What makes you so...

[Lord Of The Forest]

Lol. I don't know where you got your information on mysticism, but did you know that the early Church Fathers, including the Apostles, were mystics? Not only that but did you know that it was through christian mysticism that arianism was refuted and the Nicene creed was formulated? Would you have lectured them as well?

FYI- christian mysticism isn't all about "burning" emotions (though like I said before there are emotional responses to the presence of the Holy Spirit). It's about cultivating a transformative faith through which we may approach the mind of Christ and receive the wisdom of God.

I agree.

 

[Lord Of The Forest]

im against people like... relying on tongues as proof of salvation, relying on feelings they got, experiences they got like anything.

I am even against my own experiences even if I know what i experienced is true

That's a far-cry from what I would associate with mysticism.

 

[Nanopants]

I disagree

Bah. Silly wabbit ;p

 

[MacFall]

im against people like... relying on tongues as proof of salvation, relying on feelings they got, experiences they got like anything.

I am even against my own experiences even if I know what i experienced is true

But it is impossible to experience God's presence in any way other than "feelings". I believe there is a difference between emotions and spiritual sense, though, and it is important to discern between the two.

If you can't rely on your own experiences then there is no way that you can know that ANYTHING is true. Even to say that your own existence is factual requires you to believe that your perception is valid.

 

[redblue22]

I've always believed God exists. The experience of life and reality around us and within us points to a God of some sort. I've been open to hearing out reasons for and against, and as an adult continued to believe in God.

I read reasons for and against various possibilities and options of who God is, forms of Christianity, and other beliefs. I picked beliefs that I believed held the greatest likelihood of being true according to reason, evidence, logic, the human experience, and the world around us.

I think the internal world of the mind points to a nonphysical realm of some sort. I think inner emotional or feeling experiences can coincide with evidence. I also would look toward communication from God if that is the kind of God the evidence supports. Dreams, signs, nature, visions, voices. I also tested out various beliefs and practices to see what I thought. You might call it trial and error testing of religion.

Is it possible I'm wrong? I'm likely to be wrong about something--but I haven't identified that something yet. As for being wrong about everything? Well, I'm just trying to be intellectually honest with myself.

 

[wayfaring man]

I think reaching God and His perfection is impossible, so Jesus took care of that for us. The phrase, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved"...

Impossible without Christ, but with Him all things are possible !

Note it says, "shall be", not is already !


For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. <-----> Matthew 5:46-48

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. <-----> Matthew 24:11-13

How far we surrender ourself to Christ is how far we are perfected in Him.

For there's no question with his Ability !

wm

 

[wayfaring man]

Think what we need to watch out for is over and under emphases.

If one says, it's all what Jesus did, and nothing hinges on me...then why isn't everyone saved ?

But if one puts too much emphasis on their "mystical contemplations", as though they are the key...then things are back to greatly hinging on our mortal beings.

And the reason this is confusing somewhat, is because there's more than one identity that we're dealing with here...even though God is One, we are somewhat divided between being flesh and spirit...and that's where the struggle lies within our soul...for if we follow the flesh, we deny the spirit, and if we follow the spirit we deny the flesh.

And Scripture tells us sowing to the flesh leads to death, but sowing to the spirit leads to life.

So in a mechanical sense Salvation is a gift which effectually enables us to follow the spirit and deny our flesh, thereby becoming Christ-like and thereby being acceptable to fit into His Everlasting Kingdom, where those who persist in following the flesh cannot enter.

And that's the truth !

wm

 

[Nanopants]

But if one puts too much emphasis on their "mystical contemplations", as though they are the key...then things are back to greatly hinging on our mortal beings.

TBH, I'm not a big fan of the word "mystic", because it sounds too mysterious, like those who believe in such things ought to wear funny robes and carry prayer beads and sing chants all day long.

I prefer "empirical theologian" instead. Everything hinges on faith in Christ. It's just that the empirical theologian experiences the words of the Gospel and of the Apostles being fulfilled as they said: the Holy Spirit guides us into the knowledge/understanding of all things that were written so that we have no need for men to teach us.

I'm a little disappointed that among Protestants, every time I begin to discuss my faith I always have to explain that I am not a gnostic and yes I am very Christian. These things are nothing new. They've been around for thousands of years, and it's a shame that Protestantism has lost touch with this part of the faith.

 

[GQ Chris]

Truth isn't relative. It's absolute, unchanging, multidimensional and multifaceted: your perception of it is relative to your point of view.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

This.

 

[GQ Chris]

So many people come up with the argument that there's so many counterarguments that it's arrogant to claim to know the truth.