Dolly Parton Believed in God, but Was It the God of the Bible?

[PeterAndroz]

Following Christ, and preaching the gospel are very serious topics. Every human soul is at stake here. It's not always fluff and stuff.

And I can appreciate her, in fact I admired her for all her good works. You must have missed that part of my response, where I stated that I hope she is in heaven.
I appreciate the many good and kind people in the world. You seem to be conflating hard truths with hatred.
In fact I appreciated and loved my mother and grandmother, their faith was not one that was submitted to Christ, but they were submitted to their own desires and the opinions of mankind. As much as it hurts me and I long to see them in heaven, I don't know where they are.
As Paul said 'do we now seek to please man our God?'
But here's a question for you... show us the scriptures that back you up?
You seem to be justifying your blind support by condemning those who are merely speaking truth.
Isn't this what the Pharisees did every time they heard some hard truth that Jesus spoke? They sought to catch Him in His own words that they might have a reason to accuse Him.

Hi newie :)
As well as trusting Christ do you believe her 'good works' will assist Dolly to enter Heaven ?

 

[markalan]

You can refuse to act like they are safe when the bible says they are not.

I am not sure if you meant "saved" rather than safe.

Paul does use "safe" in Phil 3:1
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.
To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

The same idea is reflected in 2 Peter 1:10
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election,
for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

If you mean "saved" then that raises the question of what does saved mean.
I would say that saved means:
repentance, accompanied by a personal faith in the atonement for sin, by Jesus' death and resurrection.

Is it your position that a person's works contribute in some way to their salvation?

In the parable of the sower, do you think there are gradations of fruit bearing?

Matthew 13:22-23
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word,
but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,
and it proves unfruitful.
As for what was sown on good soil,
this is the one who hears the word and understands it.
He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”


How would you describe those who are "saved, but only as through fire"?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it,
because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss,
though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

 

[markalan]

THE SPIRIT warns us against sin , even when the sin present in our flesh rises up to TEMPT US
EVEN THEN THE SPIRIT warns us . IT DON'T JUSTIFY SIN

I am glad to see you identifying sin according to the Scriptures.
We should never justify sin for any reason.

But let us remember that baby Christians say and do a lot of things wrong.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people,
but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.
And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh.
For while there is jealousy and strife among you,
are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Besides jealousy and strife, the Corinthians were tolerating sexual sin (1 Cor 5:1).
And yet Paul addresses them as "infants in Christ".

So I withhold judgment of the individual's salvation,
though certainly I agree with you that sin should be called out.

.

 

[amigo de christo]

I am glad to see you identifying sin according to the Scriptures.
We should never justify sin for any reason.

But let us remember that baby Christians say and do a lot of things wrong.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people,
but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.
And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh.
For while there is jealousy and strife among you,
are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Besides jealousy and strife, the Corinthians were tolerating sexual sin (1 Cor 5:1).
And yet Paul addresses them as "infants in Christ".

So I withhold judgment of the individual's salvation,
though certainly I agree with you that sin should be called out.

.

Did you say baby christains say and do a LOT of things wrong .
Not so . Its true that they may lack knowledge and understanding .
But upon the very first DAY that GOD called me my heart was changed and my desires
were NEW . In fact on the very day HE did call ME
I was supposed to head out to our lake and commit adultery with a wife i had long been comitting adultery
with over the years . When i had went out there i had zero peace
and even told her i cant do this anymore . I never looked back .
GOD puts NEW desires into the heart . Now as f ar as baby christains
There is no way we can make that claim for dolly . She was well known to have claimed
so for many and many years . The fact is , her conversion was NOT true at all .
And i should know . Because for years prior to my CONVERSION
I also could LIP the name of JESUS and yet walked just like the old man dolly did .
A guenine conversion will not allow a sheep to FEEL comfortable in SIN .
Dolly seemed not only comfortable with sin , SHE EVEN JUSTIFIED SIN .
Showing her heart was NOT truly converted at all . Now perhaps we can all
hope , for her sake , That near her end SHE DID have a true conversion and thus DID repent .
You see the goodness of GOD leads us to REPENTANCE
and not as many who rather preach a goodness and a love they SAY is of GOD that has only
led them to the ACCEPTANCE o sins . namely the PC ones .
The only one true thing one could say concerning dolly
was HER FRUITS proved she was a LIP ONLY and her heart was far FROM GOD .
However i have zero to NO idea rather or not that while she got sick and specially nearin g her end
MAYBE she was led to repentance . IF not sh e will surely wail on the day of Judgment .
IF she did repent she will be singing with Christ .

