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Originally Posted by arguy1973 IIRC Jesus himself said this.
forgive me if Im wrong...but I think you are speaking of the verse in which Jesus is speaking about himself bringing divisions among families?? and this is true..look at the Islamic guy that was almost killed by his own country men for converting to Christianity
Originally Posted by arguy1973I have no doubt of that. But how do you know it is the Holy Spirit or your own interpretation?
How do you know which is which?
Most..but not all Christians believe pretty much the same thing..Jesus..son of God..crucified..for our sins and was raised again by God on the third day..
For one..Ive been in church for at least 28 years, sat under probably 30 different preachers/teachers..I have the Strongs concordance. There are verses that I dont understand sometimes, usually I will look it up if I dont understand it..or ask a pastor. So you see..Its not Arguys interpretation..We have references available. and I believe as I look thru these references Im guided by the holy spirit for a deeper understanding..its like WOW..the light came on ..now I get it. And the references I use arent denominational..
and I beleive as I look thru these references Im guided by the holy spirit for a deeper understanding..its like WOW..the light came on ..now I get it.
I know what inspiration is, but I also know where my inspiration comes from.
Being inspired means literally being in the spirit.
So let me try to explain what I mean:
A forger who can only forge known Picasso paintings is nothing more than a copy machine. But there are master-forgers who can make a painting in Picasso's style so perfectly that authorities have often mistaken these forgeries for a genuine 'unknown' Picasso.
Unlike the copy machine forger who is only able to copy an existing Picasso, the master-forger has more than the basic skills of a copy machine forger. He is also able to be truly inspired by Picasso, but the master-forger doesn't view himself as being Picasso.
If we apply this to scripture, inspiration and the Holy Spirit, you could say that you are inspired by scripture when it concerns getting insight from the scripture on other parts of the scripture itself ( which doesn't have to do anything with the Holy Spirit, just common sense).
While being inspired by the Holy Spirit is getting insight from the scripture concerning matters outside scripture (ie reality; the real world).
So my question still remains, how do you know that you are inspired by scripture, the Holy Spirit or your own interpretation (=common sense)?
Originally Posted by arguy1973I know what inspiration is, but I also know where my inspiration comes from.
Being inspired means literally being in the spirit.
So let me try to explain what I mean:
A forger who can only forge known Picasso paintings is nothing more than a copy machine. But there are master-forgers who can make a painting in Picasso's style so perfectly that authorities have often mistaken these forgeries for a genuine 'unknown' Picasso.
Unlike the copy machine forger who is only able to copy an existing Picasso, the master-forger must be inspired by Picasso. But the master-forger doesn't view himself as being Picasso himself.
If we apply this to scripture, inspiration and the Holy Spirit, you could say that you are inspired by scripture when it concerns getting insight from the scripture on other parts of the scripture itself ( which doesn't have to do anything with the Holy Spirit, just common sense).
While being inspired by the Holy Spirit is getting insight from the scripture concerning matters outside scripture (ie reality; the real world).
So my question still remains, how do you know that you are inspired by scripture, the Holy Spirit or your own interpretation (=common sense)?
I think my own interpretation comes from the Holy Spirit, and he leads me thru the scriputure, and therefore its not ARGUYS interpretation anymore, and when Im led by the Holy Spirit, that interpretation will line up with other believers interpretation.
So my question still remains, how do you know that you are inspired by scripture, the Holy Spirit or your own interpretation (=common sense)?
There's the scripture itself. There's the application of reason through learning about the idioms that were common 2000 years ago but that aren't common today, and through the holistic study of the Bible. There are the traditions that the church has held on to since it's earliest days, such as the sacraments of the Eucharist and the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of man through Christ
There's the understanding that any human will never have the capacity to fully understand the Bible and God's message, so he or she will have to rely on our 2000-year-old communal quest for Truth. And the understanding that the Holy Spirit works through the church, which is the Body of Christ in the world. Deference to the ancient traditions of the church is, by definitionn, deference to the Body of Christ.
And, bottom line - if your interpretation glorifies you or glorifies wealth or glorifies anything other than God, then you are on the wrong path
No one actually follows the bible literally. It is so open to interpretations. People who say they follow it literally, are just following it to their own; or their church's interpretation.
...For one..Ive been in church for at least 28 years, sat under probably 30 different preachers/teachers..I have the Strongs concordance. There are verses that I dont understand sometimes, usually I will look it up if I dont understand it..or ask a pastor. So you see..Its not Arguys interpretation..We have references available. and I believe as I look thru these references Im guided by the holy spirit for a deeper understanding..its like WOW..the light came on ..now I get it. And the references I use arent denominational..
Ahh, but to play devil's advocate, how do we know that the references and interpretations that we read are correct? Whose truth are we reading? After all, these are written by other humans, who have their own agendas, their own doctrine, their own take on things, etc. And, even if the references are not written from a particular denominational standpoint, they are still influenced by whatever denomination the author happens to be. That's why we have so many denominatons, because Christians can't agree on the color of new carpet for the sanctuary, nevermind Biblical doctrine. Yes, one can say that one is being lead by the Holy Spirit, but once you read something, you are influenced by it, regardless. Ultimately, I believe we agree with those who agree with us.
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IIRC Jesus himself said this.
..trust me
But how do you know it is the Holy Spirit or your own interpretation?
