Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
Simplest clue is in the Lord's prayer. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven. The Kingdom is not only a place in the future but means governance as we follow His will rather than our own, reversing what occurred in the Garden.I don't understand. Is this Kingdom a place somewhere? If it is on earth, where is it?
the Kingdom hasn't come yet. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.Simplest clue is in the Lord's prayer. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven. The Kingdom is not only a place in the future but means governance as we follow His will rather than our own, reversing what occurred in the Garden.
Yes, as I said, ' The Kingdom is not only a place in the future but means governance as we follow His will rather than our own' The HS aides us in remaining on the path of the Kingdom rather than the world of manWe have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.
Well, I have already abundant proof that miracles are happening in my life, so no, that won’t change this trust based on my previous experiences. The stance that there are no miracles happening anymore since the Apostles left is absurd to me.
Agreed.Yes, as I said, ' The Kingdom is not only a place in the future but means governance as we follow His will rather than our own' The HS aides us in remaining on the path of the Kingdom rather than the world of man
I cannot imagine that miracles will stop happening in my life, but even if they would not appear for a longer period, that would not change my mind. This is not based on reasoning, but because I experience the Holy Trinity blesses and guides my life. It is not so much keeping the score on miracles. It is more that I have grown from faith into trust, and even knowing that I am always being taken care of. I believe everyone who prays can have the experiences of miracles, guidance, and inner peace that I have. Thank you for asking the question. This brings me back to my gratitude!True, but I am asking you, what if those miracles stop happening in your life?
Will you then change your mind?
Because your reasoning appears to be using your current experiences to form your doctrines.
I cannot imagine that miracles will stop happening in my life, but even if they would not appear for a longer period, that would not change my mind. This is not based on reasoning, but because I experience the Holy Trinity blesses and guides my life. It is not so much keeping the score on miracles. It is more that I have grown from faith into trust, and even knowing that I am always being taken care of. I believe everyone who prays can have the experiences of miracles, guidance, and inner peace that I have. Thank you for asking the question. This brings me back to my gratitude!
It is more that I have grown from faith into trust,...
One thing I struggled with about Christianity is the statement that the Bible is “the infallible Word of God.” To me, the Holy Trinity is pure and perfect, yet any message passed on through human beings is bound to be flawed.
Any work done through people is bound to be contaminated by human errors. I only have to look at my own personal history to clearly see that everyone of us makes errors. So the idea that I should take the Bible word for word as the infallible Word of God doesn’t make sense to me.
How do you see this?
What you understand by "taking the Bible literally" ?And more in general, how do I talk to Christians who take the Bible word for word literally,
and who see any idea that there may be little flaws in there as blasphemous? Any feedback appreciated. And the message of Christianity is still the best message out there. God bless!
It is interesting that when the Bible promises healing and prosperity, many take it literally; but when it speaks of moral responsibility to God, these same people say it is fallible. Go figure.I agree with everything in that post. I don't believe the Bible is totally inerrant, and I don't believe it needs to be. Is it infallible ? Maybe that depends what one means.
What you understand by "taking the Bible literally" ?
I mean taking the Bible as scripture, which is word for word the perfect message of God, through His Voice, and not affected at all by the human beings involved in writing, translating, remembering the stories in the Bible.I agree with everything in that post. I don't believe the Bible is totally inerrant, and I don't believe it needs to be. Is it infallible ? Maybe that depends what one means.
What you understand by "taking the Bible literally" ?
I mean taking the Bible as scripture, which is word for word the perfect message of God, through His Voice, and not affected at all by the human beings involved in writing, translating, remembering the stories in the Bible.
The core of the Bible, that God loves us, and that He wants us to commune with Him, should, of course, be taken literally. The essence of the Bible to me is that we can either dedicate our lives to being focused on the world, or to serving God, and that only one of these choices will bring lasting happiness.
I do not know if statements like “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” are to be taken literally for everyone, just like statements, “If you have two coats, give away one coat.” I believe we are all meant to open up to sharing what we have with those who need it by following our Inner Guidance.My guess is that you believe a command like Luke 12:33 should not be taken literally?
I do not know if statements like “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” are to be taken literally for everyone, just like statements, “If you have two coats, give away one coat.” I believe we are all meant to open up to sharing what we have with those who need it by following our Inner Guidance.
What I believe is that we should open up to God, providing us with everything we need, and that we should freely share what we have whenever we are guided to do so. For me, this doesn’t mean that anyone can just walk into my house and take whatever he likes. It means truly tuning in to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is what it all boils down to. And I am asked to open up to giving what is asked, not just what I would like to give away. So actually the same thing, what I already said. “I believe we are all meant to open up to sharing what we have with those who need it by following our Inner Guidance.”When you see the early Acts church doing that in Acts 2:44-45 and Acts 4:32, does it make it clearer to you how one should regard Luke 12:33?
What I believe is that we should open up to God, providing us with everything we need, and that we should freely share what we have whenever we are guided to do so. For me, this doesn’t mean that anyone can just walk into my house and take whatever he likes. It means truly tuning in to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is what it all boils down to. And I am asked to open up to giving what is asked, not just what I would like to give away. So actually the same thing, what I already said. “I believe we are all meant to open up to sharing what we have with those who need it by following our Inner Guidance.”
Yes, I believe this is not a fixed rule, to be observed by everyone. It all depends on the personal guidance you receive from the Holy Spirit. Some people will be guided to lead a monastic lifestyle, and will indeed be asked to give away everything they own. I just don’t believe that this is something we all should follow blindly. We should all learn to discern the still, small voice within, the Holy Spirit, and follow It’s guidance.I see, is that the same as thinking that Luke 12:33 is not to be taken literally?
Yes, I believe this is not a fixed rule, to be observed by everyone. It all depends on the personal guidance you receive from the Holy Spirit. Some people will be guided to lead a monastic lifestyle, and will indeed be asked to give away everything they own. I just don’t believe that this is something we all should follow blindly. We should all learn to discern the still, small voice within, the Holy Spirit, and follow It’s guidance.
It is also the Holy Spirit Who can see where gifts can be best received, who really needs our gifts, and who will be able to use the gifts they receive as a means of turning to God. That is the goal of giving things to our brothers, obviously. Not material prosperity, but remembering there is a God Who always takes care of us. Hallelujah!
Well, the Bible is summarized in the two commandments which we should follow, in Matthew 22:36-40. Since Jesus is so firm about this, these we should definitely follow without fail.Alright.
Jesus gave many commands in his first coming.
May I know how you decide which command to follow literally, and which command, like Luke 12:33, we should not?
Well, the Bible is summarized in the two commandments which we should follow, in Matthew 22:36-40. Since Jesus is so firm about this, these we should definitely follow without fail.
But my point, which I have now repeated three times, is that the essence of Christianity is letting yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. We can debate about the details until the cows come home, but Christianity is about experiences, about asking for and receiving Divine Guidance, and thus not leaning on our own understanding. And for all of this, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us, right?
Do you not believe that in a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, we can learn everything we need to learn?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?