Discerning Truth

Exactly. Which Is every time I read my Bibles I know less and less.

 

John E. Little wrote two books:
"Know What you Believe"
"Know Why you Believe"

It is imperative that we know why we believe what we believe.

 

HP: I agree. Beliefs matter. They are the engine of our intents and subsequent actions.

 

You mean we should do more than simply yell "heretic!" at each other and pound on the podium?

 

HP: That is an interesting way of expressing it.:laugh:

 

Interesting concept; I've never heard this idea before, but I do think it's something I have generally believed, but never in these terms.

I do question some obvious (for lack of a better term) "contradictions" though that result in my having to say "I don't know!"

1 God being love, vs "Esau have I hated"
2 Predestination vs free will
3 Pre trib vs mid trib vs post trib vs no trib -- just to name a few.

My take is to accept the Scriptures at face value, literal, verbatum unless the the text and/or context gives a reason to allegorize spiritualize, or parabalize.

Where I cannot determine what I feel God is truly saying, I just have to accept the fact that I don't understand it and trust Him to be the gracious God that He is.

After all, there's a humongeous amount of "stuff" I don't understand, but the sun rises each day and the earth keeps spinning on it's axis regardless of whether I understand all of it or none of it.

MARA NATHA!!!

 

HP: I do not know about the ‘doctrine’ that ends in ‘I don’t know’ but there is a whole lot that we do not know as finite beings. There is also a lot that we ‘know’ in which our knowledge more closely resembles an aberration of light or as one that sees an object through a glass darkly.

There is also a great difference between knowing something ‘absolutely’ and knowing something that must be understood and held ‘by faith.’

 

Hmmm - a lot of attention should be paid to that observation!

Bluster - pulpit-pounding and name calling is NOT a satisfactory substitute for sound doctrine and the ability to accept inconvenient facts of scripture!


"And the people said..." AMEN!

in Christ,

Bob

 

I agree with the OP to the extent that when I challenge some on this board and when I challenge JW's who reject the Trinity by pointing out the inconvenient details of scripture that in fact DO support the trinity -- they walk away saying "too hard" and "I don't know" and "you won't believe what we say and stopping asking those questions".

So -- agreed that is a sign of bad doctrine.

On the other hand -- how is it that "God is ONE" and also TRIUNE with the PERSON of the God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit?

Another "I don't know" because we in fact can not fathom all that is infinite God!

in Christ,

Bob

 

Another dangerous practice you are advocating Steaver. I know a lot of people that "have" all the answers, but when you test their "answers" with Scripture they don't add up.

So it's easy to come up with "answers" to all the questions.

We best be careful lest we fall when we think we have it all figured out 100%!

Because I would have to agree with another poster in that the more I know the more I know that I don't know and there's nothing wrong in admitting that. The people that I question the most are the people that think they have all the answers, because again when testing what they say it usually doesn't add up to Scripture!

 

In the consistent and correct Arminian model regarding salvation and KNOWING that you have salvation the BIBLE solution is in Romans 8:16 - a living relationship

Rom 8

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live[/b].
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again[/b], but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "" Abba! Father!''
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God[/b],




The "I don't know" is not here. But just as the 3 and 5 point Calvinists who HOLD to the Bible doctrine on perseverance do not know that in the FUTURE they will not fail to persevere ten years from today - so it is with the consistent Bible believing Arminian who also accepts that Bible doctrine.

NOT Knowing what you will choose in the "future" is NEVER a sign of good or bad doctrine. It is simply admitting to a glaringly obvious fact of life.

in Christ,

Bob

 

The people in Matt 7 used that same logic to claim that they too knew the future!

In Romans 11 there is no "but you know the future so pay no attention to this scripture" found in the text.

All those who argue that "failure to know what you will choose ten years from today is a sign of false doctrine" are basing their theology on mythology not scripture.

in Christ,

Bob

 

These texts all point to HOLDING on to the salvation that you HAVE -- and warn against the real problem of failing to do so.

But if one fails to HOLD what they have - then the circular argument "they never had anything to hold on to" is dead.

 

"Belief" is the result of some sort of a data analysis. The data can come from one's observations of life's experiences. Usually does. One's origional data comes from one's mother and expands from there.

 

>The scriptures tells us of our future in Christ, how we will perservere and will be presented blameless.

The problem is in the pronouns, Kemosabe. Mormons can say the same thing.

 

Such a great point. Thanks to Hope of Glory for posting it.

in Christ,

Bob