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Why does God appear to 'tell' lots of other people completely different and often contradictory things?
I'm glad you used the word 'appear', because God does not contradict Himself. The issue is that people have sinful desires and they believe a lie. There is only one truth.
Take a look at the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis.
In Genesis 3:1, Satan asks Eve a question, one that might sound familiar from the ones around this forum...
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
We know in Verse 6 that the fruit was 'good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable'. Eve desired the fruit, so she rejected what God had said and believed what would allow her to have her sinful desires. But look back at Chapter 2, verse 16...
And the Lord God commanded... “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
I can just imagine a forum user named Eve making a thread titled 'Should we eat this delicious fruit?' and giving arguments to prove God did not say or mean what He actually said. But we know He did, it's right there in Chapter 2!
In this same way, many people have desired something other than what God wants and have twisted and perverted God's Word to conform to their desires, instead of accepting the truth of God's will.
I love God, and have committed my life to following Him, but I am not some brainless worshiper, doing everything out of naivety. God gave me a brain, and logic and common sense, so that I might read His Word and understand what He is saying, because it truly is black and white.
This is not to say that I am perfect, far from it, but I know the difference between a doctrinal misunderstanding backed up by the whole of Scripture and a lie being driven by the perversion of a few verses, which is the common method of creating false doctrines.
Why does God appear to 'tell' lots of other people completely different and often contradictory things?
It's all in the interpretation. If Church A disagrees with Church B and you attend Church A.... you're right, the people in Church B are wrong (and need to be corrected) and the people sitting at home on Sunday mornings enjoying football are all going to the bad place.
(Someone will be along shortly to tell me I'm wrong. And in need of correction. )
It's all in the interpretation. If Church A disagrees with Church B and you attend Church A.... you're right, the people in Church B are wrong (and need to be corrected) and the people sitting at home on Sunday mornings enjoying football are all going to the bad place.
(Someone will be along shortly to tell me I'm wrong. And in need of correction. )
Not me, I think you are bang on. It is too bad that most people can't respect how others believe and have to fundamentally try and force others to believe exactly as they do... all by saying but, but, but that is what God said. Got a problem, take it up with God - I am just doing his(her) work.
It's all in the interpretation. If Church A disagrees with Church B and you attend Church A.... you're right, the people in Church B are wrong (and need to be corrected) and the people sitting at home on Sunday mornings enjoying football are all going to the bad place.
(Someone will be along shortly to tell me I'm wrong. And in need of correction. )
You are wrong and in need of correction.
I do not watch football on Sunday mornings. I do laundry.
It's all in the interpretation. If Church A disagrees with Church B and you attend Church A.... you're right, the people in Church B are wrong (and need to be corrected) and the people sitting at home on Sunday mornings enjoying football are all going to the bad place.
(Someone will be along shortly to tell me I'm wrong. And in need of correction. )
You are right in one respect. When men "interpret" scripture you get a LOT of interpretations. When we let Scripture interpret itself, you don't.
Not me, I think you are bang on. It is too bad that most people can't respect how others believe and have to fundamentally try and force others to believe exactly as they do... all by saying but, but, but that is what God said. Got a problem, take it up with God - I am just doing his(her) work.
Bloody hypocrites all of them.
Yep, why on earth did Jesus call those Pharisees hypocrites and condemn them just for teaching their traditions??? Of course he did not force them to change, but he told them what would happen if they didn't.
I'm glad you used the word 'appear', because God does not contradict Himself. The issue is that people have sinful desires and they believe a lie. There is only one truth.
Take a look at the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis.
In Genesis 3:1, Satan asks Eve a question, one that might sound familiar from the ones around this forum...
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
We know in Verse 6 that the fruit was 'good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable'. Eve desired the fruit, so she rejected what God had said and believed what would allow her to have her sinful desires. But look back at Chapter 2, verse 16...
And the Lord God commanded... “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
I can just imagine a forum user named Eve making a thread titled 'Should we eat this delicious fruit?' and giving arguments to prove God did not say or mean what He actually said. But we know He did, it's right there in Chapter 2!
In this same way, many people have desired something other than what God wants and have twisted and perverted God's Word to conform to their desires, instead of accepting the truth of God's will.
I love God, and have committed my life to following Him, but I am not some brainless worshiper, doing everything out of naivety. God gave me a brain, and logic and common sense, so that I might read His Word and understand what He is saying, because it truly is black and white.
This is not to say that I am perfect, far from it, but I know the difference between a doctrinal misunderstanding backed up by the whole of Scripture and a lie being driven by the perversion of a few verses, which is the common method of creating false doctrines.
I hope this helps.
If the Bible is truly "black and white" do you believe there was ever a talking snake?
You are right in one respect. When men "interpret" scripture you get a LOT of interpretations. When we let Scripture interpret itself, you don't.
This is a meaningless platitude. It is an impossibility. Words "written in ink" can interpret nothing. It takes a Spirit (consciousness) to do that. The Spirit that we should use to interpret scripture is the Spirit of God who IS agape love and was demonstrated unambiguously by Christ. The "mind of Christ"(human consciousness of Christ) IS the "mind of God" (consciousness of God) and that IS the Holy Spirit of agape love. There is only one interpretation of scripture that is truth and that is whatever is compatible with agape love. If it is NOT compatible with agape love . . . it is NOT from God or Jesus, period. It is the "precepts and doctrines of men."
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