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Does judgement happen here on earth? What about the outcome of that judgement?
I also agree a christian is meant to be patient, meek, honest, faithful, etc...you shall know a person by their fruits, correct? If that person spreads a corrupt message about God, in this case, preaching to others they better believe or else and most people will go to hell, what then? Should the rest of us remain silent over such an abominable upside down gospel that is currently being taught? PLus, not sure what you are referring to quoting James on this...what are you trying to say?
The kingdom of God with the dominion of “Adam” over all of the rational creation is an actual thing, but what is written in Scripture about it is full of allegories, and metaphors, and symbols etc but those allegories, metaphors, symbols mean things for a reason in the building of GOD’S kingdom
I absolutely agree we need to be striving for the truth, and not accepting doctrines that are inconsistent with the Spirit, and if we see it we should proclaim it, but what I also see is that different people are drawn to different parts by design and that whatever we do we should strive to be consistent with ourselves
Fire, the tongue, the word, the mind - humanity is a rational, sensual, over-reactive creature and we need to explore things with our minds but also keep control of our emotions and tongues is what I am saying, and is the meaning I extract from what James has written
The meaning of the words in Scripture mean a lot to me, and the concepts, and the timing - that is where I am drawn - I know a lot of people are not and that is ok with me but I still feel drawn to express it, Everyone has a bit to share or a different perspective
Weren't some fed to the lions? How does that work?
Zero, don’t you think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were saved from the flames because they were godly men?
This is the point I try to make. We all go through the fire....only impurities are harmed. Godly men/women have nothing to fear with the flames (actually, I think they are flames of love, that is why it is tormenting to scoundrels and such, they believe they are unworthy )
The fire is a symbol, because of the heat and light - which is opposed naturally to cold and dark
Edit to add: and we are told that the love of many grows cold, which needs to be “rekindled”,
You have no idea of telling whether either of them are real. To me, it seems abundantly clear that bible fundamentalists are more concerned whether these things literally happen than the message they are trying to convey to strengthen your faith and confidence in God.
Weren't some fed to the lions? How does that work?
Zero, don’t you think Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were saved from the flames because they were godly men?
This is the point I try to make. We all go through the fire....only impurities are harmed. Godly men/women have nothing to fear with the flames (actually, I think they are flames of love, that is why it is tormenting to scoundrels and such, they believe they are unworthy )
In other words being godly does not save your fleshy squishy ass.
Although I'm not a literalist by any means, I think fundamentalist theology generally does capture the spiritual truth of most of the Genesis accounts. I don't deny that literalists often do seem more focused on literalism than on meaning.
It's very difficult to get inside the head of a true literalist. I actually heard David Wheaton, the intelligent and often insightful host of The Christian Worldview, say you "could not be a Christian" if you thought the earth was "much older than 6,500 years."
There's some overarching concept that it's somehow offensive to God if you don't at least pretend to believe "things you know ain't true" (Mark Twain). As though God can be fooled by your pretense. I have said many times, on many Christian forums, that I don't believe there's a sane Christian alive who actually believes, in his or her heart of hearts, the earth is 6,500 years old.
I see very complex issues related to the literalist/mystic “conundrum”
I think that the early Church Fathers doctrines against the heretic, is a systemic thing against all “parts” which lose sight of the whole, it is against both the literalist, the mystic, the gnostic, etc which is not necessarily against the “bits” of theology they have, it is about taking those “bits” out of context, the Scriptures have been given to us by inspiration which essentially is mystical, but it shows a type of marriage of spirit/flesh in “man” the human-being, we can end up pulling apart this spirit/flesh unity by trying to either rationalise or get overly emotional. There was and is the very real danger with saying things are not literal in the Scriptures that the Scriptures will then be disregarded, and that the “kingdom” is spiritual and not connected to Gods creation.
I see this in the universalist, the mystic, the gnostic etc where they go overboard, and get carried away by their particular “part” or “set of doctrines” and the end result is we get people thinking they individually will be “gods” “spirits” etc and the kingdom of God coming to earth is discarded and they imagine that the point is to be remade/born as “spirits” and freed from being human, whereas the human being is a composite creature by God’s design- it is what we are, and we are not saved from our humanity, we are saved from our “sin” “errors” individually and corporately
The Prescription Against Heretics (Tertullian)
The character of the times in which we live is such as to call forth from us even this admonition, that we ought not to be astonished at the heresies (which abound) neither ought their existence to surprise us, for it was foretold that they should come to pass; nor the fact that they subvert the faith of some, for their final cause is, by affording a trial to faith, to give it also the opportunity of being approved. 1 Corinthians 11:19 Groundless, therefore, and inconsiderate is the offense of the many who are scandalized by the very fact that heresies prevail to such a degree. How great (might their offense have been) if they had not existed. When it has been determined that a thing must by all means be, it receives the (final) cause for which it has its being. This secures the power through which it exists, in such a way that it is impossible for it not to have existence.
Tertullian is speaking to us as well as his peers I believe
If you believe the seed sown is the word of God which I am sure you do, how can you possibly even think that any word of God is solely for the believer.
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