What Do You Believe ?

[HISWARRIOR]

Well, I can see where your coming from, really I can, but I personally started out on the NIV, and eventually I was able to read the King James with a concordance, now I do realize the NIV does in fact leave things out, and I believe anyone can hear God if they will search for Him.

I personally believe in telling new converts to fast and pray and seek the Lord will all their heart and soul for the interpertation of the Word and to stay in a good Church or at the very least have one person they can talk to about the Bible.

It's all about communication with the Holy Spirit (IMO) and He will give the Spirit to all who ask Him.

We need to teach people how to hear for themselves, God Himself wants that personal connection with each one of us, He will certainly not deny anyone.....

Blessings HS!

[HISSERVENT]

HW

No dissagreement here . but I have  talked to many christians who have no idea whats it's all about , they get saved in a typle denominatioanl church and never get taught about the deeper things of God, Not to slam any one church but the Church of Christ does not have much deepth in there teachings , I kmnow thats where I attended for a couple of yrs before I found out from a spirit filled man of God that there was much more for me in the word of God and the Church of Christ was not teaching it , nor did they support me when I ask about it./

[HISWARRIOR]

I quite agree HS; it  has been my experience with Church of Christ that they do not understand the Word nor do they interpert it correctly, I don't think most of those have the Spirit of God, how sad, just my experience too.

HW

No dissagreement here . but I have  talked to many christians who have no idea whats it's all about , they get saved in a typle denominatioanl church and never get taught about the deeper things of God, Not to slam any one church but the Church of Christ does not have much deepth in there teachings , I kmnow thats where I attended for a couple of yrs before I found out from a spirit filled man of God that there was much more for me in the word of God and the Church of Christ was not teaching it , nor did they support me when I ask about it./

[KNGDOMPASSION]

I believe the Word of God in its original languages, Hebrew and Chaldean for the Old, and the Greek for the New is inerrent.

To take whatever version we use say KJV and say that it is inerrant is wrong. That is why we must reason from the whole and not the part.

So we take context, to the passage, then the book, the writer, and the Word of God as a whole, using both Old and New Testaments to get a grasp of the meaning, or to see any possible changes from one to the other. To take the passage context only, will inevitably miss the truth.

A major problem today is that we read certain passages as if they were written to us rather than written for us, so that we may learn from them. This is especially obvious in looking at eschatology. However we are not the only generation that has done that, it seems every generation in the last few hundred years in particular have done so, and has led to much error.

KP

Ok, here the question .

Do you believe the word of God as originally written is infallable , Holy Spirit inspired  and sharper than a two edged sword. ?
I hope no one believe's that the word of God should be interpeted differantly to fit our current lifstyles.

Ok, now where I stand on this subject.

I believe it is infallable , inspired by the Holy Spirit and sharper than any two edged sword.  I believe it is us who have to conform to the word of God and not it to us , I do believe it is alive and does exactly what it was intended to do , if we do our part.  I do not believe as some do it should fit our needs or what people want it to say to them , we must conform to it.
I also believe that if some of it is wrong or untrue than it's All a lie and none of it can be trusted.  So for me it's all or nothing.
I believe the Holy Spirit gave the original writers the words they were to put down on paper and I believe the writers did exactly that , but through the yrs  man have taken things out or put things in to make it fit us , how ever I still believe that if we are really searching with the right motives God will open our eyes and spirit to what he needs us to know even when the words have been altered.  If we are truly seeking Him for our Good I know he will give us revelation knowledge in his word.

Ok , what say you all ?

[APOINTOFFAITH]

The Christian Ethos
J. D. Payne | The Enoch Covenant

It really is a shame how so many Christians today cannot define their faith. To be honest many of them have never been taught what those principles of faith are. Either they get a legalistic view or a “New Age disguised as Christianity” perspective. So I had this urge to write what I think being Christian means, what the basics are. In truth they are my own, from my own perspective, but I think they bespeak of what it means to have a relationship with God.

Love

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

It is a command of God, and a holy connection not only with each other, but with our Lord and Savior, our God, and the Holy Spirit. It is to be the hallmark of who we are And whose we are (John 13:35).

We at times claim we to be the arbiters of truth, as you have often seen me write, and in this vein we seek to admonish, upbraid and correct each other. This is not the love you claim, but glorifies the flesh. To those who deliberately walk in apostasy or error, we do rebuke and make clear the spirit in which such things are done. For it is not God’s spirit.

But to the brethren there is to be love.

A love that covers a multitude of sins (and errors). A love that seeks for others to understand, not our words and the filtering of God’s truths through our own understandings, but of God’s own words in His book of Life called the Bible. Within it’s pages are the truths, principles and tenets of our faith that will lead us back home. If we will but let it do so.

And that path is a path of love.

