Question: Where do you start, God's Word or God's heart?

[Mr. M]

God's Covenant, the New Testament, is not based on you continuing to do anything.

The New Covenant is God's BLood shed.
The New Testament is the Cross of Christ, as the BLOOD ATONEMENT.

Its interesting that you dont even understand this, at all.

What will you tell us next ?

Stand by and hear what the Spirit is saying:
1 John 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.
If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue
in the Son, and in the Father.
John 8:
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you continue in My word, you are
My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
This is just a small sample. Study this word:[G3306]=meno; translated continue, abide, remain
G3306 - menō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv)

 

[Mr. M]

No.

God gave or "granted" Grace, because "God so LOVED the WORLD that He GAVE His Only Begotten".
John 3:16

See that?
Understand ????
That is why God gave the world the offer of Salvation.
Not so that we can serve, but so that we can be a part of God's Family.

"for God so LOVED">

See that part?
That is why Jesus came here and DIED.

So this is how millions have received salvation, no doubt: John 3:16. Gee, you thought
no one had ever known that? That a 65 year old life long Christian needs you to tell him
See That? Understand? Your arrogance and condescension seems to have no bounds.
So now what? Do you ever hope to fulfill the Master's expectations? Have you not read?
Matthew 24:
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household,
to give them food in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

You are familiar with the word "faithful"?
Luke 16:
10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in least is
unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your
trust the true?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

I hope you are expecting very little from your self-centered interpretation of the Gospel. Clearly,
little has been entrusted unto you.

 

[Mr. M]

Life in Christ is the LIFE of Christ as "Christ in You, the hope of Glory".

Please stop cutting and pasting from online or from your commentary, the same redundancy.

Thx.

How about you review this entire thread and count how many different scriptures that I have
posted for your responses alone, plus valuable word studies and you refer to this as redundancy?
I have posted nothing from commentary, just the word of God, and you did not recognize it.
The only redundancy has been your "I may not always be right, but I am never wrong",
attitude. What exactly do you think Christ in you means, if it is not for the edification of
the rest of the body? You are truly a "Jesus and me" Christian. I have met many, and they
have nothing for anyone but themselves. There is one Spirit in every member, and that is
Christ, "the Spirit of just men made perfect".
You are welcome.

 

[FreeinChrist]

ADVISOR HAT


This thread is closed for review. The flaming is unacceptable.
​

 

[HARK!]

MOD HAT ON

A small cleanup was needed

MOD HAT OFF​

 

[GenemZ]

Here's my question: When faced with a tough theological/doctrinal/moral question or dilemma what should the starting point be for a Christian? Do we start by asking, "What does God's Word say about this?" OR "What is God's heart concerning this?"

We are confused because we use words today in a different manner than those who lived at the time the Bible was written.

First of all... the word "heart." It applies to man and angels. God has no need to make conclusions. He knows all things.

Here are some passages that may help better understand what the use of the word "heart" meant in days the Bible was written.

Starting with Lucifer...

For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’ Isa 14:13-14​

The heart is where Lucifer made his final conclusion after the consideration of gathering the facts, but he did so wrongly in his case.

And, lets get back to us humans...

as a man thinks in his heart so is he
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you." Prov 23:7​

Now, I realize that the two are intimately interconnected, but I'm asking as a matter of practicality, what do you think is the more effective place to start to look for answers to the difficult questions.

I'm not asking for me, I'm already pretty firm in what I believe, but I'd like to hear other's thoughts/approaches on the matter.

Its easy to know God's heart... Know His Word in depth and accuracy. That takes God providing the right teachers to learn from. To say God does not do that today is to not know the mind (thinking) of Christ.

We have the mind of Christ? That means we have the 'thinking' of Christ. How did Jesus think? Just read about his temptation and how he countered the Devil and you will see a prime example of the thinking of Christ. "It is written."

To have the Word properly understood and stored away in your spiritual tool chest is to have the mind of Christ ready for use at a moment's notice.

With all the lousy and terrible teachings all around us today.. God is still God. He will have reserved a 'few' good men available for the body of Christ in every generation that still has some who seek His Face.

James 3:1 tells us that if we were all being led of the Spirit? Only a few would be found to be teachers. Only a few should ever teach... But, today? Its become an insane asylum of many different teachings.

For the time will come when they will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim 4:3​

That's where we find ourselves today.

Do you have the THINKING (mind) of Christ?

We all need to keep on growing in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) for that reason. Till the day we die we should seek to learn something more than we already have learned... Growing more into the mind we have been given by God at regeneration.

grace and peace .........

 

[topher694]

We are confused because we use words today in a different manner than those who lived at the time the Bible was written.

First of all... the word "heart." It applies to man and angels. God has no need to make conclusions. He knows all things.

Here are some passages that may help better understand what the use of the word "heart" meant in days the Bible was written.

Starting with Lucifer...

For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’ Isa 14:13-14​

The heart is where Lucifer made his final conclusion after the consideration of gathering the facts, but he did so wrongly in his case.

And, lets get back to us humans...

as a man thinks in his heart so is he
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you." Prov 23:7​

Its easy to know God's heart... Know His Word in depth and accuracy. That takes God providing the right teachers to learn from. To say God does not do that today is to not know the mind (thinking) of Christ.

We have the mind of Christ? That means we have the 'thinking' of Christ. How did Jesus think? Just read about his temptation and how he countered the Devil and you will see a prime example of the thinking of Christ. "It is written."

