Can self professed ‘Christians’ who reject the Scripture be saved? (believe, scriptures)
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If someone denies main parts of the Bible that was fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, how can they know who God is? They must make a god based on their own understanding or desires. That breaks the 1st Commandment.
And, if they are worshiping a false god how can they be saved?
God is not defined by scripture, any more than spider man is defined by comic books.
Nor does Scripture justify and verify God. With or without scripture, the church, or FEAR based rhetoric, God is always God and MAN can do nothing to contain God in some preconceived box that aligns with their image or attempts to control the masses.
If someone denies main parts of the Bible that was fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, how can they know who God is? They must make a god based on their own understanding or desires. That breaks the 1st Commandment.
And, if they are worshiping a false god how can they be saved?
What constitutes a false god if not a substitute for what was promised?
Yes, I agree with your point. It is human nature to want something that can be seen and handled with the natural eyes and hands, perhaps like a type of security blanket.
God is not defined by scripture, any more than spider man is defined by comic books.
Nor does Scripture justify and verify God. With or without scripture, the church, or FEAR based rhetoric, God is always God and MAN can do nothing to contain God in some preconceived box that aligns with their image or attempts to control the masses.
No one is claiming God is contained by scripture.
1 Corinthians 13
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
If someone denies main parts of the Bible that was fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, how can they know who God is? They must make a god based on their own understanding or desires. That breaks the 1st Commandment.
And, if they are worshiping a false god how can they be saved?
Those are some hoops you leap through there to make your case that non-F Christians are worshipping a false god.
The Bible is not a substitute for what was promised. It's not an either/or situation.
According to the Bible, Jesus told the disciples just before He was arrested that He would send the Spirit of truth from the Father (John 15:26). He also told the disciples that when the Spirit of truth came He would guide them into all the truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus. One result of that is the New Testament books.
Also according to the Bible, with specific regard to the book of Revelation, John states that in a vision, Jesus told him to write in a book and to send the book to the seven churches what he was about to see in that vision. The result is the book of Revelation. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 are direct dictation in which John is told specifically what to write in those two chapters. To each of the seven churches John is told specifically what to write.
And according to the Bible, in the book of Jeremiah the prophet is told to write in a book the words that the LORD, the God of Israel had spoken to him (Jeremiah 30:2).
The Bible is the word of God. Having said that, the Bible, which is also a human book, contains various genres. The Bible contains law, history, wisdom, poetry, narrative, epistles, prophecy, apocalyptic literature, and mythos. The creation accounts (Genesis is not the only creation account in the Bible) uses mythos to communicate truth. God didn't actually create the heavens and the earth in six days, but the purpose of the creation accounts is to show that it was Yahweh who is responsible for creation (the Universe is billions of years old) and not the gods of the other ANE religions.
In communicating His word God also didn't bother to correct the cosmological view of the Israelites which was basically that of the other ANE (ancient near east) peoples views of the cosmos. The cosmological view of the Israelites which is recorded in the Bible is that of a flat disk earth resting on pillars over the deep, and of a hard dome firmament with windows which could open to allow it to rain. The firmament was supported on pillars. This is what the Israelites believed and is what is recorded in the Bible. And God was okay with letting them keep that view. It wasn't necessary to correct their view of the cosmos in order to say what He had to say to them. He communicated with them where they were in terms of their understanding.
The image below is the Hebrew conception of the cosmos which is presented in the Bible. It's what they believed. And God was okay with letting them keep that view.
Moderator cut: Sorry, the image had to be removed. It said right there in the lower left corner "Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software."
Ooops. Sorry about that Mensaguy. It was late, I was tired, and I didn't notice it. I did look for a copyright, but on the image itself and just didn't see it 'below' the image.
If anyone is interested in seeing an image of the ANE cosmological view of the Universe, just click on the link.
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