 

[markalan]

Did you say baby christains say and do a LOT of things wrong .
Not so . Its true that they may lack knowledge and understanding .
But upon the very first DAY that GOD called me my heart was changed and my desires
were NEW .

I do not doubt that was true for you friend,
but Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians lays out what these "infants in Christ" were doing wrong,
which included drinking to excess (11:21) and tolerating sexual immorality (5:1) .

I must base my understanding on what God's Word says
not on someone else's experience.

Mark 4:8
And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain,
growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

.

 

[amigo de christo]

I do not doubt that was true for you friend,
but Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians lays out what these "infants in Christ" were doing wrong,
which included drinking to excess (11:21) and tolerating sexual immorality (5:1) .

I must base my understanding on what God's Word says
not on someone else's experience.

We must always base our understanding on what Gods Word says .
So what did paul as a true leader do when he found out that church was in error .
Did he say HUG THEM TO GOD and DONT JUDGE
OR did he rebuke correct and tell them to even put that man OUTTA the church .
Oh no doubts that people do err my friend . BUT WHERE are the men leading these churches .
WHY they are only co helpers to their destruction . THEY will not correct sin .
They are not grave at all , WHICH was something paul wrote quite a few times One must be , GRAVE .
SO you are correct WE MUST BASE our understanding on the scrips .
And we must FOLLOW and KEEP their pattern FOR ALL THINGS .
INCLUDING sharp rebuking , correcting and not allowing sin .
thanks for the lovely reminder that we ought to keep our understanding based on GODS word .
And now for a word .
THOSE who sin REBUKE b efore all that others may Fear .
Let it not be ONCE NAMED among you as becometh saints .
IF any who is a b rother or sister , is a fornicator , idalotor etc , DO NOT even eat with such a one .
OH i agree with YOU , we darn sure do need to b ase our understanding upon what GOD says and inspired .
B ecause it was well written YE shall NOT hate your neighbor in your heart
but that YOU SHALL rebuke , correct him and NOT allow sin upon Him .
SO any love that so called allows sins and UNBELIEF to remain upon one , OH IT AINT LOVE , ITS HATE .
the devil is a liar my friend but do remember HE can say GOD is love
that GOD is mercy and etc
AND YET through his own version of love , of mercy and of whaterver else he says , HE IS LYING to us all .

 

[Wrangler]

You seem to be justifying your blind support by condemning those who are merely speaking truth.
Isn't this what the Pharisees did every time they heard some hard truth that Jesus spoke?

Not really an answer to my question.

Yup. You said that but the bulk of your content said otherwise. Why can’t you just be appreciative that our sister in Christ fought the good fight, lived a Christian life and ran the race to the end and pray she finds comfort now in Christ’s arms?

Your just stuck in personal attacks.

 

[SavedInHim]

.

Dolly was confused.

 

[TLHKAJ]

Dolly was confused.

Yes ...in so many ways.

 

[Marvelloustime]

We must always base our understanding on what Gods Word says .
So what did paul as a true leader do when he found out that church was in error .
Did he say HUG THEM TO GOD and DONT JUDGE
OR did he rebuke correct and tell them to even put that man OUTTA the church .
Oh no doubts that people do err my friend . BUT WHERE are the men leading these churches .
WHY they are only co helpers to their destruction . THEY will not correct sin .
They are not grave at all , WHICH was something paul wrote quite a few times One must be , GRAVE .
SO you are correct WE MUST BASE our understanding on the scrips .
And we must FOLLOW and KEEP their pattern FOR ALL THINGS .
INCLUDING sharp rebuking , correcting and not allowing sin .
thanks for the lovely reminder that we ought to keep our understanding based on GODS word .
And now for a word .
THOSE who sin REBUKE b efore all that others may Fear .
Let it not be ONCE NAMED among you as becometh saints .
IF any who is a b rother or sister , is a fornicator , idalotor etc , DO NOT even eat with such a one .
OH i agree with YOU , we darn sure do need to b ase our understanding upon what GOD says and inspired .
B ecause it was well written YE shall NOT hate your neighbor in your heart
but that YOU SHALL rebuke , correct him and NOT allow sin upon Him .
SO any love that so called allows sins and UNBELIEF to remain upon one , OH IT AINT LOVE , ITS HATE .
the devil is a liar my friend but do remember HE can say GOD is love
that GOD is mercy and etc
AND YET through his own version of love , of mercy and of whaterver else he says , HE IS LYING to us all .

