Scholars can be dangerous to our faith

[ElieG12]

Because the world's believers in their vast majority do not have a really reliable spiritual and theological direction, they tend to take scholars graduated from theological schools as their teachers, thinking that they will be able to strengthen their faith by listening to what they have been taught in those expensive schools where they studied.

But: are the teachings of those theologians graduated from religious schools truly reliable?

On this topic I would like to warn believers about some teachings of those scholars who are destroying believers' faith in the word of God, and why we know that those teachings are false.

You may be surprised to know that these teaching are being spreaded by "Christians" who follow these Scholars graduated on Theological Schools, but this is exactly the case.

First: God didn't create every species by its own, but used evolution to create animals and human beings

Second: Adam and Eve are just allegories, but not a real couple that God created.

Third: the Deluge never happened to a global level

Fourth: Israelites never live in Egypt

Fifth: Moses is just a myth; so there was not either an exodus

Sixth: Moses was not the writer of the Penthateuc

Seventh: Isaiah and Daniel were not the writters of the whole books with their names, and those books were written by Jews in the Macabean time, just about 2 centuries BC.

What do you think about these teachings of some of those biblical "scholars" graduated from those theological schools?
Are these scholars people you should trust for truthful information about God and his written word?

 

[ScottA]

You hit the nail on the head, for sure!

It is and was, however, intentional...just as "blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in"--and for the same reason.

It was also foretold (to our shame) that even the return of Christ would not be when "expected", that "false teachers" would enter into the church spreading "destructive doctrines", and a "lie" would rather be believed causing "strong delusion." Thus, what we see in the church today is not the preferred legacy of Jesus, Peter, and Paul who foretold it to be as it is, but that of the false teachers, that we too would enter into a similar blindness..."until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."

Therefore, what we now experience is a mix of the good and also the evil, the false teachings and also the leading "unto all truth." And what did Jesus say? He said, "If I go...and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

 

[ElieG12]

Well, the issue is more complicated than what it seems to be, because as you well said, those words of Jesus give hope ... But who was he talking to? And so, where are those today, so we can listen what they have to say?

Out of Christendom, for sure.

Although its end is already coming, even the church business continues to prosper. New "churches" with new pastors, who continue to pay these graduated theologian for their lectures and selling their books and teachings; more people who follow them shouting AMEN to everything they say, while behind their backs they count the profits.

Where are people going to find those who do indeed have the spirit of God and who are truly empowered by God to teach others? Is there anyone outside of the church business who really has the support of Jesus today? Surely if such teachers exist, they do not participate in the religious or commercial affairs of the world.

I don't think those words of Jesus were addressed to everyone either. His followers were a group, and his words were directed primarily to them. Where are "they" now?

 

[ScottA]

Well, the issue is more complicated than what it seems to be, because as you well said, those words of Jesus give hope ... But who was he talking to? And so, where are those today, so we can listen what they have to say?

Out of Christendom, for sure.

Although its end is already coming, even the church business continues to prosper. New "churches" with new pastors, who continue to pay these graduated theologian for their lectures and selling their books and teachings; more people who follow them shouting AMEN to everything they say, while behind their backs they count the profits.

Where are people going to find those who do indeed have the spirit of God and who are truly empowered by God to teach others? Is there anyone outside of the church business who really has the support of Jesus today? Surely if such teachers exist, they do not participate in the religious or commercial affairs of the world.

I don't think those words of Jesus were addressed to everyone either. His followers were a group, and his words were directed primarily to them. Where are "they" now?

Where indeed?

 

[ElieG12]

Sometimes what we are looking for is in front of our eyes, but we cannot see it. We can ask God to open our sight.

But I have opened this topic to clearly understand where those who we should let them teach us are not.

For example: if someone is saying that Adam and Eve were not real persons, that one is not the teacher we are looking for, because Jesus himself considered Adam and Eve to be real persons:

Matt. 19:3 And Pharisees came up to him, intent on tempting him and saying: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on every sort of ground?” 4 In reply he said: “Did YOU not read that he who created them from [the] beginning made them male and female 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? 6 So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.”

