Did God tell you that the bible is the final authority or did you get that from someone else who said that?
As the four corners of the Holy Bible are, without question, our handbook while we go through mortality,
I trust God to give us our instructions.. as we study. Period.
If YOU dont understand it... and clearly you dont.... why dont you enlighten us what you base your learnings and understandings on. Perhaps Ellen G White, Joseph Smith / Brigham Young, OR Pope Frankie?
Are you letting your preconceived biases cloud your understanding as you dig into the Bible? Truth is, it is inevitable that we all occasionally do so.... but will admit it when we have those clarity moments of truth.
When I first started in religious forums I truly, even being in my 60s at the time, was such a babe when it came to God. But funny that. Having been all my life with in the same denomination, and having no reason to doubt their teachings I started to on certain things.
One thing was my church , I guess, supports predestination. I say I guess because never once in my now near 77 years did I ever hear a teaching or preaching on a Calvin thought of anything.... OR if they did... I zoned out either in boredom or God drew my attention away.
No matter... since once I learned that about my denomination... and that it is in the West Minster Confession of Faith... has to be right..... Doesn't it?
Isn't that cool... so I thought...
Even my boss at the time, a member of the same congregation would say that ... and just how off this thought is... when we would be talking religion and I was struggling with what if I mess up so badly I end up in hell....
(in my 20s at the time, my boss told me... same denomination all his life... that with belief in Jesus I will go to heaven... no matter what.... and this he surly believed because a a certain abuse at work that went on for far too long.... and I knew he did not understand anything... probably because of youth teachings? because he said NO ONE WILL GO TO HELL. Not HITLER.. no one. In the end all will be saved.
And then on a break while I was reading my bible he made the comment... I needed to get myself a good concordance or I would never understand what I was reading..... obviously it never worked for him.
I digress.
It was not until I found the spirited debates on forums of this kind did I really have my eyes opened to how many differences there are in beliefs....
It was the first time I heard Calvinism and Arminianism being compared and I can to KNOW I could not believe in Predestination because not only is it not talked of in those terms in the Bible but because I know I have free will.... and to my shame have exercised it even while believing I was headed to heaven.
The I read what John Calvin said....
According to John Calvin, predestination is God’s unchangeable decree from before the creation of the world that he would freely save some people (the elect), foreordaining them to eternal life, while the others (the reprobate) would be “barred from access to” salvation and sentenced to “eternal death (180, 184).”
And fear as sharp as a two edged sword went through my heart.... "would be “barred from access to” salvation "
Could that be me????????? Had I prayed the "sinners prayer often enough"? Had I asked forgiveness for even my forgotten sins? And was it granted? And what about the things that somehow trip me up even today... am I forgiven?????
So I went hunting in the Westminster Confession
It is actually worse.... to me
CHAPTER 3
Of God’s Eternal Decree
- God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.
- Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions; yet hath He not decreed any thing because He foresaw it as future, as that which would come to pass, upon such conditions.
- By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.
- These angels and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it can not be either increased or diminished.
- Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of His free grace and love alone, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto; and all to the praise of His glorious grace.
- As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
- The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extendeth or withholdeth mercy as He pleaseth, for the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of His glorious justice.
- The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending to the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.
We believe differently here, I believe that the bible is secondary to the spirit of God, working in and through believers to do what is right in abiding in Christ as they walk a faithful life, in trusting God. The bible is referential where a personal relationship with Yahava, worshiping him in spirit and truth. The bible has a lot of things people can come to realize pertaining to God, however it is not the final authority.
And I believe it is because of the Holy Words and study and understanding that the Holy Spirit works within us.
I believe that Satan has been done away with, and hell has been done away with as the bible states via the Revelation, wrote by John.
Now is Satan gone???????????? Maybe.......
But if he is we need him back
Satan targeted adults, and primarily the Christian adults to drag them away from God....Not so much the children.
Whoever and whatever is coming at us today target all children... the worst are those demonic possessed disciples who masquerade as teachers and "WOKE" who
are turning the children away from Gods command to parents of bringing them up in the way they should go yada yada... and the result is an end product that even the heavenly Father will find it hard to recognize,
I just would like to know how many of those children who are being so deceived actually had a baby baptism
or dedication to God and who didnt....