Re: Thank YOU! by Ready2Rapture .....
Date: 10/18/2006 10:04:36 PM ( 18 y ago)
Popularity: message viewed 1662 times
URL: http://www.curezone.org/blogs/c/fm.asp?i=999514
And thank you! I always enjoy knowing I may have helped someone.
But a couple of concerns:
The issue of translation is really not related at all to the issue of document preservation. I have earlier blog entries from last year that give more detail of my thoughts about that. I think you might especially be interested in the ones on Bible Scholars, since they go into the manuscript debate somewhat. There is also much more material on my website.
While the Qumran find did include many Essene documents, their proximity to the Isaiah scrolls only proves that they were valued by those who hid them, not that they were necessarily considered Holy Scripture. I've spent quite a lot of time debating the Bible canon and Gnostic works and really don't want to get into that here, as I'm sure you don't either, but I would encourage you to check out my other writings on that.
As for reincarnation, I can't find any support for it in the Bible. I wrote a short piece here but haven't really done an in-depth treatment.
The "Christ Consciousness" view is also one which I find not compatible with Scripture in any way. Yes, his followers are to develop the relationship, to know Him as more than a distant deity but as the One who loves us more than we can imagine. This relationship comes in time, as we study his Word and keep deciding to give up more of self to gain more of God. Yet this does not involve any particular meditation techniques or postures or chants, but only an act of will in response to what he has told us.
The bottom line is this: we can never know Him or have his Spirit until we hear the gospel and accept it:
Romans 10:17 TNIV
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 TNIV
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
John 3:16 TNIV Chapter
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
In many other passages as well, we see that one is saved by faith in the Jesus who is God in the flesh, who died for us, and who rose again. No other Jesus can save. This is a matter of mental understanding, not feelings or even necessarily an experience. The mind decides on how to react to the gospel, and only if it is accepted does the heart change. And what a change! Immediately, through no effort of our own, we become God's adopted children, we get the Holy Spirit "as a deposit that guarantees our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:14 TNIV), and we begin to grow spiritually.
But the degree of spiritual growth is largely a matter of individual choice. God never forces anyone to grow; it is not guaranteed. That's why there are so many believers who remain spiritual infants, "tossed about by every wind of doctrine". That's a large part of the reason for so much dissent among believers. But to those who in gratitude for the priceless gift of eternal life desire to become true disciples, spiritual maturity begins to blossom. This has been my personal experience; a lifetime of gradual change through the daily choice to have less of me and more of Him.
So yes, there is a kind of mystical quality about spiritual growth, but it cannot be obtained without saving faith, that which comes from hearing and accepting the Jesus of the Bible. What I'm trying to say is that there is danger in the many counterfeits in the world. There are many claiming the name of Jesus or Christ in some way, but he has to be identified according to what the Bible says about him.
I don't know if this clears anything up, but please consider whether you know the Jesus of the Bible. Only knowing about him can be like being vaccinated against a disease: it could keep you from getting the 'real thing'. (I know, bad analogy, but it's the best I could come up with for now.) I have no doubt about your sincerity, but sincerity alone will only help you in this short life. If you have Jesus, you have all you need.
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