Truth

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

There are those who say that truth is the MOST important aspect of our walk of faith. Jesus Christ has declared that He is the way, the truth and the life (and light) and as He is the cornerstone and foundation of our faith, the truth is definitely apart of that.

But whose truth do we declare?

Many will say “God’s truth” and this is how it should be. But we see within the Bible many passages that say we must know the truth in order to be set free. That we must rightly divide (understand through search and studying) the word of truth in order for us, the workers in God’s vineyard, not to be ashamed of our lack of knowledge of that selfsame truth.

We must believe the truth, trust the truth, and most importantly, live the truth. It is truly the gospel (God’s spell) of our salvation. It is the begetting of our lives in Christ. That begetting (or being born in the spirit) is from the living of that truth.

Many years ago, God gave me a saying and I use it often in life “truth is not relative; only our position to it”. We need to have the truth within us, a living, breathing testimony of God and His words of life etched within our hearts, souls and minds.

We must be the truth.

Unity

Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Unity is a bond of peace, and of faith, and the measure of our stature in Christ. It brings the promise of peace and harmony. It is an extension of love one towards another. It is the evidence of our faith made visible.

Being in a state of unity, or union, within the body of Christ, is a real and tangible power. Truly it says where two or more are gathered in His (God’s) name that whatsoever they touch (pray about, agree upon, or petition before the throne of God) will be bound in heaven and earth.

If righteous before God it will be done.

Why do you think Satan works hard to bring dissension and discord to the body of Christ? It nullifies or dilutes the power we bring in our unity. It holds back understanding and knowledge through the agency of bickering and fighting — and the need to be right at any cost.

There can be disagreement, even anger, but the Word of God warns us not to sin while angry and not let the sun go down upon it (extend for too long). When we are of one spirit, God’s spirit, there will be reconciliation and a desire to be in unity before God. This is a movement of the Holy Spirit within the heart to bring God’s kids back into His presence.

Unity is the definition of being of one mind, spirit and flesh before God. The body is made up of many parts, yet is one body still.

So is the body of Christ.

Peace

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Isaiah 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

There is a human peace, and then there is God’s peace. In the human sense when we seek peace at any cost, we may find ourselves wounded, hurt and bitter, because instead of standing firm upon the rock of Christ, we allow the waves of dissension engulf us and set us adrift. God’s peace, through Christ, does not do this. It forgives, enfolds in love and brings a wholeness of spirit that is very real, to us and to others.

We can feel this peace in the bonds of our love and unity within the body of Christ. If we can not sense or find this peace, then we must examine the spirit we are dealing with, for it is not of God. When we have this gift of Christ we need not clamor for attention, fight for justice among our brothers and sisters in Christ, nor feel unworthy.

It is afterall, a peace that passes all understanding.

It is an assurance that we are with God, and following our Lord and Savior. It is an indicator that we have received of Him, and from Him. Why? Because even when challenged, when we walk with God, we are in an assurance of His truth, and of His words, nothing can take that from us.

That truly is peace.

Plus in that peace, we learn to give peace, and to not cause strife ourselves. If we do so, with intent or in response to some unkind word or deed, then we have taken on a spirit that is not of God, for God’s spirit is in peace.

Is there righteous indignation? Of course. But this is speaking to a state of being and not an isolated act or intent. This is a repose of the spirit, if you will, that means we are peaceful by nature, thought, intent and act. That our first response is a loving peaceful one that promotes God and not ourselves.

We must choose to reflect Christ.

Discipleship

John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Discipleship is the meaning of our walk of faith. It is what we do after we have received Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives — we follow Him. And like any disciple the goal is to be like the Master. To live as He lives, to do as He does, and to go where He goes.

We are indeed children of God, and servants in His vineyard, but we are also disciples to Christ. We follow His path, as He is the ONLY way back to our heavenly home. He is the path and the blazer of that path. In Him we become complete and whole before God.

And we do the work He did.

We must be “instant in season” and examples of God in our lives. We must show the fruits of the spirit and walk in a trust that is so utterly centered upon Him, that it is evident to all who see us, know us, speak to us or simply even just pass us by.

Truly we are to be a Holy Nation, a Royal Priesthood and Peculiar (different) People. If we are not these things, then our faith is vain. If we are out in the world and none can see that we are different, different in speech, actions, what we wear and the things we do, then again, our faith is vain.

Our discipleship should be evident.

If we are to follow after Christ, then we must do all that He has set before us to do. We know that we will be an offense to the world, as Christ said “the world hates me because I show it that it is wrong”. We too, by our example, words and actions, will convict the world that it is truly “wrong” and there will be a response to that.

If we try to fit in, we lose our place in heaven.

No one can serve to master, slaves to sin, and son(daughter)ship in Christ to eternal life. The two are not compatible. We must choose whom we will serve and diligently walk that path. We must be willing to suffer at the hands of the world without a need to “fit in” or be “validated” by those in it. Christ said offenses will come and that there will be even those who will kill us in the synagogue (church) and think they are doing God’s work.