@amigo de christo

 

[Marvelloustime]

By their FRUITS you shall know them .
What is the FRUIT of the SPIRIT .
And what is the FRUIT of the wicked .
Well the fruit of the SPIRIT is in all GOODNESS , RIGHTEOUSNESS and TRUTH
proving what is , ACCEPTABLE TO GOD ALL MIGHTY . SIN AINT acceptab le to GOD .
And as far as what is the fruit of the wicked .
The fruit of the wicked IS TO SIN . AND You better believe they will JUSTIFY SIN .
From what i seen i can absolutey without any convinction say THat dolly parton DID NOT KNOW JESUS THE CHRIST
and thus she did not KNOW GOD . NOW as far as what occured to her in her last year of life .
WELL that i DO NOT KNOW . MAYBE she did repent .

@amigo de christo

 

[bdavidc]

Your judgement of others bdavidc and its justification is its own testimony.

That is a dodge, not an answer. You were asked to show where Scripture says the unbelieving, unrepentant sinner is already forgiven. You did not do it. Instead, you turned the discussion into an accusation about “judging others.” That does not make your claim biblical.

Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” ~John 7:24. Scripture also commands us, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God” ~1 John 4:1. Biblical discernment is not forbidden. False teaching is supposed to be tested and exposed by the Word of God.

The issue is simple. Scripture says the unbeliever “is condemned already” ~John 3:18, and “the wrath of God abideth on him” ~John 3:36. You cannot turn a condemned man under God’s wrath into a forgiven man without contradicting the text.

So stop hiding behind “you are judging.” Answer the Scripture. Where does the Bible say the unbelieving, unrepentant man is already forgiven? If you cannot produce that verse, then quit teaching it as though God said it. “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” ~Proverbs 30:6.

 

[quietthinker]

The issue is simple. Scripture says the unbeliever “is condemned already” ~John 3:18, and “the wrath of God abideth on him” ~John 3:36. You cannot turn a condemned man under God’s wrath into a forgiven man without contradicting the text.

Going by HOW you see bdavidc, you only have advice to give others; definitely no good news....and my guess is, you don't tell the difference....so, judgement is your only option when your advice is not followed.

 

[quietthinker]

@bdavidc In case you're interested, it is judgement which was the driving force of the Pharisee's. It consisted of, 'look at me, look at me, look how law abiding and beyond reproach I am'. From that perspective (HOW they saw) they had set themselves up to judge. They were trapped by pride. They justified it.

 

[bdavidc]

How would you describe those who are "saved, but only as through fire"?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it,
because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss,
though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Yes, I meant “saved,” not “safe.” That was a typo. And no, I do not believe works contribute anything to earning salvation. Scripture could not be clearer: “For by grace are ye saved through faith... Not of works, lest any man should boast” ~Ephesians 2:8-9. Salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Christ. Scripture speaks of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” ~Acts 20:21. Our works do not purchase salvation.

As for Matthew 13, yes, there are clearly different degrees of fruitfulness. Jesus Himself said some bear “an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold” ~Matthew 13:23. I have never said every Christian produces the same amount of fruit. But notice what all the good soil has in common: it bears fruit. Different amounts of fruit do not turn fruitlessness into fruitfulness.

Regarding 1 Corinthians 3:15, the immediate context matters. Paul has been speaking about himself, Apollos, and those laboring in God’s building: “I have planted, Apollos watered” and “ye are God’s building” ~1 Corinthians 3:6,9. Christ is the foundation, and what is built upon that foundation is tested. Some work survives and receives reward. Other work burns and the builder “shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved” ~1 Corinthians 3:15.

So I would describe that person exactly as Paul does: a saved person whose work fails Christ’s examination and who therefore loses reward, while his salvation remains because Christ is the foundation. The fire tests “every man’s work of what sort it is” ~1 Corinthians 3:13. It is not teaching that an unbelieving or unrepentant person is secretly saved despite a life that contradicts his profession.

