Christian: The Need for a Fresh Word from God

[Buttercup]

I could be misunderstanding Nathan's OP but don't you think a person from God would proceed new words from God? Words don't just fall from the sky to be caught in a butterfly net.

 

[w00t]

Why do people assume that modern day thinking should be held in a higher moral regard that what people thought 2000 years ago? Granted, maybe they didn't face the same issues we face today nor did they understand things from a scientific perspective as we do now but when it comes to moral truths, those things shouldn't change. If Jesus was on the earth to show us how to live an abundant, fulfilling, and morally upstanding life, why would his teachings have any less bearing in our days on this earth? Jesus said he was truth, as were his words. I guess my point is, I don't see how words written 2,000 years ago should be any less applicable to our lives. If you don't believe in those words then I guess that's a different story.

Jesus said some good things, but he said somethings with which I would take issue. I don't think he was divine, just a very charismatic leader, of whom we probably would not have heard if Paul hadn't taken up his cause.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

God speaks each and every day in the lives of anyone willing to listen...
and engage with "Him".

For God to "stop speaking" would mean we would all have to be dead.

The day of the living dead.

Or God could be dead.

 

[Katzpur]

The Bible does make it perfectly clear. It tells us everything we need to know about how to be saved, by having faith in Jesus, and how to please God, by loving others. What else is necessary?

Uh... Where does it claim to be complete? If you can't quote me chapter and verse, I will have to assume that you don't know.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

***MOD ADVISORY***

This is a same faith debate reserved for followers of the many flavors of Christianity. If you don't consider yourself a Christian, please don't post here. Thanks...

 

[Katzpur]

What if God never said anything again, and we're stuck with what we have?

Good question. I suppose that we'd be as "children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine." That's why Paul said that the foundation of prophets and apostles that Jesus Christ built His church on was supposed to remain in effect "till we all come in the unity of the faith." On the other hand, the Holy Ghost would continue to guide the pure in heart, and we'd be a heck of a lot better off than we'd been had we'd be had God never bothered to instruct us.

 

[blackout]

Yup, yup, me too. Mere Christianity (Christianity withOUT the religion) will do.

When the "church" "facade" finally fell....
That was also the time when I pressed into God ...
told Him I NEEDED to hear Him speak....
and that I didn't know how.

I started from scratch with Him.
Tried new approaches,
changed my "outlooks",
sought NEW meaning,
where the old ones had failed...
and did things TOTALLY unlike me,
to try and "hear him" in my desperation.

Soon thereafter He pulled back the veil....
and taught me ... showed me...
INCREDIBLY.... supernaturally....
that He was speaking there...
and HAD been speaking there all along...
in literally anything, and everything in my life.

I truly think He was just waiting for me
to stop seeking "truth" from others...
from doctrines, saints, churches, experts, scholars, etc etc...
and TURN to HiM ALONE,
with full longing and attention.

I needed to stop pretending I had
what I did not have, and ask...
pressing in with all the strength I had left in me.

I think I would have died.
But He Lifted me , and showed me all things New.

I tell you my friends,
He IS speaking. He does speak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesus , Y'shua is the example of True Freedom I follow.
Yet as I clearly see it, He was/is a rebel to the world system.
I see fit to follow the teachings of Jesus, not a system.
I hope that my lack of some doctrinally "christian" label,
does not exempt me from these conversations.

Remember that Jesus does not don a christian label either.

When I tell you how God speaks to me...
is that somehow invalidated by the label I do not don?

Still I do not want to cross forum manners,
or be ungracious. I wonder if the mod warning applies to me or not?

 

[Comprehend]

What if God never said anything again, and we're stuck with what we have?

We would be in a lot of trouble. Just observe what happens when men take it upon themselves to determine how scripture should be interpreted. You get literally thousands and thousands of different churches all claiming to have the truth.

 

[Vassal]

Uh... Where does it claim to be complete? If you can't quote me chapter and verse, I will have to assume that you don't know.

If you can't point out something that is necessary for salvation and living a life pleasing to God, but isn't in the Bible, then I will have to assume you are agreeing with me.

 

[Comprehend]

If you can't point out something that is necessary for salvation and living a life pleasing to God, but isn't in the Bible, then I will have to assume you are agreeing with me.

lame... you are dodging the question.

 

[Hope]

Or God could be dead.

I hope, since you call yourself a Christian, that that was a joke.

 

[Vassal]

lame... you are dodging the question.

The Bible is a collection of a bunch of smaller documents written throughout history, not one long one written all at once. All these documents were written before the Bible was compiled, obviously, the Bible didn't exist when these were written. So if they said "The Bible is all that is needed for salvation.", then people would wonder what the Bible was since it was not yet put together. Even so, it is obvious that it is all that is needed, because the entire New Testament is about faith in Jesus to be saved. If you try to add or take away anything from that, then you inevitablly contradict the Bible, which is why you can't point out anything needed for salvation that isn't in the Bible.

 

[Katzpur]

If you try to add or take away anything from that, then you inevitablly contradict the Bible, which is why you can't point out anything needed for salvation that isn't in the Bible.

Seeing as you are unable to answer the question we have continued to ask, perhaps you can tell me where the Bible addresses the issue of what happens to those who never have an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. We're told that we must belief in Him in order to be saved, but we are also told that God is a loving Father who is no respecter of persons. Seems to me we have a bit of a dilemma here... a loving Father who would condemn billions of His children to an eternity in Hell due to something over which they had no control. How would a bit of clarification on this matter contradict anything the Bible has to say?

 

[Katzpur]

If you can't point out something that is necessary for salvation and living a life pleasing to God, but isn't in the Bible, then I will have to assume you are agreeing with me.

Well, that would be a pretty stupid assumption since I've already made it very clear I don't agree with you. I couldn't disagree more with you. Furthermore, I have asked you three times now for one instance in which the Bible claims to be what you claim it to be and you haven't yet even attempted to answer me.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I hope, since you call yourself a Christian, that that was a joke.

No actually I am quite serious. If God were not moving, talking, and acting, that would be a pretty good indication of death.

 

[Rolling_Stone]

Anyway, the New Testament profoundly loses its worth when the presuppositions of Greek philosophy are removed, and indeed the later Christian theologies which wholesale reproduced Greek ideals are outdated and mute to contemporary issues.

What about the mystical traditions?

 

[Comprehend]

Jesus said some good things, but he said somethings with which I would take issue. I don't think he was divine, just a very charismatic leader, of whom we probably would not have heard if Paul hadn't taken up his cause.

What things that Jesus said would you "take issue" with?

 

[Hope]

No actually I am quite serious. If God were not moving, talking, and acting, that would be a pretty good indication of death.

Only if you have a mortal God....."God" and "death" are inconsistent terms.

Have you not experienced Him moving, talking, or acting? I know I have.

 

[Katzpur]

No actually I am quite serious. If God were not moving, talking, and acting, that would be a pretty good indication of death.

I haven't figured out yet how an omnipresent, invisible essense can move. Move to where?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I haven't figured out yet how an omnipresent, invisible essense can move. Move to where?

It's a figure of speech, an anthropomorphism, describing the activity of God in human terms. To act or speak in this case is a type of "movement."