Growth I think I've done this before

[Jesse]

In a manner of speaking, Yes. I don't see this as forcing myself to act a certain way that I might prefer not to, or to resist doing a certain thing, but rather to let go of controlling my wishes just a little more than I was able to yesterday.

Ok, this makes sense, this is letting go of our will (desires), and in their place God will place His will.

It is not "we" who changes us, God changes from the inside, but we have to be willing and accepting to those changes, correct? It's supernatural, we can not do this work in us, only God can.

 

[Willie T]

I thought maybe if I put the instructions into practice, it would eventually lead to an ongoing lifestyle. It would become second nature.

It often does, and I think, therein, lies one of the subtle ways we become "religious", instead of developing a heart for Jesus.

 

[Willie T]

Ok, this makes sense, this is letting go of our will (desires), and in their place God will place His will.

It is not "we" who changes us, God changes from the inside, but we have to be willing and accepting to those changes, correct? It's supernatural, we can not do this work in us, only God can.

Spot on!

 

[Kathi]

...but not on purpose.

I was studying this morning and I came across this verse and it freaked me out:

2 Peter 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

It freaked me out because I have been in error and have shared that error with other people.

Even if the person doesn't realize their misunderstanding scripture (ignorant - which is not a bad word by the way, it just means they haven't learned it yet), yet they begin to teach their understanding to the other people, in their ignorance, they unbeknownst to them are twisting the Word of God - to their own destruction. Not everyone in a debate, can be right, in fact, they both could be wrong. Are they piling destruction upon themselves?

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

Yet, even now, am I understanding Peter correctly, is my understanding of that passage correct? We could destroy ourselves by having the wrong doctrine and sharing it with others?

Thanks.

If you are teaching the true literal word of God only and not going off on some Spiritual or allegorical teaching of God's word you should be fine but it is dangerous to do otherwise.We will be judged on our teaching of God's word.If we made someone stumble and fall because we were teaching our "own words" of scripture that is not good.And this is why:
Revelation 22:18-19
A Warning
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
This is not only for Revelation but anyone who distorts God's Word in the whole Bible
Deuteronomy 4:1-2;Proverbs 30:5-6

 

[Willie T]

I think a possibly inadequate way to see this whole thing is to remember all the "kung Foo" type movies where the star is being taught, and he is constantly being told to "become one with the movement", or to close his eyes, and "just feel it." But for months, he thinks "If I can just get the mechanics down right......" Then, one day, it hits him, and he realizes he is "being" instead of "doing".

This is mainly because he quit "trying", and just gave in to the flow.

 

[Jesse]

It often does, and I think, therein, lies one of the subtle ways we become "religious", instead of developing a heart for Jesus.

Yes, true.

We can go the other way, too, abuse the freedom we have in Christ. There are many people who do this where I live, maybe everywhere, but there are many issues that believers have gone too far to the other side so as not to appear "religious".

 

[Jesse]

I think a possibly inadequate way to see this whole thing is to remember all the "kung Foo" type movies where the star is being taught, and he is constantly being told to "become one with the movement", or to close his eyes, and "just feel it." But for months, he thinks "If I can just get the mechanics down right......" Then, one day, it hits him, and he realizes he is "being" instead of "doing".

This is mainly because he quit "trying", and just gave in to the flow.

We want to do both, "becoming while doing". The act will follow the faith and the flow between James and Paul is a nice one, they balance each other out, imo.

 

[Willie T]

I have often said that learning the Bible, and being able to quote every verse, verbatim, is almost a waste of time if you have not taken those verses into your heart, and learned to be able to speak them back out through your feelings and compassionate actions, rather than in just a type of speaking. (This goes for also, "looking like a Christian")

 

[Jesse]

If you are teaching the true literal word of God only and not going off on some Spiritual or allegorical teaching of God's word you should be fine but it is dangerous to do otherwise.We will be judged on our teaching of God's word.If we made someone stumble and fall because we were teaching our "own words" of scripture that is not good.And this is why:
Revelation 22:18-19
A Warning
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
This is not only for Revelation but anyone who distorts God's Word in the whole Bible
Deuteronomy 4:1-2;Proverbs 30:5-6

Thanks for your response.

There are people who have strange doctrines, believe it with all their heart, but is misguided and just wrong. For instance, the prosperity gospel is one in which I think Peter might be referring to the verse you provided.

 

[Jesse]

I have often said that learning the Bible, and being able to quote every verse, verbatim, is almost a waste of time if you have not taken those verses into your heart, and learned to be able to speak them back out through your feelings and compassionate actions, rather than in just a type of speaking.

That's good wisdom, Willie.

After all, satan can verbatim the bible, but that is all.

The Word of God is living and active, able to penetrate to bone and marrow, and that is true!

 

[Willie T]

We want to do both, "becoming while doing". The act will follow the faith and the flow between James and Paul is a nice one, they balance each other out, imo.

True, you sure don't want to just sit around waiting for something to hit you to do something decent.

 

[Kathi]

Thanks for your response.

There are people who have strange doctrines, believe it with all their heart, but is misguided and just wrong. For instance, the prosperity gospel is one in which I think Peter might be referring to the verse you provided.

It takes discernment to see what someone is posting is not the true literal word of God.I stay far,far away from it.

 

[Willie T]

Thanks for your response.

There are people who have strange doctrines, believe it with all their heart, but is misguided and just wrong. For instance, the prosperity gospel is one in which I think Peter might be referring to the verse you provided.

I try to be careful with this one. I think in a lot of these areas, we can be doing like Gamaliel warned the Sanhedrin about........ fighting against God, thinking what we saw was not His will, when it really was not wrong as we had thought.

 

[Willie T]

It takes discernment to see what someone is posting is not the true literal word of God.I stay far,far away from it.

As I try to stay far from the very abused gift of "discernment". Everyone is positive they are endowed with it, and this presumption has probably caused more upheaval in Christ's church than almost anything.

 

[jasonc]

What if a church has it wrong, according to that verse in Peter, in ignorance, preached the error for decades...will God not hold them accountable?

Yes, the doing part is the faith in action, maybe it matters more of what we do, but why the huge warning in Peter?

it depends on the heresy

 

[Kathi]

As I try to stay far from the very abused gift of "discernment". Everyone is positive they are endowed with it, and this presumption has probably caused more upheaval in Christ's church than almost anything.

God knows.

 

[Willie T]

God knows.

Certainly. But, so also do a whopping percentage of very misguided Christians...... or so they think.

 

[Jesse]

it depends on the heresy

How bad would the heresy have to be?

To deny Christ came in the flesh or something less offensive?

 

[jasonc]

How bad would the heresy have to be?

To deny Christ came in the flesh or something less offensive?

that would count, some say evolution, I don't agree with that but that isn't salvinical

 

[Jesse]

that would count, some say evolution, I don't agree with that but that isn't salvinical

If a person doesn't believe the account of Genesis though, then it seems it'd be too easy to discredit more of the Bible, would you say? Maybe not salvinical but it's definitely not believing what God has said.