The Gospel is not written like a scientific book, i.e.
Chapt. 1. Repentance from dead works...
Chapt. 2. New birth...
Chapt. 3 . Baptism in water... And so on ...
One has to gather all verses spread throughout the Bible that are related to a topic and build a teaching. Like the bricks in a building.
Or better it''s like a Puzzle, you know the one consisting of small pieces that when putting them together you have a picture. The more pieces (verses) you put together the clearer the picture (teaching) becomes. The lesser the pieces are the less clear the picture becomes. And as one keeps puting less and less pieces the picture becomes more and more confusing and can be anything. And at last a stage is reached where the pieces are so few that " that green thing one sees may be a grass field but may be a watermelon as well"
What I mean is that all false teachings in Christianity arise from the fact that they rely on few verses ignoring the rest of them. Then it can be anything from a field, to a watermelon, to a green jacket, to a green rocket, anything you like.
If we do that lets stop it as we risk ending in myths. Christian myths.
Yes yes yes ! We need to read it all ! For some reason some people just don't get that it's all totally relevant . It's all the Word of God , it all helps us to get to know Him and draw closer to Him and recognise him in our daily lives . If you read a novel or a biography of some one you were interested in and it was a really big in-depth study of this person and you knew for sure that it was an honest account of them and their life , you would feel pretty confident afterwards that you knew that person quite well even though you hadn't actually met them , yes ? It's the same with the whole Bible ! Every book tells us things , important interesting things about our God our Creator our Sustainer our Redeemer . Why would you not want to know as much as possible about Him ? The Bible is the way to get to know your God and His Son . There are no extraneous bits , it's not like a poorly written novel , full of irrelevant filler . It's all relevant and helpful to us to increase our understand and appreciation of our Heavenly Father and His Son .
Nice analogy Giannis. Though I see another difficulty. It's not only a few pieces or missing pieces that can cause problems or give a different picture. It's when one decides to re-shape & re-paint those pieces that just won't fit & then force them in to form the 'true' puzzle picture. So then a very close examination is needed to pick out the phoney masquerading pieces that are set out to deceive.
In the past I've used that analogy of the puzzle pieces. The Gospel paints a picture starting from Genesis.
The problem often comes when one have a picture in mind and try to fit pieces of the puzzles together that don't belong so they have to reshape the surrounding pieces to there liking, usually by spritualizing all the pieces/scripture, or they take one piece of a puzzle/scripture that represents their picture and try to fit it in a 1000 piece puzzle that it doesn't belong to, so they reshape the 1000 pieces by spritualizing.
Here's an example.
Who's the writer referring to here?
"Therefore my people" are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Isaiah 5:13.
I've heard it taught that this was all of creation. ( A piece of puzzle that don't even fit the chapter or anywhere else in the 66 books. )
But if they would let the scripture say what it is saying you would find the answer throughout the chapter, especially verse 7.
"For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry"
Isaiah 5:7.
Here's just a few of many other puzzle pieces.
Exodus 3:10.
Exodus 5:1.
Exodus 8:23.
Leviticus 26:12.
1 Samuel 2:28-29.
1 Kings 6:12-13.
Isaiah 1:3.
Isaiah 10:24.
Isaiah 14:25.
Jeremiah 1:16.
Jeremiah 2:11.
Ezekiel 11:20.
Ect...
There's hundreds that reference Isaiah 5:13. to Israel!!
And Hosea 2:23 suggests God's not done with them. Also Romans 11:1.
God is in the generation of the righteous. Psalms 14:5.
We become his people by seeking him, not everyone will do this.
Zachariah gives a distinction between between the heathen nations and God's people. Zachariah 8:7.
Another distinction.
Mathew 7:21-23. You can't be his people and he not know you.
Some thoughts of mine...
The Gospel is not written like a scientific book, i.e.
Chapt. 1. Repentance from dead works...
Chapt. 2. New birth...
Chapt. 3 . Baptism in water... And so on ...
One has to gather all verses spread throughout the Bible that are related to a topic and build a teaching. Like the bricks in a building.
Or better it''s like a Puzzle, you know the one consisting of small pieces that when putting them together you have a picture. The more pieces (verses) you put together the clearer the picture (teaching) becomes. The lesser the pieces are the less clear the picture becomes. And as one keeps puting less and less pieces the picture becomes more and more confusing and can be anything. And at last a stage is reached where the pieces are so few that " that green thing one sees may be a grass field but may be a watermelon as well"
What I mean is that all false teachings in Christianity arise from the fact that they rely on few verses ignoring the rest of them. Then it can be anything from a field, to a watermelon, to a green jacket, to a green rocket, anything you like.
If we do that lets stop it as we risk ending in myths. Christian myths.
With respect.
giannis
Here's how God says it.
2 Tim.4:5 Make Full Proof of thy ministry.
How do we make Full Proof?
Matt.18:16 In the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses Every word may be Established.
Example: Jesus Says in John 6:70
Have not I chosen you twelve, and ONE of you IS a devil?
Which disciple was Jesus Speaking of?
Was it Judas?
Witness #1 The Mouth Of The Disciple Matthew.
Matt.16:23 Jesus Said To Simon Peter:
Get Thee Behind Me, Satan.
Witness #2 The Mouth Of The Disciple Mark.
Mark 8:33 Jesus said to Simon Peter:
Get Thee Behind Me, Satan.
Witness #3 The Mouth Of The Disciple Luke.
Luke 4:8 Jesus said to Simon Peter:
Get Thee Behind Me, Satan.
At Least 3 Witnesses Heard The Mouth Of Jesus
Call Simon Peter, Satan.
GOD Has Established That Simon Peter "Was The One Devil"
That Jesus Spoke Of.
"Four Mouths" All Say The "Same" Thing.
Matthew, Mark, Luke AND Jesus Himself.
Judas Was A Traitor (Not a devil).
In the past I've used that analogy of the puzzle pieces. The Gospel paints a picture starting from Genesis.
The problem often comes when one have a picture in mind and try to fit pieces of the puzzles together that don't belong so they have to reshape the surrounding pieces to there liking, usually by spritualizing all the pieces/scripture, or they take one piece of a puzzle/scripture that represents their picture and try to fit it in a 1000 piece puzzle that it doesn't belong to, so they reshape the 1000 pieces by spritualizing.
Here's an example.
Who's the writer referring to here?
"Therefore my people" are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Isaiah 5:13.
I've heard it taught that this was all of creation. ( A piece of puzzle that don't even fit the chapter or anywhere else in the 66 books. )
But if they would let the scripture say what it is saying you would find the answer throughout the chapter, especially verse 7.
"For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry"
Isaiah 5:7.
Here's just a few of many other puzzle pieces.
Exodus 3:10.
Exodus 5:1.
Exodus 8:23.
Leviticus 26:12.
1 Samuel 2:28-29.
1 Kings 6:12-13.
Isaiah 1:3.
Isaiah 10:24.
Isaiah 14:25.
Jeremiah 1:16.
Jeremiah 2:11.
Ezekiel 11:20.
Ect...
There's hundreds that reference Isaiah 5:13. to Israel!!
And Hosea 2:23 suggests God's not done with them. Also Romans 11:1.
God is in the generation of the righteous. Psalms 14:5.
We become his people by seeking him, not everyone will do this.
Zachariah gives a distinction between between the heathen nations and God's people. Zachariah 8:7.
Another distinction.
Mathew 7:21-23. You can't be his people and he not know you.
Heresies are built this way.
God bless.
God Bless You
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