Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bnr-fos!bnr-public!davem@watmath.waterloo.edu (Dave Mielke) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Williamson's Regulative Principle Message-ID: Date: 4 Jul 89 08:01:12 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada Lines: 41 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article daved@academy.westford.ccur.com (Dave Davis) writes: >It seems too much to ask of a suffering Church through the centuries >to hold fast to such a abstract, intellectual principle as 'what is >not commanded, is forbidden.' What does one say to electric lights? In Mark 4:11-12 Jesus tells us "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all {these} things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and {their} sins should be forgiven them.". This, and other Scriptures like it, tell us why the Bible is so difficult to understand. Even though God offers salvation to everyone and even commands everyone to seek it, He Himself has chosen those whom He will save and no one else will be able to find it, Although the Bible, when understood correctly (something which none of us can attain to), is very accurate about everything it tells us, He has written it in a style that lends itself to being understood only when combined with His assistence. This is why it is so very important to make sure that we test each and every idea we have with each and every verse in the entire Bible. Failing to do so could easily lead us to become convinced of completely incorrect things. There is another very good reason why God has set things up so that no one denomination or person can claim completely accurate understanding of the Scriptures. John 14:6 tells us "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.". If any denomination or person had it all right then it or he would become the way. God has, in His infinite wisdom, protected us from falling victim to what He knows would become a very great temptation to us, i.e. the worshipping of a fellow human being whom we can see and physically contact. The wonderful thing is, however, that since Jesus paid for all, i.e. each and every, sin of those who are to become saved, we have, if we are saved, even been forgiven for those times when we don't do something exactly right because of a misunderstanding of precisely what the Scriptures say. Dave Mielke, 613-726-0014 856 Grenon Avenue Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2B 6G3