Scripture with Scripture
- Thread starter Mjh29
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A life that has penetrated into the kingdom of God. An entrance into Eden....fellowship with God.
That is what the gospel is about.
Many mormans and jehovas witnessess would claim the same thing.. but they are not christians.
Sounds to me like trusting way too much in our own ability to reason in order to obtain truth. We cannot encounter the Truth, God's Truth, or Jesus, by carefully and logically studying the Bible. If this were the way it needed to be done it would give the advantage to the better students or those with the greater intellectual abilities. This is how men are, but it is not how God is:
"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:" Acts 10:34
Consider the blind man healed by Jesus who dared to answer the well educated Jewish leaders:
"The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." John 9:30-41
Blind the man had been and likely without education yet he was wiser than the biblical scholars and religious leaders. He was cast out by the leaders, but received by Jesus...
Rather than to our intellect look here:
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:53-54
And here:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26
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So then imagine just how far off Christians are by not doing so. All sects are based on something that is missing...and true. But then what is the definition of a sect?
Any given sect mixes truth with lies. Discernment is to be able to tell the difference. There is no sect that is 100% false.
I agree. And in order to know which hold at least the core truths of christianity, we need sound doctrine. No one is 100% correct... nut sound doctrine unifies us around the 90% that is the most important
The gospel is about the kingdom of God. THAT is the truth. No one who walks in the power of a human being can satisfy God.
Again, Jehovas witnesses would claim the same thing. However, they do not believe in some of the core beliefs that make Christians Christians.
Yes, the collection of believers; Christ's chosen, His bride, His people... Why do you ask?
Since you said that the kingdom was something the sects sought after.
But actually the kingdom of God is in the spiritual realm. A person who is not spiritually aware cannot see it.
We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness which is found there.
Are we first to seek believers?
Not really. The kingdom of God is where the life of Jesus is made available to us...in the Spirit. It is Zion. it is a spiritual realm where the devil and his minions are displaced.
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the kingdom of God is made up of the believers in Christ Jesus.
Luke 17:20-21
Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."
the kingdom of God was in their midst; Christ is the King and we, his people, make up the kingdom
Faith in Jesus causes us to enter the kingdom...so then the kingdom was where Jesus walked. But we must understand this as a spiritual hidden thing...although it's power is felt on Earth. It is like the wind which is invisible yet we see it's effects.
The kingdom of God is the realm where love reigns..and peace...an eternal peace. It is where Jesus is...
OzSpen
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Not to contradict what you are saying about the Kingdom of God and believers (which is only a part of the picture), but you are probably using one of the modern translations which is actually misleading. That is not really what Christ was saying. As stated in the KJB "the kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU", not "in your midst".
Strong's Concordance
entos: within, among
Original Word: ἐντός
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: entos
Phonetic Spelling: (en-tos')
Short Definition: within, inside, the inside
Definition: within, inside, the inside.
Even though Thayer's Greek Lexicon suggests what your translation says, that translation is theologically incorrect for several reasons:
1. While Christ was speaking these words, those same Pharisees were rejecting Him as their Messiah-King. Therefore His visible Kingdom was NOT established at His first coming -- "in your midst" -- and that was not even the purpose of the first coming.
2. Christ would not disclose the timing of the establishment of His visible Kingdom to His enemies, and neither did He disclose it to the apostles before His ascension. See Acts 1. Their focus was to be on the Great Commission and the establishment of the Church.
3. Only those who have been born again have entered into the Kingdom of God and can see it with their spiritual eyes. The Kingdom of God is where God and Christ reign supreme, but it is only within the hearts of believers that this is true. Thus "the kingdom of God is within you" and also why Pilate was told by Christ "my kingdom is not of this world" (meaning for that time in history).
4. It is only at the second coming that Christ will literally establish His Kingdom on earth. So the "Kingdom Halls" of the Jehovah's Witnesses are a rejection of the Church and the churches of Christ at the present time. Also Dominion Theology is false, since it seeks to establish the visible Kingdom of God on earth even before the second coming. The mandate of the Church is to preach the Gospel and to make disciples, since Christ will personally establish His Kingdom when He returns "with power and great glory".
So to get back to this statement "the kingdom of God is made up of the believers in Christ Jesus", this is only a part of the Kingdom of God, so it would be more accurate to say "the Church of God is made up of the believers in Christ Jesus".
'These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so.'
(Act 17:11)
Hello @Mjh29,
* I agree that the Scriptures should take precedence over our own personal opinions or traditions. We should bring those opinions and traditions to the Word of God and ensure that they are in line with what is written.
* The Bereans in Acts 17 were applauded for searching the Scriptures daily to confirm whether those things that they were hearing from Paul and his co-workers were so.
* Salvation is a gift of God, received by grace, through hearing and believing the good news of God concerning His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and trusting in the efficacy of His one all-sufficient sacrifice for sin on our behalf. The work of God in Christ is a finished work, and the believer is kept by the power of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God for the believers growth in grace, and truth and the knowledge of God. The doctrines which underpin salvation such as justification by faith bring assurance and confidence, but the salvation of the believer is God's work from beginning to end.
'But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of,
knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.'
(2 Tim. 3:14-17)
In Christ Jesus
Our risen and glorified
Saviour, Lord and Head.
Chris
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