Rules Governing The Gift Of Learning

[WebersHome]

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First off, it needs to be pointed out that the three-pound lump of flabby organic tissue housed within people's bony little skulls sufficing for a mind isn't expansive enough to relate to God on a meaningful level.

● 1Cor 2:11 . . No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own spirit.

● 1Cor 2:14-15 . . A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

So then, seeing as how nature's human mind is too limited to relate to God on a meaningful level, then we must conclude that it either needs to be replaced by an upgrade or, at the very least, enhanced by a divine add-on of some sort in order to make it possible to teach people things that God would like to share but can't because of flabby organic tissue's inability to get His drift.

● 1Cor 2:16 . .We have the mind of Christ.

The mind of Christ is the mind of God; so that people within whom is God's spirit, have quite an advantage over John Q and Jane Doe pew warmer.

● 1Cor 2:10-14 . .The Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

. . . Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

There is a downside to this. If people deprived of God's spirit do not accept the things of the Spirit of God because they seem ridiculous and make no sense; then they will react the very same way towards those of us whose thinking is in line with the mind of Christ.

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[ByTheSpirit]

This is why the cross is foolishness. People cannot understand how God operates.

 

[Pilgrim]

Christ Crucified is God's Power and Wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NASB)
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

 

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● Eph 1:15-17 . . Having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, I do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Paul's prayer spoke of knowledge as separate from wisdom and revelation. In other words; it's possible for somebody to graduate from a theological seminary knowing the whole Bible from cover to cover while at the same time not knowing how Christ would interpret it and/or apply it.

In 1Cor 2:10-14 Paul spoke of combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. Well there are spiritual words aplenty in Bibles; which are readily available on the cheap from thrift stores; but the spiritual thoughts to go with those spiritual words are not so easily obtained because they're tucked away in the mind of Christ.

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[WebersHome]

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I have attended a number of Sunday school classes wherein people constantly argue with the teacher. That's not the appropriate attitude.

● Jas 1:21 . . Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

The saving in James' verse has nothing to do with either heaven or hell. The Greek word is sozo (sode'-zo) which not only means to save, but also to protect.

One of the very reasons Christ gives for providing his body with teachers is to protect it from disunity, from malnourishment, and from sophistry, double-speak, and smooth talkers.

● Eph 4:10-14 . . He gave some as teachers, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming

It's not only arrogant to argue with the teacher, but it's also disruptive, confusing, and harmful to others who are there to learn. People who sincerely believe themselves on a mission from God to correct a Sunday school teacher's mistakes really ought to leave and set up classes of their own seeing as how they seem unable to control the impulse to talk instead of listen.

● Jas 1:19-20 . . My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry; for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

● 1Cor 16:15 . . Let all that you do be done in love.

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[WebersHome]

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● Eph 5:17 . . Do not be uninformed, but understand what the Lord's will is.

In other words: Christians are not supposed to fly by the seat of their pants, but rather, fly by instruments: viz: fly intelligently; which, so to speak, would entail formularizing one's self with an aircraft before taking it up.

Moses told Yhvh's people that there is no need to go on a special "golden fleece" quest to discover what the Lord's will is; either out in space nor across the ocean in a foreign land. No, the Lord's will is easily accessible between the covers of even the cheapest second-hand Bible on the shelves of a thrift store.

However; no Bible-- no matter how cheap, nor how expensive, nor what version-- is of any real use if it's not studied. But even systematic Bible study is quite thwarted when the information isn't retained.

● Jas 1:22-25 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he does.

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[WebersHome]

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● 1Pet 1:23-2:2 . .You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.

If there is a pure spiritual milk, then there's also an impure spiritual milk; which herein is described as malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind, i.e. impure spiritual milk will assist your growth in worldliness, but not at all in God-likeness.

NOTE: The command is to grow up in your salvation rather than grow up to obtain salvation. I mean, human babies don't grow up to be humans; not when they're born humans right from the start. Babies grow up to be mature; which is exactly what the passage above, and the one below, is talking about.

● Php 2:12-13 . . My dear friends, as you have always obeyed-- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence --continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Growing up in one's salvation-- a.k.a. working out your salvation --entails the practice of kindness instead of malice, honesty instead of deceit, integrity instead of hypocrisy, applause instead of envy, and tact instead of slander.

In order for God to work in people to will and to act according to His good purpose, they simply have to take the initiative to give Him something to work with.

● Rom 12:1-2 . . Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Renewing one's mind means giving one's mind some new things to think about. What better source of new thoughts for God to work with than the Bible?

● 2Tim 3:16-17 . . All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

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[WebersHome]

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● 2Tim 2:15 . . Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Some folks construe rightly dividing the truth as instructions to keep the Old Testament completely separate from the New. But that's not even close to what Paul is instructing.

Paul was a blue collar tradesman: he fabricated portable shelters for a living (Acts 18:3). The koiné Greek word for "rightly dividing" is orthotomeo (or-thot-om-eh'-o) which means: to make a straight cut-- as opposed to a crooked cut --or a cut that misses the line and yields a piece of material that's either too long, too short, or the wrong contour; thus resulting in a tent whose pieces won't join properly when it comes time to sew them together. The results? A distorted tent and a black mark for the craftsman.

The intent is not one of severing the Bible in half and treating each as a separate book; but to be accurate in the whole's interpretations and applications so that it all fits together perfectly from first to last, like a well made armoire instead of a hastily constructed rabbit hutch.

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[WebersHome]

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● Rom 15:4 . .Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance, and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.

The koiné Greek word for "hope" in that passage is elpis (el pece') which means to anticipate (usually with pleasure) and to expect with confidence. Note the elements of anticipation, and expectation, and confidence.

Webster's definition of hope as a verb is very similar: 1) to desire with expectation of obtainment, and 2) to expect with confidence and trust. Note the elements of expectation, and confidence, and trust.

Webster's definition of hope as a noun is: 1) a desire accompanied by expectation of, or belief in, fulfillment, and 2) expectation of fulfillment or success. Note the elements of expectation, and belief.

In other words: elpis hope is a know-so hope rather than a cross your fingers hope.

Rom 15:4 is saying that the Old Testament is useful for enlightening people's expectations, i.e. real things to look forward to. When people pass on without knowing anything about who, or what, is waiting for them on the other side; they tend to be a bit nervous about dying.

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[Gabriel Anton]

Read till Post #6. Start at #7.

 

[Gabriel Anton]

Read till post #9.

 

[WebersHome]

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● Deut 29:2-5 . . Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them:

. . .You have seen with your own eyes everything the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole country-- all the great tests of strength, the miraculous signs, and the amazing wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!

By the time Moses made that statement, Israel had the Ten Commandments plus all but the final book of the Pentateuch, i.e. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. After all that adventure, all their experiences, and all that scripture in their midst and at their disposal; how could Moses possibly say that their minds lacked understanding, their eyes were blind, and their ears deaf?

Pretty amazing isn't it? Neither miracles, nor wonders, nor tests of strength between God and Egypt, nor the Ten Commandments, nor their God-given scriptures, had made any improvement whatsoever in the Jews' spiritual condition.

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[Gabriel Anton]

Read post #12.