If I say what Jesus said, maybe I am a good teacher ... at least on this

 

[ElieG12]

How can you respond to those Christians who have allowed themselves to be confused about the existence of Moses and the exodus from Egypt?

You can answer them by showing them these words of Jesus:

John 3:10 Jesus replied: “(...)14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone believing in him may have everlasting life.

Jesus took the Israelites' journey through the desert so literally that he compared the faith on his death to the serpent on the pole that the Israelites had to look at to save themselves from the poison of snake bites...which happened during the Israelite exodus on their wilderness trek from Egypt.

Num. 21:7 So the people came to Moses and said: “We have sinned by speaking against Jehovah and against you. Intercede with Jehovah so that he may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded on behalf of the people. 8 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and put it on a pole. Then when anyone has been bitten, he will have to look at it in order to keep alive.” 9 Moses at once made a serpent of copper and put it on the pole, and whenever a serpent had bitten a man and he looked at the copper serpent, he survived.

 

[Bob Estey]

Because the world's believers in their vast majority do not have a really reliable spiritual and theological direction, they tend to take scholars graduated from theological schools as their teachers, thinking that they will be able to strengthen their faith by listening to what they have been taught in those expensive schools where they studied.

But: are the teachings of those theologians graduated from religious schools truly reliable?

On this topic I would like to warn believers about some teachings of those scholars who are destroying believers' faith in the word of God, and why we know that those teachings are false.

You may be surprised to know that these teaching are being spreaded by "Christians" who follow these Scholars graduated on Theological Schools, but this is exactly the case.


What do you think about these teachings of some of those biblical "scholars" graduated from those theological schools?
Are these scholars people you should trust for truthful information about God and his written word?

Being a biblical scholar doesn't make you wise. What make you wise is obeying the Lord's commandments.

 

[ElieG12]

Being a biblical scholar doesn't make you wise. What make you wise is obeying the Lord's commandments.

I never talked about being wise... but about who we let teach us.

Obviously every Christian has to have a teacher and a reliable source of information to help them understand the Scriptures, because it is obvious that there are many questions related to Biblical topics that require a more accurate, honest and holistic knowledge about the information that the Bible contains.

I have read believers saying stupid and horrendous nonsenses because they believe that everything that occurs to them when they read the Bible is revealed to them by the holy spirit. It is evident that to be a teacher, one must first be a student.

No first century Christian was taught by himself.

Rom. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

The question is: Whose teaching do we receive? How to recognize the teacher who was really sent by God? How do we recognize the one who comes from another source, another spirit?

Paul was very concerned about the Corinthian Christians about this situation...

2 Cor. 11:3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, your minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ. 4 For as it is, if someone comes and preaches a Jesus other than the one we preached, or you receive a spirit other than what you received, or good news other than what you accepted, you easily put up with him.

 

[Bob Estey]

I never talked about being wise... but about who we let teach us.

Obviously every Christian has to have a teacher and a reliable source of information to help them understand the Scriptures, because it is obvious that there are many questions related to Biblical topics that require a more accurate, honest and holistic knowledge about the information that the Bible contains.

I have read believers saying stupid and horrendous nonsenses because they believe that everything that occurs to them when they read the Bible is revealed to them by the holy spirit. It is evident that to be a teacher, one must first be a student.

No first century Christian was taught by himself.

Rom. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

The question is: Whose teaching do we receive? How to recognize the teacher who was really sent by God? How do we recognize the one who comes from another source, another spirit?

Paul was very concerned about the Corinthian Christians about this situation...

2 Cor. 11:3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, your minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ. 4 For as it is, if someone comes and preaches a Jesus other than the one we preached, or you receive a spirit other than what you received, or good news other than what you accepted, you easily put up with him.

Wisdom will show you the way.

 

[ElieG12]

Obviously if you open a thread about wisdom, there will be a lot of things we can say about it.

