Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!hsdndev!cmcl2!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: sandrock@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Mark T. Sandrock) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: "Grail Message" (was Re: Creation) Message-ID: Date: 1 Dec 90 05:52:30 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Lines: 131 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu scott@clmqt.marquette.mi.us (Scott Reynolds) writes: >Since it's impossible to be objective, does it not make sense then that >we should have the right biases? Shouldn't we be biased _for_ God's >Word, since that is our only tangible link to Him? (1) If we cannot do something perfectly then we shouldn't even try? A child shouldn't try to walk since he will probably never run a sub-4-minute mile, nor a 2-hour marathon? Then how else will the child get around in life? (2) It is wonderful to be biased _for_ God's Word. What could be better? It might not be so good to biased for a particular interpretation of it. This means that one's seeking and one's spiritual growth cannot ever come to a standstill at a particular point. This growth takes place as one continues to *objectively* examine the Messages of God. (3) All of Creation is a tangible link to God! We should therefore be striving to understand His Will, as manifested in all happenings. The need for *objectivity* seems abundantly apparent here too. >Difficult, indeed, especially in the light of Galatians 1:6-9, in which >Paul says: > I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who > called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different > gospel -- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some > people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert > the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven > should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, > let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now > I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than > what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! >All "new" teachings should be tested against Scripture, not the other >way around. I agree. But once again, the testing must be *objectively* done to reach the correct conclusion. As you have stated, God Himself is perfectly objective, and if we are "made in the likeness of His image", then why should we not be objective in striving to better understand His Will? All this really means is to stop believing what *we* would like to be true, and learning to know that which is really true. Basis in Scripture, you ask? Okay. "For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge ..." (2 Peter 1:5) Please note the word *knowledge* it's very important! (And objective!) "For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes the imperfect will pass away." (1 Cor 13:9) >To say the Bible has no mistakes whatsoever would be a ludicrous >position, but for anything of significance to be recorded improperly >doesn't give God much credit for getting His Word written down. The great sacrifice on God's part was to undertake to send His Son, Jesus, to bring His Word to a fallen and darkened mankind. How mankind chose then to respond to the Word was our own responsibility. God deserves "credit" for having sent His Son. Mankind must take the responsibility for what happened subsequently, including any wrong interpretations and recordings of the original Word given by Jesus. >Yet, what hope do we have if we don't have the Word of God in its >entirety already? Why is there a need for "new knowledge" when nearly >2000 years of mankind has already gone without it? Would it have taken >this long for Him to correct such a mistake? The perfect God has already >gotten it right the first time and has no need to correct Himself. Hope indeed! "When the need is greatest, God's help shall be nearest to you!" And how well has mankind been doing these 2000 years? To say there is room for improvement would be the greatest understatement of all time! Why did Jesus say there was much He still wanted to say to mankind, but that they would not understand? Was that the fault of God or of man? 2000 years is not a very long time from some points of view. Should God act according to our own opinions, or should we be striving to understand His *perfect* Will? It is not God's Word that needs correcting, but mankind's lack of recognition about it. Once again, I can simply refer to John 16:12-13, "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ...". It was mankind who didn't "get it right the first time"! It's right there in "black and white" in John 16:12-13. >On the contrary; Scripture does tell us something. Ecclesiastes 9:5 >says "the dead know nothing; they have no further reward" and Hebrews 9:27 >says "a man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement." This Hebrews 9:27 passage is often cited as a negation of reincarnation, but I think if one examines the background and context of this writing, it might become apparent that the intended emphasis was upon *spiritual* death, and not *physical* death. The same for Ecc 9:5 I would think. Obviously those persons who were raised from the dead by Jesus eventually died more than once. Also the many cases of people who are successfully revived after being declared "clinically dead", and who report rather interesting experiences during this period. One can simply say that these people were either exceptions or else were never really "dead", but the fact still remains that there is a *spiritual* death, and one may want to consider the above passages in this light. >I was saying, and I will say again, that we have the ability to _choose_ >freely and independently -- we either choose God or we don't. If we >choose Him we have an obligation to find out what His divine Will is, >and I can see no better way than to accept His Word as Truth, to study >it and to take its message to our hearts. >Yours in Christ, >-- >Scott Reynolds = scott@clmqt.marquette.Mi.US >Enterprise Information System = ..rutgers!mailrus!sharkey!clmqt!scott > "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, > if you understand." -- YHWH (Job 38:4) We surely do agree on this final point. And I take my obligation seriously. Regards, Mark Sandrock -- BITNET: sandrock@uiucscs Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Internet: sandrock@aries.scs.uiuc.edu Chemical Sciences Computing Services Voice: 217-244-0561 505 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801