Is it essential to quote the Bible in order to give good Christian advice?

[Left]

I'm just saying I once had a Christian tutor very learned on Thomas Aquinas and he would only make positive points and reinforce them with Scripture. And he really brought a passion in me before me and him got in an argument. When he disagreed, he kept his words short, like saying "What?" A very crafty surgeon of the Christian faith.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

I am catholic by the way. I rarely quote scripture. That is partly because I don't have the knowledge of many good CF members who are raised on the Bible as the number one authority.
But I see my role in helping a fellow human being as first, being there for them. As an equal. Not as their scripture quoting superior. As if the OP's lack of knowledge of scripture is contributing to the problem.
See them first as fellow travellers. Don't condescend to them as if you are closer to Heaven , as if you have some special access to God's real intentions. Remember the importance of humility? Giving advice still requires humility. Didn't Jesus emphasise the value of humility?

As long as the Spirit of Jesus in you does the talking, it doesn't really matter what and how you do it.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

I'm just saying I once had a Christian tutor very learned on Thomas Aquinas and he would only make positive points and reinforce them with Scripture. And he really brought a passion in me before me and him got in an argument. When he disagreed, he kept his words short, like saying "What?" A very crafty surgeon of the Christian faith.

Evil man

 

[Emli]

Sadly, most people use the Bible the wrong way though. Rather than prove a positive point, they simply post verses nonstop without much reason or use it to rebuke.

That is very true. Unfortunately, it proves how very little wisdom they have. Someone who knows the Bible have no need to actually quote Scripture, but we speak it as we speak anything else, because His Word is in our heart, and we have an understanding of what it means.

Just to clarify though, I am in no way calling myself wise...

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

As a Bible nut, I can share our point of view:

You don't really have to quote the Bible, but if you want the advice to be truly Christian, it has to be founded on Scripture. As someone who relies solely on God's Word as my source of morals, I can tell instantly if something is off.

We are told not to rely on our own understanding, but trust in God always, and seek the wisdom that comes from above. That is given through Scripture. And through the Holy Spirit, but in order to test that, we still have to rely on the Bible. So in order for it to be Christian advice, it shouldn't be your personal opinion, but rather God's opinion.

We fill our hearts with God's Word, in order to become like Him. It's what the Bible says to do.

You should be ready to give a verse if anyone asks you. If something seems off, we need to know whether the opinion is of God, or of man. If it's from man, I'm sorry, but the Bible says not to trust it.

Do you get where I'm coming from? It's not about knowing Scripture the best, but as hungry and thirsty children, we long for the wisdom of God. That is why we quote Scripture. Otherwise it doesn't edify us in Christ.

Humility is great, but that humility is supposed to be before God, not only before other people. We humble ourselves to commit to Him and to His ways. How do we learn His ways? Through Scripture.

Scripture says to diligently search Scripture, and so we do.

You need to read more. It will do you a world of good, and give you Godly wisdom.

Long post. If Spirit of God is talking, then even if you say "hi" then it'll do miracles.

 

[Emli]

As long as the Spirit of Jesus in you does the talking, it doesn't really matter what and how you do it.

But here's the thing: how can we get to know Jesus, without first reading Scripture? And how do we test the spirits, without Scripture?

It can't be done.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

But here's the thing: how can we get to know Jesus, without first reading Scripture? And how do we test the spirits, without Scripture?

It can't be done.

If you already have Spirit of Jesus in you, that's irrelevant. If you don't, it's the biggest issue.

 

[Emli]

Long post. If Spirit of God is talking, then even if you say "hi" then it'll do miracles.

That is very true.

 

[FireDragon76]

Sadly, most people use the Bible the wrong way though. Rather than prove a positive point, they simply post verses nonstop without much reason or use it to rebuke.

Now you see the problem: biblicism actually can render the Bible incoherent. Real theology must meditate on the themes of the Scriptures and reason how they fit together, and they must be tested by our experience (Luther called this oratio, meditatio, tentantio - reading, meditation, trial).

 

[W2L]

Nothing wrong with quoting scripture. It gets to the point without long winded debates.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

Nothing wrong with quoting scripture. It gets to the point without long winded debates.

As long as you quote it right , not out of context etc .

