BibleForums Christian Message Board

As I said before the bible is so complex it's words of truth are inexhaustible and no man should be filled with pride where he thinks he knows it all.

The Apostle Paul always and again I say always spoke the word of God and whenever he added his own thoughts he always and again I say always told his audience or listeners that they were his own words.

And God himself allowed Paul to add his own words for our further enlightenment.

The bible cannot be generalized in anyway, and each word is just as important as the others for our perfection.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

God is not the author of confusion and cannot lie and cannot lead us in the wrong direction.

Because my words are only incidental to my disseminating the bible I will give bible verses for your consideration.

Gal_2:13  And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

(Barnabas followed Peter into sin, by showing allegiance to a man, Peter. But Peter after confrontation by Paul and additional consideration corrected himself and went in the right way. How many people or leaders have the humility of Peter to correct their wrong thinking and actions)

God uses the bible as a picture book, showing us what to do and also what not to do using the lives of those in the Book. Peter was not perfect but was told directly by Jesus to feed his sheep 3 times. (The Jews, the Gentiles and the world)

Peter's mistakes are an example for us to learn to avoid pitfalls. Barnabas is a prime example of what I have been trying to illustrate in the past few days that I have been on this site.

Do not blindly follow others in leadership positions especially in these last days where Jesus, Paul, Peter, James and John paints a picture of gloom and doom to all those who would do so.
(The Antichrist and false prophets started in the days after Jesus ascended into heaven and the entire message of these apostles, is to not become entangled with them.)

Just for your consideration I will leave you with a few bible verses.

[Colossians 2:8]  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

[Ephesians 4:14]  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

[1 Corinthians 7:23]  Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

[1 Corinthians 2:5]  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

[Mark 7:7]  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The bible does tell us that there will be a famine of the word of God in the last days and that evil shall be called good and good called evil. We are living in those days right now at this moment.

I cannot speak for God because God speaks for himself (I am only an instrument) and the entire world is in wickedness and darkness (of course, John said the same thing in 1st John 5) now after 2000 years the world is at the point of destruction by God because of the wickedness of man continually as expressed in Genesis 6 in Noah's days.

May God be with you all.

The foundation of my beliefs are strictly based on the bible, without which, we have nothing. The Holy Spirit is instrumental in bringing us to a proper and truthful understanding of the word of God, the bible.

To believe that Augustine or any of the other church fathers have a better connection to God than myself is not biblical and I am sure that many of us will be surprised when we do arrive in the kingdom of God, as to who is there and who is not.

I will not debate this point as I realize that I have a somewhat different foundation from most in Christendom and I know that historical customs and traditions would run contrary to what I have learned.

By the way again I must impress that I am not trying to teach anything here or influence anyone one here and am only expressing my own understanding of the bible.

But I will just give 2 biblical examples of how and where one can go wrong. I really do not debate the bible as the bible prohibits it but I will just give bible verses.

Israel was totally rejected by God except for a remnant in the Old Testament for their traditions.

Hos 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Job a perfect man before God, did not succumb to the highly astute and knowledgeable men around him and thus saved himself from sinning against God.

Job 42:7  And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

Paul spoke to Timothy about the last days and whenever Paul speaks about the power, he is talking about the power of the Holy Spirit.

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

I really am reluctant to confront your belief system and will only in future give snippets of bible verses.

I am a Christian and I thought about going back over my posts to see where I might have gave the idea that I was anti-Christian, but that is not necessary as I know what I am.

Your last mention of Paul's teachings are of interest to me and I will just mention one point that I believe is of dire importance.

Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
 
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
 
Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 

The point I want to make here is in verse 31. For 3 whole years Paul wept day and night, warning the flock what was about to happen to them.

The 3 years is very important because this was a prophecy and not just a mere sentiment or feeling shared by Paul.

Where in the Bible are we told that the work of Christian ministers is to be ignored except Scriptures themselves? The new-born Church didn't even have the New Testament! They had to go to the OT Scriptures for guidance, as well as to Jesus and his Disciples.

Really, I suffered a lot as a young Christian because I didn't have many spiritual mentors around me. Raising yourself can be an arduous task!

I had to look to books by spiritual authors. They were tremendous help at a time when I could've used a lot more. And truly, we need help even understanding the Scriptures properly. But yes, you are on your own little island. I suggest you expand your horizons a bit more?

Hi Randy

It is strange that I believe that I was fortunate to not have been inducted into a church as a member because if I was, then I believe that I would now be parroting the many belief creeds that some one man or even a group of men concocted as being the truth.

Yes, I am living on a Island and it's the most beautiful thing ever in my life and I also know that even though I am alone, it is good, as Jesus himself endured much and was obedient to the very end.
 
Yes all good/bad things in this world must come to an end as this world is not our salvation, so to speak.

