when does theology become a red line?

[asiyreh]

Wonderful, I am happy for you, and I agree, loving theology more than you love people is the epitome of idolatry. God came to help people, not tell the truth. People were the point.

God's very nature is truth, my brother. He is truth itself...

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life... John 14:6

Careful bro

 

[OntheHorizon]

God's very nature is truth, my brother. He is truth itself...

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life... John 14:6

Careful bro

I understand but the point was to save people, not to tell things and this is why he even chose to not tell things at times, like when he and Paul both left things untold because people weren't ready to hear it and why he didn't prove everyone wrong when he died. People were the point, not theology or truth. The task was to save people, sometimes that meant telling the truth but the telling the truth was a vehicle, not the destination.

 

[asiyreh]

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 1 Corinthians 3:2​

Ok well looking at it from a logic perspective - if Jesus is the truth, one thing he couldn't do was lie, right? So why even argue about it? People were the point that's why he told them the truth.

 

[motherprayer]

Oh! I just figured out the answer!

The red line in theology is becoming more focused on what one believes than on learning new Truth!

AHH! Revelation. HALLELUJAH!

Oh my :blush' 'Scusey

 

[asiyreh]

I think he's worried about:-

A. Becoming a gnostic

Or.

B. Wandering down the dark paths of occult knowledge.

In answer to A: I'd say:- We are to study deeply so we can accurately divide the word of truth. But it's our faith not knowledge that saves us.

Christ said the kingdom of heaven belongs to little ones such as these.

Absolute unquestionable gentle faith is where it at.

Regarding wandering down dark paths, i'd say, find a Christian scholar to guide you down the path, should you choose to venture upon them. Careful though some people haven't come back...

So what i'm saying is there will be Christian experts in the field of whatever it is you want to study. Go to them first so they can show you the pitfalls.

Before you begin, should you so choose, take a course of study into textual criticism. This will act as a study rope, through your adventure. Can't say I envy you the prospect. I found studying occult literature very creepy and I might have been imagining things, but I'd testify there was weird stuff going on.

Ugg gives me the shivers...

Don't do it lol !

 

[OntheHorizon]

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 1 Corinthians 3:2​

Ok well looking at it from a logic perspective - if Jesus is the truth, one thing he couldn't do was lie, right? So why even argue about it? People were the point that's why he told them the truth.

We agree, we do. I wouldn't think lying is a part of what im saying at all. We do agree, i'm just saying people are the point, truth wasn't the final point, it was the way and it had to be used differently at times.

 

[A New Day]

The red line in theology is becoming more focused on what one believes than on learning new Truth!

Thank you for the thought/revelation about theology and the red line, a question arise: OntheHorizon said what means that the scripture does not tell us everything, So what do you think when an idea may hit the theologian that is not written in the scripture?
The question in other words, since not everything is written in the scripture about God then there are beliefs that may be new, so how can the theologian know if a belief may be true or not if he cannot know using the scripture?

 

[motherprayer]

Thank you for the thought/revelation about theology and the red line, a question arise: OntheHorizon said what means that the scripture does not tell us everything, So what do you think when an idea may hit the theologian that is not written in the scripture?
The question in other words, since not everything is written in the scripture about God then there are beliefs that may be new, so how can the theologian know if a belief may be true or not if he cannot know using the scripture?

Hm. That's a good question! I don't think I have a FULL answer, but maybe some insight.

The world is so different today from NT times, that there are MANY ideas that have been written outside of Scripture. Scripture says nothing of cars, for example. But theologically speaking, I don't believe any idea comes from God that will disagree with the Book He gave to us, if that makes sense.

My statement you quoted came as a result of another conversation, actually. I don't think I came across quite clear. I was trying to say, that we get into the danger zone when we place the prioirity of our own sect's ideas over Scripture.

Such as, I attend a Baptist Church. But I don't agree with all Baptist doctrine. I love my fellow members, but I would never say, "I know Scripture says this, but my church teaches that, from famous theologian Dude, so that's what I believe."

Gah. Sometimes I feel like I make no sense lol

 

[OntheHorizon]

If I may...

I think the answer is that you choose to believe, or you don't, after all we do operate on faith and we can also talk to God about things too. It doesn't need to become something that you require everyone else to agree with.

For instance, I study Confucianism because I like a lot of his ideas and a lot of these ideas are not in anyway contrary to the bible's teachings and we can know they are good ideas.

Confucius said

"The character of a noble man is like wind, the character of a petty man is like grass. When the wind [blows] over the grass, it must bend"

"What I do not desire others to do to me, I do not desire to do to them"

Confucius wasn't a Christian and I wouldn't elevate his teachings to that of Christs but these sayings he said were true and simply good, we can learn from them, just as we can learn from Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin, or George Washington who were not Christians and we can also trust these sayings are true and good, even though we do not read them from the bible. I am not saying I or anyone should follow Confucianism. I am saying we can still learn from it and we can know these ideas are true and good. Confucius was trying to cultivate morality, goodness itself and whether he knew God or not he was right about a lot of things.

 

[A New Day]

My statement you quoted came as a result of another conversation, actually. I don't think I came across quite clear. I was trying to say, that we get into the danger zone when we place the prioirity of our own sect's ideas over Scripture.

I did not know I see now, perhaps OntheHorizon may have an answer to the question to his thought?

The question is: OntheHorizon because like you think that not everything that is true is written in the scripture then how can both the theologian that writes theology and those that read theology know if a belief one writes or that the other studies, how can they know if a belief is true if they cannot know by using the scripture?

Oh you said your idea I will read it now

 

[A New Day]

asiyreh

those are very interesting thoughts thank you, i think that I am worried about both A and B.

In answer to A: I'd say:- We are to study deeply so we can accurately divide the word of truth. But it's our faith not knowledge that saves us.

Christ said the kingdom of heaven belongs to little ones such as these.

Absolute unquestionable gentle faith is where it at.

So first we are to study deeply but the study does not make us to be saved... that reminds me about:

New International Version Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

New Living Translation Matthew 5:3 God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

King James Bible Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

NET Bible Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

...

We may not be saved after that we read and we study theology,
but don't you think that the poor in the spirit or like you said those that have an absolute unquestionable gentle faith, don't you think that those people can do theology?

The question in other words, does having that gentle faith conflict with the study of theology?

The question in other words, did all that wrote theology did they not have that gentle faith?

 

[A New Day]

asiyreh I thought about your idea more and that reminds me about Adam and Eve, Eve had a gentle faith in God and she was in the presence of God... However when her eyes were opened, theology?, she parted from the presence of God.

A new question everyone, could the tree of the knowledge of good and evil be an indication of study of theology?

 

[motherprayer]

We may not be saved after that we read and we study theology,
but don't you think that the poor in the spirit or like you said those that have an absolute unquestionable gentle faith, don't you think that those people can do theology?

The question in other words, does having that gentle faith conflict with the study of theology?

I'm one of those people

 

[OntheHorizon]

A New Day

A new question everyone, could the tree of the knowledge of good and evil be an indication of study of theology?

I myself wouldn't say so. But that's a very good question, I have to think on it for a while.

 

[asiyreh]

I once heard a long time ago, it's an idea that's stuck with me. Can't say I've ever tested the validity of it.

But that particular part there were Jesus talks about those poor in spirit, he's talking about mentally handicapped people.