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You have been told how to do it. Test everything against the Spirit of agape love who IS God. You keep bemoaning the fact that we are human and have prejudices and agendas and whatever that can interfere with our sincerity and judgment about what is or is not agape loving. That is true even for those who mistakenly believe everything in the Bible is the inerrant word of God . . . because it is NOT. We will never remove our humanity or lack of sincerity from anyone's judgments. But agape love is an absolute standard against which everything claimed to be from God can be measured. If it is NOT agape loving . . . it is NOT from God, period.
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Originally Posted by expatCA
How do I test your claims, Pcamps claims, Mike's claims, Finn's claims, etc.
Testing the spirit CANNOT be a subjective or interior personal thing or no disagreement would exist.
That is a fantasy . . . getting everyone to agree about anything!!!It is always between the individual and God and their sincerity in searching their hearts and minds using the guidance of the Comforter for what God has written there under the New Covenant. It will always be so.
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Thus some who may truly believe they have God's spirit don't. How do they objectively and externally test their belief in that and how do others test that person's reality?
They do so by sincerely testing whether or not they think it is compatible with agape love. We cannot ever know who is sincerely querying their heart for the truth in agape love or simply applying "precepts and doctrines of men" because it is easier.
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You repeat the same vague words, but they need substance to be of value, sooo.... help everyone see HOW to test their own and another's OBJECTIVELY.
There is nothing vague about it.Agape love is very clear and Jesus demonstrated it unambiguously with His death. He smote no one, hated no one and in fact loved even His torturers and murderers. "No greater agape love . . ." It is only dogma and doctrine that confuses and blinds those who fear to trust what God has written in our hearts and minds. It reflects a lack of faith that Christ IS the LIVING Word of God and He abides with us as the Comforter. They would rather place their faith in words "written in ink" that we were told not to trust because the "letter killeth" but the "Spirit giveth life."
Where in the scriptures does it say "the Spirit of agape love IS God" I am trying to find that.
You need to rightly divide then you will see it
If God did not give us a spirit of fear what kind of spirit did he give us
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;( in other words that is not the spirit given to you but this is>>>>>) BUT of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
So the spirit of love, power and a sound mind is what we have received and the love of God is Agape.
Where in the scriptures does it say "the Spirit of agape love IS God" I am trying to find that.
::Sigh::God IS Spirit. Do I need to show you where that is? In 1 John the love is agape and we are told God IS love.
1 John 4:7 (King James Version)
7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Now try to follow . . . God IS Spirit. God IS agape love. Get it???
Nope, it is not the case as we can see from here that claiming internal revelation leads to more disagreement.
Whether it leads to more or less is not the point, but the fact that an "objective standard" would NOT lead to disagreements and that is NOT the case with your required standard. Every person firmly believes that the spirit is required to understand the Bible clearly, the difference is that you think that the Bible is needed to understand God clearly.
Every person firmly believes that the spirit is required to understand the Bible clearly, the difference is that you think that the Bible is needed to understand God clearly.
Why don't you share some of those gems you know about God, which can't be found in the Bible,
Why don't you share some of those gems you know about God, which can't be found in the Bible,
I have, Finn, with YOU, and you claimed that the principle was in the Bible (where's the surprise in THAT?) even though the specific application was not. Don't you remember the point being made that slavery in itself is not condemned in the Bible, but it is clear that it is wrong in the sight of God?
You continue to ignore the simple fact that your "objective standard" is the source of more doctrinal disputes by far than it ever settles.
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Originally Posted by expatCA
Nope, it is not the case as we can see from here that claiming internal revelation leads to more disagreement.
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Originally Posted by nateswift
Whether it leads to more or less is not the point, but the fact that an "objective standard" would NOT lead to disagreements and that is NOT the case with your required standard. Every person firmly believes that the spirit is required to understand the Bible clearly, the difference is that you think that the Bible is needed to understand God clearly.
The pretense that disagreement will EVER be eliminated is preposterous. We are human after all. That leaves it up to the sincerity of the individual in querying their heart and mind for what God has written there under the guidance of the Comforter. Those who do NOT believe Christ instituted the New Covenant . . . will not trust their hearts and minds and will force the scriptures to decide what SHOULD be in their hearts and minds. This is dishonest and rejects God and Jesus as the LIVING Word of God. It is also a cop-out because they do not want to try to discern what the truth is as written in our hearts and minds by God.
Nope, it is not the case as we can see from here that claiming internal revelation leads to more disagreement.
Lack of trust in what God has given you(Christ in you,not a bible) is really the issue. If Samuel without the knowledge of the mystery of God which is Christ in you could recognize David the son of Jesse to be the one God had chosen, how much more can we with the knowledge of Christ within not recognize what is God.
I have, Finn, with YOU, and you claimed that the principle was in the Bible (where's the surprise in THAT?) even though the specific application was not. Don't you remember the point being made that slavery in itself is not condemned in the Bible, but it is clear that it is wrong in the sight of God?
I remember showing why it was not a valid example (“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death". Love your neighbor, etc). Do you have something else to offer? Based on your earlier comment, you probably have a long list of examples.
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