established meaning.

I am not sure what John 16:8 means to you but I feel that the translators got it wrong and so you are mislead. Your account is not what these scriptures say:

John 16:8-11 (RSV)
8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The righteousness of Christ is accessible but few access it; most abrogate the way; to paraphrase Jesus, the road to life is narrow and few find it, the road to destruction is broad and most go that way.

It seems me that the Holy spirit would not be assigned a task He could not do, yet according to your account He appears to have failed. seeing that He came at Pentecost.
 
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It is 35 years about since I read the Gospels 5 times and Rev 6 times and the universal epistles once; I read Romans and a small amount of 1 Corinthians before rejecting Paul. Since then I only read as discussion requires. Being Australian the words convict and convicts have established meaning.

I am not sure what John 16:8 means to you but I feel that the translators got it wrong and so you are mislead. Your account is not what these scriptures say:

John 16:8-11 (RSV)
8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The righteousness of Christ is accessible but few access it; most abrogate the way; to paraphrase Jesus, the road to life is narrow and few find it, the road to destruction is broad and most go that way.

It seems me that the Holy spirit would not be assigned a task He could not do, yet according to your account He appears to have failed. seeing that He came at Pentecost.
If you want to believe that then good for you. I guess that you are one of those who have "arrived" and have accessed what you believe is the righteousness of Christ. In my Bible, it is given as a free gift, but you might not have that version. Maybe you have a "righteousness" of Christ that you have earned through good works. In fact, it is not the righteousness of Christ that is given as a free gift, but your own righteousness disguised as the former. And we all know what our own righteousness is in the eyes of God.
 
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sparow

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This is flawed theology that comes out of a misunderstanding about how the letters of Paul synch with the Gospels. There is no evidence that Paul and James were in conflict with each other. Paul's teaching extended what was taught in the Gospels, and this is consistent with what Jesus said about there were things needing further teaching but the disciples could not bear them at the present time. But when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost, and Paul was converted and filled with the Holy Spirit, He was commissioned by the Lord to bring the gospel to the Gentile churches. His teaching contains the principles that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would give as further teaching when the Holy Spirit comes. When we read Paul in that context, then we see the synching between what Jesus taught in the Gospels, and what Paul taught in his letters to the churches.

Saying that Paul's teaching is at odds with Jesus' teaching, and is in conflict with the church at Jerusalem, is very simplistic and shows a shallow treatment of the scripture. I think a course in hermeneutics would be an advantage to have a deeper understanding of the relationship between Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and James. They were all different people with different ministries and roles in the Church. An in-depth study of the New Testament will make it very clear that there was no conflict between these men.

I am amused that you consider my opinions and reasoning as the science of God. There is much debate over the matter of the conflict between Paul and James (which is an indicator of something) during which the evidence is apologised into oblivion.

<<Most Bible scholars pit the apostles James and Paul against one another. A review of the historical record shows the origins of that mistaken idea.>>

Quote. James, the brother of Jesus
For the remainder of the history given by Luke, James is barely mentioned again, and Peter is absent. In chapter 21 Paul makes another visit to Jerusalem to meet with the leadership and the only name mentioned is James. Other than the letter attributed to James, he is only mentioned three times in all of the NT. How did James become the leader of the Church in Jerusalem? The answer comes from an early church tradition recorded in Eusebius' Church History. Eusebius quotes from some earlier writings that now only exist through his quotations:
But Clement in the sixth book of his Hypotyposes writes thus: "For they say that Peter and James and John after the ascension of our Saviour, as if also preferred by our Lord, strove not after honor, but chose James the Just bishop of Jerusalem." But the same writer, in the seventh book of the same work, relates also the following things concerning him: "The Lord after his resurrection imparted knowledge to James the Just and to John and Peter, and they imparted it to the rest of the apostles, and the rest of the apostles to the seventy, of whom Barnabas was one. - Church History II.1.3-5

But Hegesippus, who lived immediately after the apostles, gives the most accurate account in the fifth book of his Memoirs. He writes as follows: "James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the Church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called the Just by all from the time of our Saviour to the present day....He was holy from his mother's womb; and he drank no wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat flesh. No razor came upon his head; he did not anoint himself with oil, and he did not use the bath. He alone was permitted to enter into the holy place; for he wore not woolen but linen garments. And he was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel...
- Church History II.23.5-6

We cannot trust these traditions completely, but it is clear that such an early tradition did exist. This indicates the need of the second century fathers to understand and explain how James could have had such a leadership position since he certainly did not have a prominent role in the Acts account until chapter- Unquote.


paul and james in open conflict in the book of acts : There is data to substantiate the destruction of many of such documents by the "Early Gentile Church". Gone forever is the balance needed to understand the events of Acts and God's working among His Hebrew Church and His Gentile Church.

http://www.barriewilson.com/pdf/Taking-Paul-at-His-Word.pdf
 
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miknik5

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It is 35 years about since I read the Gospels 5 times and Rev 6 times and the universal epistles once; I read Romans and a small amount of 1 Corinthians before rejecting Paul. Since then I only read as discussion requires. Being Australian the words convict and convicts have established meaning.

