Is Jesus the only Way?

[Episkopos]

This Stranger did not advise them to listen to the Spirit...nor even to listen to Himself. He gave them a Bible study which revealed Himself. Y

How wise was it to say such a thing on a forum where so many are devoid of the Spirit and are looking to exalt a book while grieving the Holy Spirit? What led you to do that? The flesh always looks for a way to disregard the truth.

 

[bbyrd009]

All roads lead to Him (not Rome) and there are many twisted circuitous routes that through cultures, traditions, sin-laden lifestyles and even religious error, may lead to Jesus.

well or Christ anyway i guess, ya

 

[bbyrd009]

If the words written in the Bible speak to you, it is the Holy Spirit in you quickening them.

hmm

A real atheist with a closed heart will read the same words of scriptures you read and not hear a thing from God.

hmmhmm. A real believer with one two i guess

 

[bbyrd009]

I don't believe for one second that the Holy Spirit through Christ Jesus is speaking through you in your opinions or teachings.
The Bible is the only authority to compare with teachings and yours don't match up with scriptures. You keep attacking those who bring up the Bible as the final authority.

he does have a point though, tz. "The Bible as final authority" is like always code for "the way i read It" i guess

 

[bbyrd009]

Elijah was a Prophet. Prophets and Apostles oftens spoke the authoritative Word of God. There is no one today whose words are on the level of Scripture. NONE.

hmm

If there is a difference of opinion between two believers on spiritual matters, are they to both claim "The Spirit told me", or "The Scripture says". IOW what is the final arbiter between two disagreeing parties? How are we to test the spirits when each claim it is the Holy Spirit?

wherever two or three are gathered in My Name maybe
sorry A, maybe you should moderate lol
sometimes

 

[APAK]

I would like to mention a most intriguing incident immediately after the resurrection which we are all familiar with. Two disciples, disconsolate and in despair because the one they believed to be Messiah, was dead. Or so they thought. Then some "stranger" sidles alongside and asks them the cause of their unhappiness. This Stranger did not advise them to listen to the Spirit...nor even to listen to Himself. He gave them a Bible study which revealed Himself. Yes, Jesus is the only Way, Truth, and Life...and as an example Jesus Himself showed that through the scriptures, we can discover who He is, why He came, where He is now, and when we can expect to meet Him face to face. But that isn't the end of there story. That revelation of who Messiah is came first...then, when faith was aroused, He revealed Himself in person. Thus began a renewed relationship.
And so it is with us. The scriptures encourage faith, by learing who Christ is. What He has done. What we can be in Him, and with Him in us. Then, as we accept what is revealed, faith bears fruit and we enter into the kind of knowledge that transcends the written word. Personal, experiential knowledge. Yet because we are all different, such is not the case every single time. While Jesus's Bible study is an example, it is not the ONLY means by which people come to know and recognise the Saviour. In HIs grace and mercy, God will use anything, and anyone, to reach the lost and lonely.
What is the common denominator however is Christ. All roads lead to Him (not Rome) and there are many twisted circuitous routes that through cultures, traditions, sin-laden lifestyles and even religious error, may lead to Jesus. While He is the only Way to the Father, we come to Him in a great variety of ways , and and guess what. Sometimes God may even use our man-made religious formulas to do it.

Nice post....

 

[APAK]

I see speaking to you really as generating strife because you have no idea what you're talking about. I have made clear (I think they are clear enough) posts...which you have taken pot-shots at...without addressing anything honestly from an idea or a biblical verse. What is there to take seriously?


And this is a fine example of you not understanding the bible or it's use...unless you are a Messianic.

Concerning the mitzvah of tzitzit.... So then if a brother thinks that he should wear a red bauble on the end of his talit...and another brother thinks it should be green...they could consult the bible together to discover that actually the bauble is to be blue according to the techelet!

Numbers 15:38
38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue.

So this is very practical?!



Another huge stretch. Paul never said he consulted the bible for direction. Paul was led by the Spirit...which is something you don't understand at all.

In fact the early church was led by the Spirit not the bible. The bible was written as a testimony of what these were living by the Spirit. So you have the tail wagging the dog.

With more bibles and translations comes more human opinion...and division. The bible brings in division on spiritual matters. It is only good for law.

But you don't know what spiritual is.

The NT is about a new life in the Spirit. The sons of God are led by the Spirit..,not the bible (and that is found in the bible)

But you are no longer reading this as you don't comprehend anything I say....so I will stop now...since it is pointless trying to explain the gospel to a person whom the Spirit has not called.

Not trying to be a peace maker here, although I do understand your view and I agree with what was said in the last part of your post. I just want to add one thing. Yes we first are led by the Spirit, although even with the inaccuracies of the scripture over the many years of translations, it is the power of that same Spirit that leads us also back to this written word from time to time for nourishment and knowledge and growth. Yes, the Spirit is living and guides us in many ways that the Book cannot actually do for us. I get your message and it is clear.

Thank you,

Blessings,

APAK

 

[prism]

And this is a fine example of you not understanding the bible or it's use...unless you are a Messianic.

Concerning the mitzvah of tzitzit.... So then if a brother thinks that he should wear a red bauble on the end of his talit...and another brother thinks it should be green...they could consult the bible together to discover that actually the bauble is to be blue according to the techelet!

Numbers 15:38
38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue.

So this is very practical?!

No, you go to the Scriptures and read the Book of Hebrews and 2Cor2 to see the Mosaic Covenant was overshadowed by the New Covenant. You also learn that God is spirit and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth, for of such the Father seeks to worship Him. Jn 4:23-34.
See how liberating the truth found in SCRIPTURE is?

Another huge stretch. Paul never said he consulted the bible for direction. Paul was led by the Spirit...which is something you don't understand at all.

