Hi kepha,
This highlight caught my attention, from your post # 30 (p1).
If it's not in scripture, you don't need to believe it, or make believe God said it at all. You should suspect everything that's not in scripture, because it has the potential to send you to hell. Neither make you own claims for a statement that God Himself sees through like a flimsy veil. However, God is infallible. Those who are in Him, who abide in Him, cannot fail, and, the gates of hell will not prevail against His body, the Church.
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
His Church are in Him and live through Him: 1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him, just as He lives through His members: John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
A good tree infallibly brings forth good fruit. Amen.
Hi kepha,
Here is another large misrepresentation of God's word.
This statement is the exact opposite of what scripture tells us. That's not a small mistake.
How do we know that believers are to be led by the Spirit?
It started in the garden of Eden, when God who is a spirit, gave the first man and the woman His commands.
Later, God spoke directly to fallen men, and continued in this mode until He sent His Son:
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Jesus indicates the same individualised instruction from the Father as He was receiving, should be our expectation. The question becomes this: upon whose 'fatherly' instruction are we acting?
John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
How will we answer this question?
'... Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?
He that has seen me has seen the Father ... ' John 14:9
What will we hear when we ask,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Matt 7:22, 23.
As the Head of His body, the church - aka the holy of holies made without hands - Jesus Christ is well able to govern His people through the Holy Spirit in each of them, which He had promised they'd receive. John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
When Paul is speaking about 'children', he is speaking about individuals who now have the same spiritual parent - God.
The reality of the body of Christ functioning under His Headship, is: every one member has a part to play, and every one member is connected directly to Him through the Holy Spirit by which they hold to the Head.
Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12.
One day we will stand alone before Jesus Christ, and He will know who obeyed the Father's will. You might think it doesn't matter if you're not born again, but that would be a mistake; because no excuse will prevent judgment.
Hebrews 9:27 And ... it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: 31 Because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he has ordained; [whereof] he has given assurance to all [men], in that he has raised him from the dead.
The whole point of God giving each believer the Holy Spirit, is to be able to obey His commands, as Peter states:
Acts 5:29 '... We ought to obey God rather than men... 32 '... we are his witnesses of these things;
and [so is] also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
This highlight caught my attention, from your post # 30 (p1).
Propaganda says the Church awards infallibility to herself. This is false. It is a gift from God.
If it's not in scripture, you don't need to believe it, or make believe God said it at all. You should suspect everything that's not in scripture, because it has the potential to send you to hell. Neither make you own claims for a statement that God Himself sees through like a flimsy veil. However, God is infallible. Those who are in Him, who abide in Him, cannot fail, and, the gates of hell will not prevail against His body, the Church.
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
His Church are in Him and live through Him: 1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him, just as He lives through His members: John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
A good tree infallibly brings forth good fruit. Amen.
Hi kepha,
Here is another large misrepresentation of God's word.
There is nothing is scripture about individual believers being led by the Spirit apart from the Church.
This statement is the exact opposite of what scripture tells us. That's not a small mistake.
How do we know that believers are to be led by the Spirit?
It started in the garden of Eden, when God who is a spirit, gave the first man and the woman His commands.
Later, God spoke directly to fallen men, and continued in this mode until He sent His Son:
Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Jesus indicates the same individualised instruction from the Father as He was receiving, should be our expectation. The question becomes this: upon whose 'fatherly' instruction are we acting?
John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
How will we answer this question?
'... Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?
He that has seen me has seen the Father ... ' John 14:9
What will we hear when we ask,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Matt 7:22, 23.
As the Head of His body, the church - aka the holy of holies made without hands - Jesus Christ is well able to govern His people through the Holy Spirit in each of them, which He had promised they'd receive. John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
When Paul is speaking about 'children', he is speaking about individuals who now have the same spiritual parent - God.
The reality of the body of Christ functioning under His Headship, is: every one member has a part to play, and every one member is connected directly to Him through the Holy Spirit by which they hold to the Head.
Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12.
One day we will stand alone before Jesus Christ, and He will know who obeyed the Father's will. You might think it doesn't matter if you're not born again, but that would be a mistake; because no excuse will prevent judgment.
Hebrews 9:27 And ... it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: 31 Because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he has ordained; [whereof] he has given assurance to all [men], in that he has raised him from the dead.
The whole point of God giving each believer the Holy Spirit, is to be able to obey His commands, as Peter states:
Acts 5:29 '... We ought to obey God rather than men... 32 '... we are his witnesses of these things;
and [so is] also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.