Hi Mike,
Thanks for the offer and I am fully aware that there are those who don't understand the things of God even among those who are called, by men, the people of God. It has been that way since the inception of the 'church'. I'll go a bit closer to the source and turn away from your 'theological study group' and your 'course notes' and show you what Paul and Peter said about these things.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him;
nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
This explains that those not led by the Spirit have any hope of understanding the things of God. Bottom line, those who are not born-again stand with the same hope as Nicodemus. He had a form of knowledge and a form of godliness that was completely lacking in what God desired of him. He was Israel's teacher and did not understand the things of God. Now, lest you declare, "but these are members of a great theological study group and many from various denominations and so it must therefore be believed by the 'church'." Yes, that's what everyone said about Nicodemus also. Here's a reference by Peter regarding some of the teachings by those 'of the church':
2Peter 2:1-3
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
Notice that Peter warns that there will be false teachers among us today. Now, we have one believer who takes the strict biblical interpretation of the creation or as referred to here, the ' intellectual baboon' theory, and we have those who are willing to allow a more general 'theological' interpretation of the Scriptures. The truth: One of us is wrong and one of us is right. Either God created in 6 literal days as I believe His word declares or He didn't. There is no in between or maybe this or that and so one of us is wrong and one of us is right. Read Peter's words very carefully.
But there were also false prophets among the people,
just as there will be false teachers among you.
This is an assurance that there will be false teachers in all of the ages.
They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
This explains to us that these destructive heresies will include many theological issues, even up to the point of some denying that Jesus is the Messiah of the world. Now, let's make sure that we understand that it isn't saying that all of the destructive heresies will be about denying Jesus as our Savior.
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
What's the count? Many! Notice that Peter doesn't say, "A few will be misguided." Rather he seems to make a clear indication that many will be misguided. So, hopefully you understand that when I hear you say things like, "Well, this is what most people believe or this is what this great theological think tank that I was involved with believes," my Peter warning meter immediately begins to sound the alarm. Especially when what is being considered is 'new' and 'improved' thinking based on 'new' and 'improved' scientific verification.
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with
stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
Friend, I don't want to be in that number. So, here's the question: Is my understanding correct or is yours? Listen, if you want to follow what great men of God think and you are swayed more by what men teach you than what's in the Scriptures, let me point you to John Spong. You can google him. He's one of the greatest biblical saints of our day. He has a great following and he has been trained in some of the finest theological schools the country has to offer.
Here's what one of the websites that supports him has to say about him.
For those seeking to experience Christianity in a new and vibrant way,
Bishop John Shelby Spong offers fresh spiritual ideas. Over the past four decades, he has become one of the definitive voices for progressive Christianity.
Here's a brief synopsis of his education:
Spong was educated in Charlotte public schools. He was a
Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1952, and received his Master of Divinity degree in 1955 from the
Episcopal Theological Seminary in
Alexandria, Virginia. That seminary and
Saint Paul's College have both conferred on him honorary
Doctor of Divinity degrees. He wrote: "[I have] immerse[d] myself in contemporary Biblical scholarship at such places as Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School and the storied universities in Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge."
This is obviously a great man of God. A Master of Divinity no less. Go ahead, read his take on the virgin birth. Here's a good site:
John Shelby Spong: A Revolutionary, Rational Anti-Religionist
So, hopefully you'll understand that I am not easily swayed by arguments that start off with showing that some understanding comes from a theological study course. I'm well acquainted with some of the 'theological' study courses of Harvard and so many of the worldly schools of theology and find that they fit the Peter meter mold fairly accurately. There are even 'theological' study courses that discuss the possibility that God is a woman. 'Theological' study courses that deny any of the miracles of the Scriptures. Hey, here's a good 'theological' study course. '
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time' , by Marcus Borg. Gosh, one of the Presbyterian fellowships in my town was using it for a study guide. So, please understand that I am little swayed by a lot of what other believers choose to believe or study, if it does not keep with God's word.
Now, you may surely say, "Well, what you're really saying is that you're not going to be swayed by anything that doesn't fit 'your' mold of what you think God's word says", and I will be quick to agree with that statement. I'm a born again believer who has studied the word of God for some 14 years now and, while I won't even begin to say that I know everything about God and His ways, I know a lot and I know that there is a lot of Bull Stuff our there being touted as, "Thus saith the Lord."
Of course there are at least a dozen other Scriptural warnings for us to be careful what we believe even among those who hold themselves up as being for God. I don't know how you feel about the catholic organization, but I'm one who finds it one of the most apostate pretenders of God's church on the face of the earth. Confessionals and annulments and all that they teach seems to me to be about as far from God's will and desires as those in Harlem selling sex for drugs and money or selling drugs and money for sex.
I sincerely apologize if it seems that I am being overly hard regarding this matter. It is very important to me and I stand adamantly opposed to the teachings that seem, in my mind, to follow this pattern that Peter warned us of.
Now, let me ask you a simple question: Why will you not believe that in six days God created the heavens and the earth? And I don't take this from the Genesis account, but rather from the Mosaic law. I'm willing to give you that in the very beginning there might have been some misunderstanding of what a day was, but I know that the Scriptures account that the ten commandments were written by the finger of God on the stone tablets and God himself wrote:
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.
Friend, this was written by the very hand of God, 2500 years after the creation when men abounded upon the earth and everyone knew what a day was. He even used this very same 6 literal day construction to establish the seventh day Sabbath. Every six morning and evening days were to be followed by a day of Sabbath rest and for generations upon generations the Jews rested on the seventh day. Not once in a great while because the six days were eons or some immeasurable lenght of time.
Are you not inclined to believe that God wrote this correctly by His own hand because you would look like some 'intellectual baboon' to the wise men of the world? Would the 'wise' brothers and sisters of your 'theological study group' laugh at you for believing the simple meaning of God's very own handwritting 2500 years into the creation?
God bless you.
In Christ, Ted