 

[ElieG12]

Besides Jesus' words in Matt. 19:4-6, can you think of any other way to show those who deny Adam and Eve as real people that Scripture proves just the opposite?

I could talk about various ways to demonstrate that with the Bible, although it probably won't change their minds to those who don't want to be taught by the Bible.

For example: How can you use the family tree found in Luke 3, or the one in 1 Chron. 1 to teach the truth on that matter?

 

[ElieG12]

If some "Christian" tells you that if scientists do not find evidence of a planetary flood, you do not have to take the Biblical story literally, what would you say?

 

[amadeus]

If some "Christian" tells you that if scientists do not find evidence of a planetary flood, you do not have to take the Biblical story literally, what would you say?

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:17 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1

 

[ElieG12]

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:17 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1

Good point, Amadeus. Now imagine those who tells you that called themself "Christians". What would you tell them?

 

[amadeus]

Good point, Amadeus. Now imagine those who tells you that called themself "Christians". What would you tell them?

Too many bearing the label of Christian are too concerned with the rewards, or the lack thereof, in this physical life of our flesh. Should we not be on the approach to that place of "time no more"? [see Rev 10:6]

Jesus is to be the finisher of our faith [Heb 12:2]. Are not too many apparent. or supposed. believers focusing on what their own minds, using perhaps science or the ways of science [the Scientific Method?] to make final determinations as to what God is or is not saying?

All, I believe, who are true believers in God and His Son, in any measure, have a measure of Real Knowledge mixed with things held by faith. Who but God is able to draw a line between them? Not the scientists or the philosophers, surely? We need to be led rightly and what man is able to always do that?

O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jerem 10:23

 

[ElieG12]

So, Amadeus, again: If some "Christian" tells you that if scientists do not find evidence of a planetary flood, you do not have to take the Biblical story literally, what would you say?

In other words: How can you respond to someone who says he is a Christian and tells you that the Biblical Flood did not happen?

A clue: did our spiritual Leader Jesus believe that the Flood was a real event?

Is there any other Biblical indication that allows the Christian to be convinced that the Flood was a real event?

 

[Adam]

Scholars are indeed dangerous to Christianity, but not the scholars that say "so and so wrote the Bible" or "this is an allegory for that", what is dangerous are ideas like eternal conscious torment in hell, which promote hatred by implicitly promote the idea that some people are just hated by God and therefore should be hated by you too because they are sons of the Devil; or the idea that only Christians can find salvation, which, especially combined with the former doctrine, promotes the idea that non-Christians are basically subhumans whose only purpose is to be an adversary to Christians, who are good and noble and holy in all ways just like the Pharisees were. Those are the real dangerous beliefs that you will find in Christian circles.

 

[ElieG12]

Adam, Christians are people who believe that there is not salvation without Jesus.

You seem not to be a Christian. Why you put you are in your profile?

My thread is aimed at people who are Christians.

 

[Enoch111]

Scholars are indeed dangerous to Christianity, but not the scholars that say "so and so wrote the Bible" or "this is an allegory for that", what is dangerous are ideas like eternal conscious torment in hell, which promote hatred by implicitly promote the idea that some people are just hated by God and therefore should be hated by you too because they are sons of the Devil; or the idea that only Christians can find salvation, which, especially combined with the former doctrine, promotes the idea that non-Christians are basically subhumans whose only purpose is to be an adversary to Christians, who are good and noble and holy in all ways just like the Pharisees were. Those are the real dangerous beliefs that you will find in Christian circles.

This is just a silly rant which actually goes against what is in the Bible. Looks like some unbelieving "scholars" got to you. All the cults deny the reality of an eternal Hell.

 

[ElieG12]

This is just a silly rant which actually goes against what is in the Bible. Looks like some unbelieving "scholars" got to you. All the cults deny the reality of an eternal Hell.

Just so you don't waste time: don't bother directing me any posts, because I'm ignoring you. Hostile people are not Christians.