Re: The Reality of Hell

it is not so much different meanings as it is depth of meaning. i believe none of the scriptures can contridict themselves, so there is always a point of view which can encompass seemingly desparate verses. god has make it clear that our understanding leaves a lot to be desired. the words he has given us must be utilized in such a way as to maximize their effectiveness in giving us understanding. that is why obedience is so important. it has nothing to do with what we shouldnt do and everything to do with what we should do. it is the only way god can change us - with our permission. that is his will.

every time i have read through the scriptures, i have gained new understanding and they, as a result, take on new meaning. there is the sincere milk of the word, those things which are easy to understand, but not always that easy to do. the walk requires movement, and as we move along we find our understanding has been childish in some ways, and downright foolish in others. the meat that an adult can chew hardly ressembles what babes eat, and yet there, in the same words are deeper levels of meaning, more sophisticated connections are made with other scriptures, and eventually the understanding becomes more than just the words themselves, but incorporate understanding which has no basis in anything other than the personal relationship you have developed with the author.

like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. on the whole, i think there are at least seven levels of meaning in the word, but it is likely that the limit is ours and that the levels are infinite. how else could gods word never pass away?

any time a man speaks of the word or even reads a translation of it, always be aware it is going to be 99.9999999% the man which you are hearing. the person who said the devil is in the details doesnt understand god. Tweet