A sobering thought. Choose wisely.

Inheritance

Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

So what does our walk of faith lead? Home. Back to the throne of God. All of us are Prodigal Sons and Daughters, wayward in our journeyings and needful to return home to our father. And there will be rejoicing and joy we enter into our father’s rest.

As the above verses truly say it all, as it were, there is not much more to share. We must remember who we are, as well as, whose we are. We must walk this path back home to gain our inheritance in Christ, with Christ.

And we can do all things in Christ, which strengthens us!

Be blessed, be loved and be at peace,

Jonathan

[NIGHT_SONG]

I appreciate and agree with what you've written.  On love though I think that continuing on in John 13 to vs 35 is also important since how we treat each other is a testimony of who God is in our lives and to who God is as well.

John 13:35 (NKJV)
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another

Under His mercy and grace,
night song

[APOINTOFFAITH]

Agreed, but didn't want to write a book! Yet..... (smile).

Blessings,

Jonathan

[STEVE1126]

Yes I believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God but get leary of those who think that their interpretation of the word is infallible.

[LEONMARTIN]

I think we often concentrate on these things and forget what this is all about. Our faith is based not on what we believe or do, but on what Jesus did at the direction of our Father. Jesus did it all. We just hitch a ride on His coat tails.

We were doomed to everlasting destruction in the pit of fire, Christ came and gave us life, and hope, and the true meaning of love. Our Father sacrificed something that none of us would have, His Son...His PERFECT Son.

How could we possibly not return a love like that? To love someone enough to give the most important thing in your life for them is something we can never truly understand. All we have to do is accept the gift. Nothing more. It is not rocket science, there is no magic formula for salvation.

We are like a man dying of thirst and someone handing him a glass of water, all we have to do is drink. Some choose not to drink, but that is pride, and it kills. We want to do it, or at least something, but that is not how it works.

Paul said, I was determined to know nothing among you but Christ, and Him crucified. I think we get too far from that at times. We tell people, you have to follow these rules, you have to disciple, you have to pray for others, you have to...?What? Earn our way to heaven? We do not HAVE to do these things, we get to do them, out of our love for everything our Father and His glorious Son have done for us....we just want to share.

Just my thoughts,
Leon

[HONEYGOLD]

Because we love Him so, abide in Him, these things become our desires to please Him, and the fruit He produces in us for others to be blessed. And we are blessed, as well.

[HUNNYMONEY]

To all:
I personally like the KJV and the NKJV, because I believe they have the fewest translation errors, and the errors that were made did not alter the broader meaning of the text. Other translations, especially the NIV, are poor quality in my opinion. It is important to remember that Jesus Himself said not one jot or tittle would pass until all had been fulfilled. In the case of the NIV, it isn't just jots and tittles, but whole passages that have been altered or omitted. As for whether it matters, of course it does. Think of it this way. If I give a 10th grade physics student a 4th grade physics text without many of the equations he needs, he will not continue to grow in knowledge of physics. Likewise, if I give a new Christian a bible that omits whole passages and knowingly alters the meaning of others, I am giving that Christian a warped view of what he or she is to know. God does not need our help determining what should be in His Word. I think He has a really good handle on what He wants in there, and if He inspired the writers to put the passage in the bible with certain words and meanings, we can be sure He has an excellent reason why He wanted it that way. In my opinion, many of the "doctrinal" issues that exist today exist because people have not read the original English translation and its updated cousin, both of which are as close to the original languages meanings as English can be. It is important we try to stay as close to the original meaning of the text as possible; the NIV and other supposed "upgrades" often times sacrifice spiritual and biblical accuracy in favor of readability or social pressures and issues.

[APOINTOFFAITH]

Amen! We are all learning and growing, only God knows eveything!

Yes I believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God but get leary of those who think that their interpretation of the word is infallible.

[APOINTOFFAITH]

The NIV is not a very good version, but helps to alleviate (sp?) the archaic language text. Like the Good News or The Message, it is not authorative. However I find the NKJV does fix many translation faux pas and the NLT is an interesting translation (use 8,000 word etymology and was design for Eskimos—really).

But the Word of God, when seriously striven for real translation (there are BAD translations, one even endorsed by the Anglican Archibishop of Canteberry), God brings understanding. It's His word and He makes it clear to His kids!

Blessings,

Jonathan

[JLB1206]

Since He brings the Word to our remembrance.....He can only bring to remembrance what has been sown in us. Should the translation be "off" the Word is not sown accurately within. I believe closer the translation is to the original text is important.

I personally wonder what it matters if a translation is "off" or not, because it is the Lord by His Spirit who gives you understanding.

The Bible is interperted by it's author, through the Holy Spirit, so to read it and not understand it is certainly possible.

I just ask the Lord, so should anyone else.