I am not sure what John 16:8 means to you but I feel that the translators got it wrong and so you are mislead. Your account is not what these scriptures say:

John 16:8-11 (RSV)
8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

The righteousness of Christ is accessible but few access it; most abrogate the way; to paraphrase Jesus, the road to life is narrow and few find it, the road to destruction is broad and most go that way.

It seems me that the Holy spirit would not be assigned a task He could not do, yet according to your account He appears to have failed. seeing that He came at Pentecost.
HE came to only those who believed for the purpose that they would go snd preach THE GOSPEL

Maybe you should reread Jesus' discourse to HIS DISCIPLES?

(John 13 - John 17)

Keep in mind these truths:

that the world could not receive the HOLY SPIRIT because the world does not know HIM

I do not pray for the world but for those whom you have given ME out of the world. I do not pray only for them but for those who will believe in ME by their word

They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but to keep them from the evil one

These words are for all HIS Disciples : those yesterday, those today, and those tomorrow

If all were HIS DISCIPLES after Pentecost, there would have been no need for CHRIST to have commissioned any to "go"
 
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I am amused that you consider my opinions and reasoning as the science of God. There is much debate over the matter of the conflict between Paul and James (which is an indicator of something) during which the evidence is apologised into oblivion.

<<Most Bible scholars pit the apostles James and Paul against one another. A review of the historical record shows the origins of that mistaken idea.>>

Quote. James, the brother of Jesus
For the remainder of the history given by Luke, James is barely mentioned again, and Peter is absent. In chapter 21 Paul makes another visit to Jerusalem to meet with the leadership and the only name mentioned is James. Other than the letter attributed to James, he is only mentioned three times in all of the NT. How did James become the leader of the Church in Jerusalem? The answer comes from an early church tradition recorded in Eusebius' Church History. Eusebius quotes from some earlier writings that now only exist through his quotations:
But Clement in the sixth book of his Hypotyposes writes thus: "For they say that Peter and James and John after the ascension of our Saviour, as if also preferred by our Lord, strove not after honor, but chose James the Just bishop of Jerusalem." But the same writer, in the seventh book of the same work, relates also the following things concerning him: "The Lord after his resurrection imparted knowledge to James the Just and to John and Peter, and they imparted it to the rest of the apostles, and the rest of the apostles to the seventy, of whom Barnabas was one. - Church History II.1.3-5

But Hegesippus, who lived immediately after the apostles, gives the most accurate account in the fifth book of his Memoirs. He writes as follows: "James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the Church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called the Just by all from the time of our Saviour to the present day....He was holy from his mother's womb; and he drank no wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat flesh. No razor came upon his head; he did not anoint himself with oil, and he did not use the bath. He alone was permitted to enter into the holy place; for he wore not woolen but linen garments. And he was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel...
- Church History II.23.5-6

We cannot trust these traditions completely, but it is clear that such an early tradition did exist. This indicates the need of the second century fathers to understand and explain how James could have had such a leadership position since he certainly did not have a prominent role in the Acts account until chapter- Unquote.


paul and james in open conflict in the book of acts : There is data to substantiate the destruction of many of such documents by the "Early Gentile Church". Gone forever is the balance needed to understand the events of Acts and God's working among His Hebrew Church and His Gentile Church.

http://www.barriewilson.com/pdf/Taking-Paul-at-His-Word.pdf
I have no argument about your account of James. But you have no presented conclusive evidence that he and Paul were in conflict. From what I see in Acts, Paul was given the "stamp" of approval from James and the Apostles that he was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles. They accepted Paul's testimony of his meeting the Lord on the Damascus Road and his calling received from the Lord.
 
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sparow

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"The Gospel that Jesus, John and the apostles preached?"

Why do you include Jesus as some sort of messenger and herald in line and equal to John and the apostles

I think it is you who hasn't yet proven to your own satisfaction that JESUS is THE CHRIST

Why do you ignore the teaching of Jesus; maybe you are the victim of a false prophet.

Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Why does it offend you that Jesus would deliver this Gospel to those who were about to be brought back into the fold via the new covenant.

Matthew 10:5-7 (NKJV)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

Mark 1:14-15 (NKJV)
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

And you are offended that Jesus would deliver a message.

Luke 4:43 (NKJV)
43 but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."

The purpose Jesus was sent was to deliver the message that offends you to the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus is a stumbling block, and His name is the Law stretched tight.
 
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