To have the Word properly understood and stored away in your spiritual tool chest is to have the mind of Christ ready for use at a moment's notice.

With all the lousy and terrible teachings all around us today.. God is still God. He will have reserved a 'few' good men available for the body of Christ in every generation that still has some who seek His Face.

James 3:1 tells us that if we were all being led of the Spirit? Only a few would be found to be teachers. Only a few should ever teach... But, today? Its become an insane asylum of many different teachings.

For the time will come when they will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim 4:3​

That's where we find ourselves today.

Do you have the THINKING (mind) of Christ?

We all need to keep on growing in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) for that reason. Till the day we die we should seek to learn something more than we already have learned... Growing more into the mind we have been given by God at regeneration.

grace and peace .........

For the purposes of this question God's heart = God's nature & character. When looking for biblical understanding to the difficult questions of life do we start? With His Word or His nature (heart)? Understanding that, yes, there is significant cross over between the two.

 

[sawdust]

For the purposes of this question God's heart = God's nature & character. When looking for biblical understanding to the difficult questions of life do we start? With His Word or His nature (heart)? Understanding that, yes, there is significant cross over between the two.

Can you give us an example of where His heart contradicts His word?

It seems to me you are only supposing there is a difference, maybe because you simply don't know one or both well enough?

 

[topher694]

Can you give us an example of where His heart contradicts His word?

I'm not saying that it does, not at all.

I'm saying: I have a something (A) that I don't understand. I want to know what the correct Christian response/stance is on A. Do I begin by looking into what the word says about A or do I begin by asking myself what do know about God's character concerning A?

Yes, we should look at both. Yes, we should seek to hear God's voice on the matter. No, there shouldn't be a contradiction. I'm not dismissing any of that at all. I'm asking if you were to dig in and begin studying, which approach would you start with, and further, why?

 

[topher694]

It seems to me you are only supposing there is a difference, maybe because you simply don't know one or both well enough?

I know both just fine. You are reading too much into my question. I'm asking for research purposes.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Here's my question: When faced with a tough theological/doctrinal/moral question or dilemma what should the starting point be for a Christian? Do we start by asking, "What does God's Word say about this?" OR "What is God's heart concerning this?"

Now, I realize that the two are intimately interconnected, but I'm asking as a matter of practicality, what do you think is the more effective place to start to look for answers to the difficult questions.

I'm not asking for me, I'm already pretty firm in what I believe, but I'd like to hear other's thoughts/approaches on the matter.

I have no idea what God's heart has to say unless I get it from God's word.

 

[GenemZ]

For the purposes of this question God's heart = God's nature & character. When looking for biblical understanding to the difficult questions of life do we start? With His Word or His nature (heart)? Understanding that, yes, there is significant cross over between the two.

When God tells us the following.. How can you start off knowing His heart?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isa 55:8-9


Learning to Word of God from a competent teacher skilled with the original languages is an interesting path to take, one with unexpected turns you can not see unless revealed.

That is why proud self confident believers resent sound Bible teaching. For they were in the process of presenting God as if they were God..

 

[GenemZ]

I know both just fine. You are reading too much into my question. I'm asking for research purposes.

Well, words matter. You were using words interchangeably that would blur.

What kind of research?

 

[topher694]

Well, words matter. You were using words interchangeably that would blur.

What kind of research?

No I'm not. I never once used the word "contradiction" or even suggested anything remotely like it, which is what my that comment was in response to.

Ministry research, maybe for a sermon... we'll see.

 

[topher694]

When God tells us the following.. How can you start off knowing His heart?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isa 55:8-9


Learning to Word of God from a competent teacher skilled with the original languages is an interesting path to take, one with unexpected turns you can not see unless revealed.

That is why proud self confident believers resent sound Bible teaching. For they were in the process of presenting God as if they were God..

So, I'm putting you in the "Word" category. I'll ask a followup question I've asked before... what about people, like some atheists, who know the word very well, but clearly miss the heart of God and use it as a weapon against God and Christians?

 

[GenemZ]

No I'm not. I never once used the word "contradiction" or even suggested anything remotely like it, which is what my that comment was in response to.

Ministry research, maybe for a sermon... we'll see.

That's OK...

What your research may have revealed to you, is that "words' have meaning. Its a difficult job at times for that reason.

That is one reason the Lord chose Hebrew and Greek. Languages that have the capacity for exact meanings. Meanings with a single word that our native tongue does not have unless one wishes to elaborate with more words than saying the word itself ..

 

[topher694]

That's OK...

What your research may have revealed to you, is that "words' have meaning. Its a difficult job at times for that reason.

That is one reason the Lord chose Hebrew and Greek. Languages that have the capacity for exact meanings. Meanings with a single word that our native tongue does not have unless one wishes to elaborate with more words than saying the word itself itself..

Ok then. Thanks for the insight into my research.

 

[GenemZ]

So, I'm putting you in the "Word" category. I'll ask a followup question I've asked before... what about people, like some atheists, who know the word very well, but clearly miss the heart of God and use it as a weapon against God and Christians?

You do not naturally know the heart of God. God only knows. We can learn the heart of God from sound teaching, and then have the Holy Spirit in us to animate that knowledge into our empowered life. But, we do not know the heart of God unless we mature over time. Mature into the realm of sound doctrine. Sound doctrine is not the norm these days. 2 Timothy 4:3