In fact the early church was led by the Spirit not the bible. The bible was written as a testimony of what these were living by the Spirit. So you have the tail wagging the dog.

With more bibles and translations comes more human opinion...and division. The bible brings in division on spiritual matters. It is only good for law.

But you don't know what spiritual is.

The NT is about a new life in the Spirit. The sons of God are led by the Spirit..,not the bible (and that is found in the bible)

But you are no longer reading this as you don't comprehend anything I say....so I will stop now...since it is pointless trying to explain the gospel to a person whom the Spirit has not call

This is nonsensical. With this approach we'd be back in the dark ages, under the bondage of Rome and it's superstitions and man made traditions.
I thank God for the Reformers that brought the Church back to the Scriptures and out of the fires of purgatory without having to pay indulgences...

John 8:31-32 KJVS
[31] Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; [32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

2 John 1:9-11 KJVS
[9] Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. [10] If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: [11] For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

 

[prism]

wherever two or three are gathered in My Name maybe
sorry A, maybe you should moderate lol
sometimes

That's referring to when there is agreement, my example was what to do when there isn't...

Matthew 18:19-20 KJVS
[19] Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

 

[marks]

It was spoken by Jesus, not by anyone's Bible. Bibles alone do not speak. If the words written in the Bible speak to you, it is the Holy Spirit in you quickening them. A real atheist with a closed heart will read the same words of scriptures you read and not hear a thing from God.

Of course that is so!

Much love!

 

[marks]

The authority can be found in the written text of the Bible my friend, but without the Holy Spirit to interpret for us, we are like the hearers of the parables of Jesus who understanding His words failed to understand God's message. All of us fail to understand when we quench the Holy Spirit and decide something is wrong because it goes against what we believe... How is it that Holy Spirit is able to teach anyone anything if everyone's ears are closed?

And again, naturally I agree.

And still we must weigh those who proclaim their interpretations to us. Weigh them against what, my friend?

Much love!

 

[marks]

The bible brings in division on spiritual matters. It is only good for law.

Interesting thing to say. The Bible is only good for law.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Ha! We weigh them against our own interpretations, of course!

And with our interpretation, we claim their interpretation is wrong! Of course it never occurs to us that OUR interpretation is wrong. (Or part wrong. Or led by human reasonings.)

 

[bbyrd009]

But that isn't the end of there story. That revelation of who Messiah is came first...then, when faith was aroused, He revealed Himself in person.

not disagreeing ok, but the way you put that makes it sound like He like twinkled His nose or something? "Did" something to cause them to see Him like? Iow rather than them hearing and then seeing

 

[bbyrd009]

That's referring to when there is agreement, my example was what to do when there isn't...

So you say, yes

 

[marks]

Indeed and what if this gentile woman had been so sensitive to the words of Jesus when he effectively called her a dog?

"But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs.
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Matt 15:26-27

Hi amadeus,

Jesus' attitude in this was not being reflected, would you not agree?

Why are we so tolerant of ridicule amongst ourselves, even to the point of endlessly defending those who so engage?

Much love!

 

[amadeus]

True, but that doesn't exclude us from the responsibility to test the spirits against Scripture.

Even so, but remember that others are also using sometimes the same scripture in the same versions as you or me and coming up at times with different results. The difference is in whether we are leaning on the Lord or on our own abilities to guide us, is it not?

I'm guessing because you said 'God's Word is the final arbiter', that is from where you test the spirits.

The testing occurs according the Word as it is written in our hearts. The point of origin for us may seem to be the Bible, but remember the other guy may be claiming the same Bible and even the same verses as his point of origin. Ultimately the correct testing is done by God. If we are not in touch with Him for the test we cannot expect to always receive God's result for our own.

I don't discount the fact that we grow by God's grace and by His mercy.

And God's grace works in us by our leave. We have the dominion over ourselves that God gave to each of us until and when we surrender it to Him. This is part of Paul's "die daily" It is also in line with what John the Baptist said here:

"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30

2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJVS
[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Indeed, but again without the correct interpretation in us by the Holy Spirit, the very scriptures will be a dead carcass. When it is eaten [eating the flesh of Jesus] and quickened in us [brought to Life by the Holy Spirit] then it can and will accomplish as God has said that it would:

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

 

[marks]

Are you really saying that all which @Episkopos has written on this thread and other thread contains none of the Light of God?

In that he teaches that people are not "in Christ" unless they are walking completely without sin - and who among us would claim, I have not sinned today? His claim is that you move in and out of being In Christ. That we should all desire oh so strongly that we could somehow be found worthy for God to move to bring us "into Christ", to walk in Zion with Christ, and so live holy, and without sin.

The Bible says we are free from sin now. The Bible says we are in Christ now. The Bible says that In Christ, we have every spiritual blessing. The Bible says that we are to reckon the old man dead. God tells us we are dead to sin and alive to God, and instructs us to live that way in the power of the Spirit which we have Right Now. Not in some hoped for future.

His doctrine denies these Scriptures, and teaches that being born again isn't enough, you have you take hold of something more, gain your own righteousness, so you can then be saved.

This is not the Bible I read, but Episkopos has revealed himself that he has little to no regard for the Bible. It's a book of law to him and we are to follow the Spirit.

He quotes from it, but when someone comes back to him with Scripture, we are no more than dogs to him.

It's in the teaching. It's in the attitude. Does Episkopos ever say good things? Error is generally mixed with truth.

I've obviously said too much already. Do we all say wrong things? Of course I know I do. This is absurd.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Remember the verses from Solomon about speaking or being silent?

Amadeus, you're remembering those too, right?

Much love!

 

[prism]

So you say, yes

That's what Scripture says, no?