@Justin47 This is a praise, not a criticism. It is a more recently recognized appreciation for knowing where things are actually written, and the reason that it too, was part of my initial rejections only later to be re-embraced.
Of three things I initially rejected for a time, there was the “organized religion” rejection, the rejection of “church” ( and all the wrong found there ), and thirdly, there was the rejection of every question I posed being met by some disconnected chapter and verse that had no meaning to me, and that usually, I had no capacity to comprehend out of context. And so the question of the very validity of the response was left open in my mind as well. I found it very frustrating. Like your quote of Mathew 15:14 , I completely see how it compliments the discussion with a point of scripture, and where exactly it is written. perfect. But possibly, only perfect to those of us who already know the book and the context.
However:
If I claim God has “taught” me something, and I can not show where in his word that lesson was learned, then I become little better than the blind would-be leader who is someone “claiming” to have a lesson worth hearing when I can’t show you where it came from. That would make me ,and what I say, so questionable as to be of little value at best, and dangerous at worst. As it is, I often have to go page flipping to find a verse as so many are not committed to memory “chapter and verse style”, due in part to that previous rejection.
So, like “organized religion”, and “church”, I have come to a new appreciation, and again, not for the reasons I initially thought. I compliment you on your ready knowledge of where things are in the bible, and express my more recently acquired appreciation of it’s worth.
I know it’s a praise. I just like to back things up.
For the record I do not have all of the scripture at the ready like you apparently think I do. Lol I do like to look things up, that’s why I have all this stuff up. but it’s not on the ready. I don’t have the stuff memorized. I’m searching through the Bible as much as anybody else would that doesn’t read it on a daily basis.
It does give me a reason to read the Bible. That’s why I do look these quotes up and research stuff all the time as you can see. I think the more you read out of the Bible the better.
well, I stand corrected. But your fine work in presenting the location of some of these thigs, is none the less a valuable thing to me. It seems you are doing just as we are advised to do, look into it ourselves to see if it is true. It was a bit courageous for you to risk starting this thread, but I have enjoyed seeing what people think and believe. I read their stories with interest, and get to see I’m not the only one who went down certain paths.
I have enjoyed the thread, and the people who have participated.
I agree with you it is cool to see the different paths that people took and how they got to where they are today. In the beginning of my years I really didn’t have religion until my teens, early twenties when I startes looking into everything. it wasnt until I met my wife 11 years ago when I actually accepted Christ.
I like reading the Bible and looking up questions, because it truly does have the answer to everything. Besides I don’t like people telling me what to believe. Hey you have a question in scripture. I’m your guy. I’ll look it up for you.
If God is one person, then how does Jesus sit on the right hand of The Father?.
When Christ was hanging on the cross, why did Christ say Father why have you forsaken me?
How can you give your only begotten Son of yourself?
@Justin47 This is not the place for my story, If you want to hear my testimony, I will message you my cell #. I will tell you that I study Hebrew and Greek.
I’m going to put this in this thread because I really do not know where to put it.
In 2006 I had a back fusion that included both SI joints and all of my spine from L1-S2. I was basically paralyzed for years, while I went through surgery after surgery, physical therapy session after physical therapy session. I went to college and got yet another degree ( I have 4 bachelor’s, a Master’s and 5 classes from my doctorate). But my back has always been a huge problem. I had to choose between taking spills sometimes or blowing the last ligament I had working in each arm, so I could use a cane or Walker
Earlier, at a friend’s birthday party this year she was raving about this back Dr. and this new technology. Well it had been 15 years so I thought I would go see what the what was about it. 2 weeks ago they used this new imaging technique and last week they removed a calcium covered cyst that had been pressing into my spinal nerve sheathe. I’ve lived with the weakness and lack of mobility for 15 years on my left side. Tying my shoes was an adventure, bending over picking something up. Just not happening.
