| Author | Message | ||
| Jim02 Registered user Username: Jim02 Post Number: 123 Registered: 5-2007 |
This is a partial list of the most common rules I encounter when determining doctrine in scripture. 1) If it is not spoken of specifically in the NT, then it is not commanded or carried over. 2)If it is not specfically canceled in the NT then it is carried over into NT practice. (A paradox when compared to number 1 above.) 3) Any given word has multiple meanings. (Your mileage may vary.) 4) There are no absolutes. (apparently) 5) The answer is usually , Yes....and No. It is a matter of "faith. 6) The interpretations are ultimately subjective and unverifiable. It is a matter of faith. Folks, I have a mechanical mind I suppose. There haas to be consistant rules of logic and I suspect the scriptures list their own rules as such. Ambigous , global statements or concepts are usually ineffective because they are over generalized in nature. The keys, the rules of assimilation must have definition. This is the circling battle I have. Every study gets tripped up in its own messy logic that breaks its own rules. I know a jammed gear when I see one. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 3893 Registered: 3-2004  |
Jim, All I can do is pray for you and ask God to un jam the gears. He will let you know what is important. You do not have to know everything at this time. Maybe that is what God is trying to teach you. Diana | ||
| Jwd Registered user Username: Jwd Post Number: 279 Registered: 4-2005  |
Jim02, and Diana, My pilgrimage has led me to believe that in the New Testament / New Covenant and in Jesus Christ I find the APEX of God's revelation / truth. Everything else has to harmonize with what I find in Christ; in His teachings while on earth, and in that which he taught the Apostles, and specifically what He personally taught Paul. This Apex is the highest authority to me. Everything else must harmoize with it, not the other way around. Jess | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 6166 Registered: 12-2003  |
Jess, very wise words. Jim, just stay in God's word and get to know Jesus. Let go of the need to cognitively understand and create formulas. Jesus is the source of all the answers. The paradox is that as you worhsip and literally praise Jesus for His faithfulness, His salvation, His sacrifice, as you read His words and ask Him to teach you truth, He becomes more and more real. As He becomes real, the doctrinal confusion begins to melt away. The literal teachings in the Bible begin to make sense as you ask God to reveal Himself. It is counter-intuitive: Adentism said, "Know the doctrines, you'll understand God." Reality says, "Know Jesus; submit to Him; He will reveal truth." He is a real Person. We tend to tackle cognitive understanding because Facts, we think, are the Truth. But spiritual things are spiritually discerned. The search for facts won't yield spiritual truth. The acceptance of facts (the historical reality of Jesus, the incarnation, His death, resurrection, and ascension, etc.) yields trust in Him. He is the goal. He is the focus. He is all-in-all. When we allow Him to reveal Himself without worrying about doctrine, we wake up one day and realize that the underlying reality of what He did and who He is and what He asks of us is more clear than it was a month ago...and a few weeks later, we discover it's even more clear than the month before... This business of being a Christ-follower isn't like learning a subject for a final test. It's all about submitting to the Lord Jesus. We do that by staying in His word--and by submitting our logic to Him and allowing His Spirit to reveal Jesus. The Holy Spirit's purpose is to make Jesus real, not to teach us "facts". In reality, facts are the outgrowth of Knowing Jesus. Understanding follows faith; it does not precede it. Colleen |