And yes, genuine Christians can be immature and can fall into serious sin. Corinth proves that. But Paul did not use that fact to tell Christians to ignore fruit or stop making biblical judgments. When open sexual sin was being tolerated, he commanded the church, “put away from among yourselves that wicked person” ~1 Corinthians 5:13.

That is the distinction I have been making throughout this thread. I am not saying a Christian must produce some predetermined amount of good works to earn or keep salvation. I am saying Scripture gives us every right to test a person’s public profession by their public fruit. Jesus said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” ~Matthew 7:20.

Different amounts of fruit? Absolutely.

Salvation earned by works? Absolutely not.

But pretending fruit is irrelevant when evaluating a profession of faith? Scripture does not give us that option.

 

[bdavidc]

Dolly was confused.

Yes, she was confused, but I think it went beyond simple confusion. We are not talking about misunderstanding some difficult passage of Scripture. She publicly said things about God and sin that directly contradicted what Scripture plainly says, while presenting those beliefs as Christian.

When God calls something sin and we turn around and say God accepts it, Scripture gives a serious warning: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil” ~Isaiah 5:20. Romans 1:32 also warns about not only practicing sin, but approving it in others.

That does not mean I know Dolly’s final eternal condition. I don't. She may have repented before she died. But we can judge what she publicly taught by Scripture. So yes, she was confused, but it was a dangerous kind of confusion because it could give people comfort in the very sins God calls them to repent of.

 

[bdavidc]

Going by HOW you see bdavidc, you only have advice to give others; definitely no good news....and my guess is, you don't tell the difference....so, judgement is your only option when your advice is not followed.

quietthinker, I have very good news to give people. The good news is that Jesus Christ came to save sinners.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” ~Romans 5:8. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” ~Acts 16:31. That is the gospel.

But the gospel makes no sense if you erase the condition the sinner is in before he believes. Jesus Himself said, “he that believeth not is condemned already” ~John 3:18, and “he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” ~John 3:36.

Telling a condemned sinner that Christ will save him if he repents and believes is not merely giving him “advice.” It is giving him the very good news God gave us.

What is not good news is telling an unbelieving, unrepentant person that he is already forgiven when Scripture says he is condemned and under God’s wrath. That gives false assurance.

And once again, instead of answering those Scriptures, you are talking about me and my judgment. My character is not the issue. The question remains very simple: where does Scripture say the unbelieving, unrepentant sinner is already forgiven?

If you have a verse, show it. If you do not, then you should not teach it.

 

[bdavidc]

@bdavidc In case you're interested, it is judgement which was the driving force of the Pharisee's. It consisted of, 'look at me, look at me, look how law abiding and beyond reproach I am'. From that perspective (HOW they saw) they had set themselves up to judge. They were trapped by pride. They justified it.

The problem with the Pharisees was not simply that they made judgments. Scripture tells us exactly what their problem was.

Jesus spoke of those who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” ~Luke 18:9. He condemned the Pharisees because outwardly they “appear righteous unto men,” while inwardly they were “full of hypocrisy and iniquity” ~Matthew 23:28. They even elevated their own traditions over God's Word ~Mark 7:8-13.

So yes, pride, hypocrisy and self-righteousness were at the heart of their problem. But that does not make every biblical judgment Pharisaical. In fact, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for omitting “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith” ~Matthew 23:23.

I have never said, “look how righteous I am.” I have been pointing to what Scripture says about sin, unbelief, repentance and salvation. Those are God's judgments, not mine.

And this is becoming the real issue here. Every time Scripture is put in front of you, you turn the conversation back toward my supposed pride or judgmental attitude. That still does not answer the Scripture.

If what I am saying is wrong, show it from the Bible. Calling me a Pharisee does not do that.

 

[quietthinker]

And once again, instead of answering those Scriptures, you are talking about me and my judgment. My character is not the issue. The question remains very simple: where does Scripture say the unbelieving, unrepentant sinner is already forgiven?

If you have a verse, show it. If you do not, then you should not teach it.

You quote it yourself (Romans 5:8) yet you do not see it.
Blindness to the obvious is the condition the Pharisees exhibited. The story of Jesus making mud and putting it on the blind mans eyes in John 9 reveals this.

 

[Laura]

Hi newie :)
As well as trusting Christ do you believe her 'good works' will assist Dolly to enter Heaven ?

No, but a person's faith is evidenced by both the good works they do as well as by what they proclaim about God.