You know, if you would go back to where you were already corrected it would save time.
http://www.christianforums.com/search.php?searchid=5104708
Are you saying God doesn't use metaphors to teach truth? Or are you simply ignoring my point and and resorting to insults?
I'm saying that you don't get to dismiss the Word of God as figurative because you don't believe it.
So even if the author intended to speak in a parable or metaphor we need to take the words literally because 'words mean things'?
The literal meaning is always preferred because people like you want to twist things around to suite their whims and caprices. I don't know what you actually believe but you cannot believe the nonsense you are putting out on here, you have been proven wrong too many times and too many ways.
Remember Exodus 19:3 while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
There is no mention of 'as' or 'like' so if 'words mean things' it must mean God flew the Israelites out of Egypt using giant eagles.
It is generally marked by like or as or something indicating figurative language in the immediate context. Now I have told you this again and again and yet you repeat the same error, again and again. You are putting 'bore you on eagles wings' on the same level as Genesis 1 being completely figurative when it is clearly an historical narrative.
It's called equivocation and it's one of the fallacious arguments theistic evolutionists use on a nearly constant basis. To tell you the truth, I think sometimes you make blatantly false statements just to see if Creationists will go for it. I think you throw that kind of nonsensical, fallacious reasoning out there, off the wall, to run creationists in circles.
Judges 9:8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'
9 But the olive tree said to them, 'Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?'
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and reign over us.'
11 But the fig tree said to them, 'Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?'
12 And the trees said to the vine, 'You come and reign over us.'
13 But the vine said to them, 'Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?'
14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come and reign over us.'
15 And the bramble said to the trees, 'If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'
There is no mention of 'as' or 'like' so it must be literal. Trees really could talk back then.
Again, it is evidence and obvious from the immediate context. Again and again.....
So you prefer a simple interpretation that is wrong over one that takes more thought and prayer?
No, I prefer to take what it says as the intended meaning. Sound exposition has rules from common sense logic to exegetical standards, you apply none of them. Your arguments are to take whatever I say and insult or contradict it by whatever fallacious or erroneous means occur to you off the top of your head. When you are soundly refuted you just ignore it, wait a while and repeat the previous error using the same rhetoric.
Your purpose is not to understand the Scriptures but to waste my time and energy. The thing is, you only have a couple of arguments so shooting them down is fish in a barrel. You seem especially fond of equivocation but begging the question of proof is your standard backup. Where ever you fallacious logic starts it always goes back to the ad hominem attack that is theistic evolution, you have to hammer the personal convictions of Creationists, that's the whole point.
Was the writer of Hebrews writing in unbelief when he interpreted God's seventh day rest as a non literal day and a rest we can enter into today? Paul was writing in unbelief when he interpreted the Sabbath as a shadow of what we have in Christ? You aren't addressing my point you are just throwing out insults.
I get really tired of seeing you trample essential doctrine under foot. Most of the empty rhetoric and fallacious logic is forgivable, but I warn you this kind of calloused indifference to the Gospel is dangerous spiritually. It won't make one iota of difference to me but you are doing irreparable harm to yourself.
I strongly advise caution here because what you are doing has gone beyond childish mockery. You are now ridiculing essential doctrine and one of the clearest expressions of the Gospel in the book of Hebrews. I'm warning you not because I'm offended but because this kind of error can harden your heart beyond repair. Be very careful here, there is more at stake then you can possibly imagine.
Your not struggling with an interpretive challenge, you are mocking the clear meaning of Scripture due to unbelief:
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”
Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:7-15)
That is what the Sabbath rest was always supposed to be, the work is done so God being finished, rested, in the sense that the work had ceased. What you are hearing here is the voice of the Holy Spirit calling you to rest in the completed work of Christ. At the end of the creation week God 'rested' from the work of creation because it was done in all it's vast array, the Sabbath commemorated that historical moment. When Christ had completed the work of salvation, ascended to the right hand of the Father, the work of salvation was complete.
Now the Gospel comes to whosoever will, they believe it and are marked by the Holy Spirit of promise until the redemption of the purchased price, the resurrection of our bodies. That is the rest wherein the weary may rest but the Hebrews were considering returning to the Levetical system of a works righteousness because they where having doubts. The author is warning them if they depart from God in unbelief after hearing the Gospel there is no way of returning to repentance. The result would be perdition.
Don't do this Assyrian, most of what you do on here is harmless, meaningless mockery. This passage is one of the most serious doctrinal issue in Scripture, the condition by which an unbeliever goes on to perdition. Please take this seriously because there is more at stake for you then you can possible realize.
I have pointed out to you in this thread and on previous occasions that you are confusing similes (which use 'like' or 'as') with metaphors which don't, as a result you think metaphors in the bible have to be flagged by words like 'like' or 'as', meaning you only see the similes in the bible and are blind to metaphors. You choose to remain in ignorance, it is not like you are disagreeing with my interpretation of the bible here, this is basic grammar you are refusing to understand, refusing to look up and check to see if it is even vaguely possible I might be right.
How can you tell when you cannot answer my expositions or if you do you cannot put up a decent defence of your answers?
I answered your erroneous mockery of the clear meaning of Scripture
http://www.christianforums.com/search.php?searchid=5104708
You have ignored it again and again. You problem isn't intellectual, your problem is that you don't believe what is written so you dismiss whatever you don't believe with regards to redemptive history as figurative. That is not an exposition, a text without a context is a pretext. Figurative language can and often does reflect a literal meaning, in fact, that is the whole point. God can and does use earthly things to explain heavenly things, here is an example of the Gospel being explained in figurative language and I will warn you one last time Assyrian. If you use your childish mockery here the consequences are far more serious then you can possibly imagine:
You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven —the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:7-15)
I have shown you clearly that the Genesis account is an historical narrative and Paul in Romans 5 and I Corinthians 15 is speaking of Adam as, 'the first parent of humanity'. You have been shown in no uncertain terms that Adam is a literal person who is a 'figure' of Christ and how the exact same word is used of Timothy being an 'example' to others. You ignore this, every single time I teach it to you are go right back to you erroneous mockery of the clear meaning of Scripture.
It is not an interpretive challenge to see the use of 'born again' here as a clear example of figurative language (earthly things) being used to explain spiritual rebirth (heavenly things). A child could understand. This passage is one of the clearest and fundamental expressions of the Gospel in Scripture using figurative language that you say I don't understand.
Thirty years I have studied the Word of God, carefully, prayerfully and with an unwavering reliance on the guidance and admonition of the Holy Spirit. My assurance of salvation, the insights into the revelation of God, my relationship with Christ on a personal level. Every aspect of my Christian walk has been focused on hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit regarding the things of Christ available to be by faith.
I warn you with all the earnestness I have in my being. Do not make a mockery of this passage, I fear you will not recover from the consequences. Even if you did I would have to shun you and reconsider whether I can engage theistic evolutionists on these matters again. Because of your Christian profession there are rules, the only reason I can do these debates with professing Christians is because I have yet to see one of them deny or make a mockery of the Gospel. If you resort to your childish mockery this time the consequences will be far more serious then you can possible realize.
I strongly advise caution, for your own sake, take this seriously.
Grace and peace,
Mark