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Author
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Topic: Will We ever Get It right
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Caretaker
Advanced Member
Member # 36
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posted
Hello New_to_the_path, and welcome to the forum.
The Bible is the Word of God, and trustworthy in matters of faith:
John 14:
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But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
2 Timothy 3:
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But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
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But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
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And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
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All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Peter 3:
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And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
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As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
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Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
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But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
The Gospel of Thomas was a gnostic writing, and contrary to Christianity in its presentation of a shamanized Christ, a great teacher but not YHWH incarnated. The Word declares that man was separated from God by sin and that ONLY the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ could pay the penalty for that sin, and ONLY through Christ are God and man reconciled.
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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/pagels.html
“Orthodox Jews and Christians insist that a chasm separates humanity from Its creator: God is wholly other. But some of the gnostics who wrote these gospels contradict this: self-knowledge is knowledge of God; the self and the divine are identical.
Second, the "living Jesus" of these texts speaks of illusion and enlightenment, not of sin and repentance, like the Jesus of the New Testament. Instead of coming to save us from sin, he comes as a guide who opens access to spiritual understanding. But when the disciple attains enlightenment, Jesus no longer serves as his spiritual master: the two have become equal--even identical.
Third, orthodox Christians believe that Jesus is Lord and Son of God in a unique way: he remains forever distinct from the rest of humanity whom he came to save. Yet the gnostic Gospel of Thomas relates that as soon as Thomas recognizes him, Jesus says to Thomas that they have both received their being from the same source:
Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become drunk from the bubbling stream which I have measured out.... He who will drink from my mouth will become as I am: I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will be revealed to him."
Does not such teaching--the identity of the divine and human. the concern with illusion and enlightenment, the founder who is presented not as Lord, but as spiritual guide sound more Eastern than Western? Some scholars have suggested that if the names were changed, the "living Buddha" appropriately could say what the Gospel of Thomas attributes to the living Jesus. Could Hindu or Buddhist tradition have influenced gnosticism?
The British scholar of Buddhism, Edward Conze, suggests that it had. He points out that "Buddhists were in contact with the Thomas Christians (that is, Christians who knew and used such writings as the Gospel of Thomas) in South India." Trade routes between the Greco-Roman world and the Far East were opening up at the time when gnosticism flourished (A.D. 80-200); for generations, Buddhist missionaries had been proselytizing in Alexandria. We note, too, that Hippolytus, who was a Greek speaking Christian in Rome (c. 225), knows of the Indian Brahmins--and includes their tradition among the sources of heresy:”
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http://www.carm.org/heresy/gnosticism.htm
The danger of gnosticism is easily apparent. It denies the incarnation of God as the Son. In so doing, it denies the true efficacy of the atonement since, if Jesus is not God, He could not atone for all of mankind and we would still be lost in our sins.
There is debate whether or not this is a Christian heresy or simply an independent development. The evidence seems to point to the later. Nevertheless, the Gnostics laid claim to Jesus as a great teacher of theirs and as such requires some attention. It is possible that 1 John was written against some of the errors that Gnosticism promoted.
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1 John 5:
1: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4: For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5: Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
6: This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8: And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
9: If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10: He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11: And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12: He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
John 3:
16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Is it not love to tell others of the truth?
Is it love to know that others who have rejected Christ Jesus are condemned to eternal damnation, and we not tell them the Good News that Christ died for them and that through Him they can be saved?
Those that receive Christ Jesus are saved. Those who reject Christ Jesus are condemned already, for there is none righteous, no not one, for all have come far short of the glory of God.
Romans 10:
1: Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2: For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3: For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5: For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6: But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7: Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8: But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11: For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12: For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
I am sorry if you did not wish anyone to disagree with you, but this is an open forum, and many who read would not know the difference between what you posted and what the Word of God declares.
John 1:
1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: The same was in the beginning with God.
3: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4: In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5: And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7: The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8: He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9: That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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New_to_the_path
New Member
Member # 1065
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posted
Its been 2003 years since Jesus came and died for us. I don't ask any of you to agree or disagree with me, but this is what I believe.
I was recently in a Christian Chat room on Yahoo, which should have been hint to my first mistake right there. I don't know why but crazy people seem to navigate to Yahoo...me being one of them. Still, they were talking about how the Church of Christ say that the Methodists will go to hell for false teaching. Ok that is so wrong FIRST OF ALL IT IS NOT FOR ONE DENOMINATION TO JUDGE ANOTHER ONE. Judge not least ye be judged. Only GOD has the authority to say who will spend eternity in heaven with him and who wont.
I am sorry but people have taken the christian religion way too far from its path. It is my personal view that the Bible is a book of stories and instructions on how we should live our life because we can't seem to be able to do it other wise. True religion comes from a personal one on one relationship with the Father...AND NOT FROM A BOOK. Jesus is our example...we should learn from him...but since we did not live in the day that Jesus did the Bible proves an even more important part. It gives us the story of Jesus' life that we migh copy it, and walk in his ways.
Another point that someone took me to speak about was sin. His veiw was That if another Human can live with out sin, then that is the only way he would believe...or so I assumed...I was still heated from the first person saying that all Methodist were going to go to hell. I told him, this other person, the only reason that Jesus did not sin is because he was not human like we were...he was not born of the same ways. He was a holy work of God, Part of God, from God, and he knew what his purpose in life was. Each person, Man, Child, and Woman has the choice to pick to sin or not. This person was speaking of sin as a result of temptation. Now I'm not saying temptation doesn't play a part. We all know it does, even Jesus was tempted...but each person has the choice to say YES or NO to sin. We can choose not to sin..still most people say Yes.
It upsets me that people feel that the Bible is the stone bases of our belief. It is not...it is a tool to help us live a life that would be right in the eyes of God. A tool...and nothing more. "Lift a Stone, and I am there, Split a peice of wood and you will fine me." Gosple of St. Thomas. This book is still not recognized by the Catholic church but it sounds good to me. God is in everything...he made everything, he is in you and me...so why is it that we find it so hard to live a life that would be pleasing to him...why can we not follow the simple rule to love each other as we would love ourselves...or as God would love us.
Forgive me..I just need to vent. If you disagree with what I say here I ask kindly that you keep your veiws to yourself. In religion...in the human scope of things...in this life...no one person is right or wrong...no one knows the real answers except for He who dwells in heaven. A simple rule which he gave us To love each other and treat each other the way that we would want to be treated......we seem unable to handle even that. God Bless you all.
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Remember to testify about the Lord everyday...and when ya have to..use words
Posts: 4 | From: Missouri | Registered: Feb 2003
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