Paul himself was the prime example of getting everything godly from God and not from others, not even the other disciples (and he said so himself to make sure that it was known)

Now to be sure the Jews had the word (oracles) of God, but the Gentiles did not, and it was incumbent on Paul who got the truth, the new covenant, to pass this on to them directly. (The New Testament was not yet written) and thus they had to meet to receive this new teaching, a very complex thing as we can see from Paul's teachings.

In fact Peter warns us that many could lose their way by misunderstanding Paul's teachings which he characterized as very difficult to understand. (Of course with the Holy Spirit that is impossible if the true Christian does not quench or grieve the Holy Spirit)

I believe that the church today does not have the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit cannot be party to traditions and the like. Everyone say that they have the Holy Spirit only because the bible says so, but they don't because they are pushing Him out with the traditions and teachings of men.

I am not bringing another religion here, but am only stating my personal experience with God and his Holy Spirit.

Really the truths of God's word cannot be passed from one man's head to another but can only be revealed to each individual man by the Holy Spirit.

Lastly I am not trying to convince anyone of anything but merely expressing my experiences with God as it is God who does everything in the area of giving grace to those who would receive it (not in vain) and thus come to experience the mind-blowing truths that sets a man free.

I am submitting these 5 verses in regards to my post (The Standard of Righteousness) and there are scores more but these will suffice for now.

1John 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1John 2:26  These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

1John 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1John 5:9  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

1John 5:10  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

Paul’s reception of the Word of God

Gal 1:11  But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
Gal 1:12  For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The church fathers, like all who follow, are no more righteous nor wise than we are today.  They were neither inspired nor infallible.  The councils themselves were neither.

While we do indeed stand in their historic shadows, ancient existence and group consensus are nit the end of inquiry.

Otherwise the entire Protestant reformation is in error.

Good to see that someone is cognizant of the truth. Only one thing is certain. Those church fathers are a lot worse than us because they planted the seeds that are controlling millions of people in the so-called church of today in these last days.

They came out of the truth being so close to the Apostles teachings, and therefore must have been massively corrupt themselves to promulgate the falsehoods that have led most people that name Christ as their master, into bondage in these last days.

Truly one must discard all the foundations that they have been taught and approach the bible and God, praying for grace to be set free from the teachings and traditions of man, so that they can come in spirit and truth before the God of our salvation.

What is it that's "Born Again?" I believe we don't die to our volition, to our free ability to make decisions. Receiving Christ does not displace our ability to make choices in concert with Christ.

What we die to is autonomous living. We die to independence, and choose to live in continual partnership with Christ. This union of God and Christian is what it means to be "Born Again." What do you think?

Born again is definitely not talking about the physical but the spiritual (or the spirit). Thus the soul which is the totality of our being, contains parts that are not consistent with the kingdom of God, for example our physical  body and our flesh which are carnal in nature.

Our Flesh has to die.

1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.


As Corinthians 15 states the corrupt part of us has to die, or rather has to be presented as a spiritual sacrifice to God and the new us will at the time of redemption (at Christs second return) be given a new glorious body which covers our reborn spirit. We will not be found naked.

Paul talk about this new glorified body in 2nd Corr.

2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
2Co 5:2  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

Peter says the same thing in 2nd Peter 1

2Pe 1:13  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 
2Pe 1:14  Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

When Adam died in the garden, his body did not die but his spirit did die.
God told him that he would surely die.

Thus being born again is that part of us, the spirit which is renewed or reborn when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and He gives us His Holy Spirit which does a work in us including the rebirth of a new conscience.

We know in part and thus are continually being perfected by the Holy Spirit towards perfection.

We were made in the image and likeness of God which parts include our mind and our heart (spiritual components), which are of God if we are born again  or can become corrupted and used in service to the devil if we are without Christ.

Thus we use these components of the heart and mind to serve God through the power of the Holy Spirit which indwells us.

I am not teaching anything here as these are my personal current convictions at this time in my walk with God and I also believe that we are all subject to modifying our perspective at anytime even as the Apostle Peter did soon after his conversion.

Hi

I am a bit confused when it comes to navigating this site and I seem to get lost often. But I guess if I stick with it, I will eventually manage.

Thanks for the greeting.

I am here only to lift up the name of God as I really believe that we are at the very end of time. It does not mean that the world will end tomorrow. But it does mean that if we are not actively pursuing God, it might be too late for us.

The bible is extremely complex and it cannot be done in a year or even a lifetime, and as we know the 5 foolish virgins, who fell asleep at the wheel, were not allow to enter after the prescribed time.
We even know that even some who got in, like the one without the white gown at the feast was thrown out into the darkness, because of unpreparedness. He somehow got it wrong about the requirements.

There really is no time like today, like now, for pursuing God with all our hearts, our minds and our souls.

May God keep you in perfect peace.