 

[Emli]

If you already have Spirit of Jesus in you, that's irrelevant. If you don't, that's the biggest issue.

We cannot be saved and receive His Spirit without understanding the Gospel first. And we can't know if it's Him speaking without knowing who He is. For that, we need the Bible.

The Holy Spirit has at many times taught me Biblical truths before I read them in Scripture, so I'm not at all saying that we cannot rely on Him. We should. It's He who inspired Scripture. But we need the Word to complete the relationship. Otherwise it would be very easy for us to be fooled by the enemy, and by false prophets.

 

[Soyeong]

I am catholic by the way. I rarely quote scripture. That is partly because I don't have the knowledge of many good CF members who are raised on the Bible as the number one authority.
But I see my role in helping a fellow human being as first, being there for them. As an equal. Not as their scripture quoting superior. As if the OP's lack of knowledge of scripture is contributing to the problem.
See them first as fellow travellers. Don't condescend to them as if you are closer to Heaven , as if you have some special access to God's real intentions. Remember the importance of humility? Giving advice still requires humility. Didn't Jesus emphasise the value of humility?

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

The goal of studying God's Word is to grow in love for God and for our neighbor, so we shouldn't study it just to gain knowledge of how God wants us to love or to be able to recite it, but so that we can learn how to put it into practice. However, if we don't have knowledge of God's Word, then how can we put it into practice? It was because Jesus had Deuteronomy memorized that he was able to quote it in order to defeat the temptations of Satan. While it is true that we can run the risk of becoming puffed up by our knowledge of God's Word, valuing humility does not mean that we should value ignorance. The NT authors quoted or alluded to OT Scripture thousands of times in order to show that it supported what they said and to show that they didn't deviate from it. Quoting Scripture is not about having a holier than thou attitude, about being superior, or about condescending to others as if we are closer to Heaven, but about having a firm foundation in the truth of God's Word, about having love for God and His Word, about having faith in God to lead us in how we should live through His Word, and about showing our love for others by helping them to understand how to put God's Word into practice. It can hardly be said to be special access to God's intentions when those intentions are written down and available for anyone to read.

 

[W2L]

As long as you quote it right , not out of context etc .

I agree. However you can learn a lot from one scripture. Sometimes it transcends some peoples definition of context.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

I agree. However you can learn a lot from one scripture. Sometimes it transcends some peoples definition of context.

I think the most misquoted verse in the whole Bible is, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17).

 

[jargew]

When giving advice, or making various points, Christ commonly quoted scripture as a reference. I think he may have referenced about 49 old testament verses.

The word of God is full of wisdom. It can/should serve as a guide for advice.
You don't have to quote scripture when offering advice, but I can assure you that studying scripture will increase your wisdom and the quality of your advice significantly.

 

[W2L]

I think the most misquoted verse in the whole Bible is, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17).

I avoid law verses grace threads. James gets used a lot in those debates.

 

[St_Worm2]

Nothing wrong with quoting scripture. It gets to the point without long winded debates.

Yeah, some guy in the Bible must have thought it a good idea because he kept doing that over and over again. I think RedLegHunter pointed him out earlier in this thread .. Matthew 4:4. He kept answering questions, talking to people, and resolving issues by saying, "It is written", and then quoting an OT verse or passage. This guy was a Bible-Nut for sure

Oddly, this is the one Fellow I can think of who would have never needed to do that

Yours and His,
David

2 Timothy 3
16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
.​

 

[W2L]

Yeah, some guy in the Bible must have thought it a good idea because he kept doing that over and over again. I think RedLegHunter pointed him out earlier in this thread .. Matthew 4:4. He kept answering questions, talking to people, and resolving issues by saying, "It is written", and then quoting an OT verse or passage. This guy was a Bible-Nut for sure

Oddly, this is the one Fellow I can think of who would have never needed to do that

Yours and His,
David

2 Timothy 3
16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
.​

2 timothy 3, amen.

 

[Emli]

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

The goal of studying God's Word is to grow in love for God and for our neighbor, so we shouldn't study it just to gain knowledge of how God wants us to love or to be able to recite it, but so that we can learn how to put it into practice. However, if we don't have knowledge of God's Word, then how can we put it into practice?

Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn't do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall. Matthew 7:24-27

I agree. Being Christian isn't about knowing the Word, but about living by the Word.