Is this passage telling us to think for ourselves?

[Mustaphile]

(Luk 12:54) Then he said to the people, When you see a cloud coming up in the west, straight away you say, There will be rain; and so it is.

(Luk 12:55) And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, There will be heat; and so it is.

(Luk 12:56) O false ones! the face of the earth and the heaven is clear to you; how is it that the signs of these times are not as clear to you?

(Luk 12:57) And why are you, in your hearts, unable to be judges of what is right?

What does this passage say to you?

I am of the opinion that it was Jesus stating his frustration that we can see the world around us quite clearly, so why do we struggle so much to work things out for ourselves, when the solutions (edit;- what is right) are plainly obvious. It encourages me that it is right and correct to use our personal experience as a guide for life. God gave us a brain, so we are quite capable of making the right decisions on our own. I guess its a matter of what signs you see around you.

Anybody else feel the same or differently?

 

[seebs]

You shouldn't have stated an opinion; then you'd have been asking whether or not you should think for yourself, and it would have been funny.

 

[Mustaphile]

You shouldn't have stated an opinion; then you'd have been asking whether or not you should think for yourself, and it would have been funny.

Hehehehe

 

[newname]

the natural man, as we are born into THIS world can not make any "right" decision,

the natural man does not know the spiritual things of God, (Corinthians)

the natural man knows and understands the physical world, not the spiritual,

the educated religious leaders that do not have the righteousness of God know the physical things of this world, but do not understand the spiritual world,

If one's righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the religious who are the blind leading the blind, then that one does not judge righteously, having no discernment of God's way, which leads to true life, or the worlds way, which leads to destruction,

newname

 

[Andyman_1970]

the natural man knows and understands the physical world, not the spiritual,

Paul tells us in Romans that when those who don't have the Law do something by their nature that is of the Law, they are a Law unto themselves......how can they periodically do things of the Law and yet not have a connection with the spiritual realm?

I don't come here much, but cool thread though.

 

[Andyman_1970]

I would say that's not the only passage that tells us to "engage our brain" - try 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

The rabbi's understood the Scriptures that Creation was God creating "light" and separating it from "dark" and the rest of the Text is God teaching us how to separate light from dark...........teaching us how, not a list of rules................I think the Bible is the story of God teaching people to use their brains to discern what's light and dark.

 

[Mustaphile]

1Th 5:21 Let all things be tested; keep to what is good;

Hmm..yes, I guess it could be viewed that way.

I tend to think that the Bible (the new testament in particular) shows us an attitude that we can bring to life that can allow us to discern more clearly what is right or wrong. As I moved away from fundamentalism (a religious view that I never really found to be a comfortable fit, personally), I moved into a more abstracted view of how to deal with issues of wrong and right. I liked the phrase, 'The Way', that I discovered once while reading some version of the Bible. 'The Way' was to me an attitude you brought to bear on the present, or the 'now' as some people like to say. Viewing life through spiritual eyes, in the moment, so to speak. Forgiving the past, and bringing hope for the future to bear on that moment. God only knows what I am trying to express, but I hope to be more coherent in my thoughts on this matter one day.

Another passage in the Bible that seems to ring true with my thoughts on a more abstracted view of how to live life is this one...

Joh 3:8 The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit.

To me this meant that their is no way to define or give solid form to exactly where the Spirit is coming from or where it is going, but you must be aware of its presence and 'go with the flow'. Any attempt to institutionalise or set in stone how God works is immediately redundant. It's how God worked in that moment and may be repeated or it may not. The important thing was to always be receptive to change.

 

[plmarquette]

no ...
it says if you can operate in the world's system , knowing by experience , what to do ;
you should by faith , and the Holy Spirit , know what to do for the kingdom of God ...

 

[Mustaphile]

no ...
it says if you can operate in the world's system , knowing by experience , what to do ;
you should by faith , and the Holy Spirit , know what to do for the kingdom of God ...

I look at what you have written and what I have written and wonder what is the difference. Can you elaborate on where you draw the distinction and your reasoning for do so?

 

[Dee235]

What does this passage say to you?

I am of the opinion that it was Jesus stating his frustration that we can see the world around us quite clearly, so why do we struggle so much to work things out for ourselves, when the solutions (edit;- what is right) are plainly obvious. It encourages me that it is right and correct to use our personal experience as a guide for life. God gave us a brain, so we are quite capable of making the right decisions on our own. I guess its a matter of what signs you see around you.

Anybody else feel the same or differently?

Reading your replies makes me wonder if I am missing something. My understanding would be that Jesus is saying you understand the things of the natural world, but not of the spiritual.