Anyways they release me from hospital to home I decide to clean my HD pistol I took to range last week. I dropped a bullet and I wasn’t really thinking about it I just leaned over and picked it up . Then it hit me what I had just done I had leaned over and picked something up from the floor. No pain. No dancing around finding the right angle and something to lean on while I tried to pick it up. I just picked it up . I showed my wife later when she got home.
I know this isn’t a miracle but it sure feels like one and I am doing something I haven’t done in close to 15 years and that’s to start to hope again. I still have all my other medical issues but this sure feels great.
@Cobra That’s one of those things I had trouble with too. Even though God made the point that I was not going to be able to understand everything that he does. I still had a problem with that, I just couldn’t see it. I couldn’t think of anything that made any sense as to how he could be three people at once and One God, at the same time. For me, when I thought of Ice / water/ and steam. I could finally see ONE way to imagine how such a thing could be. So even if that example was not perfect, I could content my’self with it. I would imagine my self trying to explain a computer to George Washington for example, and realized that for him, and his 1700’s knowledge of science, it just wouldn’t make any sense to him at all. I figure some of the things of God are going to be like that for me.
I can only give you my perspective on these questions. I don’t claim to be an expert. In fact, I recently came to the conclusion that those things I know with certainty are very few. That is, God exists and I’m not him. Beyond that, I could be wrong.
For your first and third questions, that God exists as a Trinity can be very confusing. I have found two approaches that ease my mind. The first is that it is a mystery that I may not fully understand until I reach heaven. The second is to consider the Trinity as one does the chemical compound known as water in its liquid state. Water can exist as a solid (ice), a liquid, and a gas (water vapor). I read somewhere recently a well-considered idea (perhaps above in this thread) that one can consider a block of ice sitting on a hot sidewalk. The water of and from that block of ice exists in all three forms simultaneous.
For your second question, we must consider that Jesus was fully God and fully man. The man Jesus died on the cross. The man Jesus cried out to our Father.
3 in 1 I’m a father,son and bother. or how about begin marred the 2 become one.
It is 3 persons under one God Head. God is a title not a person.G2316 θεός theos (the-os’) n.
(properly, in Greek) a god or deity. a supernatural, powerful entity (real or imagined).
(by Hebraism, especially with G3588) God, the Supreme Being, the Creator, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Yahweh by name.
(figuratively) a supreme magistrate (in the land).
[of uncertain affinity]
KJV: X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward)
See also: G2304, G2299, G3588, H430 . Thats why you say GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. I just asked them question earlier just to get people to think, flinging scripture doesn’t prove anything,not unless you break them down in Hebrew or Greek and study EACH WORD to get the full meaning. example morning star is LUCIFER in Hebrew and The morning star in greek is Christ.You take out THE now it can refer to Lucifer.
I will start by saying I’m a Born-Again Christian, I am fundamental and also non-denominational.
I don’t think this, or any social media, is a place to discuss such a subject because of the limited scope.
There are those on this site, or any site, that will disparage Christians and use “science” to slam Christianity. Having sait this… there are many very good videos on Youtube that do a fantastic job explaining and clarifying Christianity.
Answers in Genesis,
Is Genesis History.
Bruce Gore,
Creation Training Initiative -CTI
Cross Examined
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
I TOTALLY RESPECT Christianity. I do not believe it is correct, but I DO believe most those who follow it are very genuine, sincere, good people who I wish only good things for.
I would suggest adding to your list, to get a larger picture would be to look at the YouTube videos by Rabbi Tovia Singer. Find a topic that interests you and give it a listen.
I would encourage you to specifically look at the videos on how the Torah was mistranslated which has changed the meaning of many of its original passages.
I’ve been a Christian almost 40 years, I’ve studied it like a hungry man. I’ve compared it to other religions. I am not a casual observer of my Faith. I have a very large picture of Christianity and Judaism, but thank you for your comment.
. Then it hit me what I had just done I had leaned over and picked something up from the floor. No pain. No dancing around finding the right angle and something to lean on while I tried to pick it up. I just picked it up 