There are a vast number of theological labels given to types of theology. Often the church would do best to move past the labels.
The number of groups who will not dialogue because of theological labels is often pronounced. We often would do better to simply listen.
What does a person say and is what the person says according to the word and will of God? If a person speaks the gospel truthfully and lives out there life faithfully to God the person is someone to listen to even if we might feel tentative about how they are labeled theologically.
Because two people share similar theological traits does not mean both are teaching and walking in accord with the will of God.
Often it is not what a theologian says which is worrisome, but what the do not say, or will not say, or do not have the courage to say. We should listen to what thinkers say and not what is said about them.
Most people simply repeat second hand the views of various thinkers. We might ask them where they got the view and the would say "everyone know it is this way."
Maybe it is and maybe it is not. At times so many people have repeated the same erroneous viewpoint that the number of people who know the truth is greatly outnumbered by the number who believe errors.
We need to listen to what thinkers say. Not what the press says about them. Not what their fans say or dissenters say.
We need to listen, think, and judge rightly according to the word of God.
Showing posts with label will of god. Show all posts
Showing posts with label will of god. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
The Will of God
Often we must live out the will of God in our lives despite the objections of others. There are many voices in our lives.
Many godly people will give us bad advice. It is not that these people are not godly but we as fallen people have a tendency to mindlessly repeat the wisdom we hear in the world or even the church.
Wisdom is specific to a situation. If it was an absolute it would not be wisdom. You see this is the issue with mindlessly repeating wisdom without thinking.
What is frequently true is not always true. There are many unique situations with various dynamics. We should approach situations in life with a desire to think through how to act, not with a preconceived assumption of what the action should be.
One of the great issues in the church is a desire to help without a desire to listen. I have met many godly people who give advice to problems I faced without first trying to understand those problems.
Often the solution given was so trivial you could find it in a million places. They wasted their time attempting to help because they refused to listen.
You see wisdom requires thought and listening. It requires looking at the details of things. If we wish to live well in life we must learn to think biblically and in doing so speak less, think more, listen more, and consider the uniqueness of situations in life as Jesus did.
Many godly people will give us bad advice. It is not that these people are not godly but we as fallen people have a tendency to mindlessly repeat the wisdom we hear in the world or even the church.
Wisdom is specific to a situation. If it was an absolute it would not be wisdom. You see this is the issue with mindlessly repeating wisdom without thinking.
What is frequently true is not always true. There are many unique situations with various dynamics. We should approach situations in life with a desire to think through how to act, not with a preconceived assumption of what the action should be.
One of the great issues in the church is a desire to help without a desire to listen. I have met many godly people who give advice to problems I faced without first trying to understand those problems.
Often the solution given was so trivial you could find it in a million places. They wasted their time attempting to help because they refused to listen.
You see wisdom requires thought and listening. It requires looking at the details of things. If we wish to live well in life we must learn to think biblically and in doing so speak less, think more, listen more, and consider the uniqueness of situations in life as Jesus did.
Friday, December 27, 2013
The Church and God
The church is a means of God in the world. However we must always view the church as a means with no authority outside of itself.
You see the church has often thought that it has power to bind on earth. There are scriptural references which support this, but you see this assumes the church acts in accord with God.
However you see the church often does not have consciousness of the fact that it can be cut off from itself. Because the church has authority only as God has given the church authority.
You see this is the issue at the moment the church wishes to bind an action which is not God's it ceases to be the church. The church is under authority and cannot act apart from authority.
Often there is a confusion that the church has a vested authority in itself. All stripes of Christianity contain this error. You see however that as a means of God in the world the power comes with strings attached - that the means is God's.
You see a parallel in prayer. Why does God answer "no" or "wait" so much for prayer. You see God's plans are not our own.
We have a limited vision in ourselves to see what is right and wrong. Together as the church our vision is often clearer but you see we often cannot really know the will of God.
Many people questioned Paul's placement as an apostle to the gentiles. Really him? You see God often does the unexpected in the world - he does so to shame the wise.
You see God chooses how to work in the world. He can give a church power and take its power away. He does not need a specific church or denomination to carry out his means. He will carry out his means the question is how he chooses to do so.
We cannot stand against God and have no power or life apart from him. Often the world is thought to have permanence. The bible makes it clear the world is only held in existence at each moment by God.
God is good and not fickle and consistent in nature, but we are helpless. We can see things his way or not but always he is.
What is ultimate reality? God. We may like it or not but he is the beginning and end and all in-between is under his power.
He is good but he is not exactly what we would always think of as good. The issue there is we like to be bad at least to a degree and his purity is in a sense upsetting. We always have to come to see things as he does.
You see the church has often thought that it has power to bind on earth. There are scriptural references which support this, but you see this assumes the church acts in accord with God.
However you see the church often does not have consciousness of the fact that it can be cut off from itself. Because the church has authority only as God has given the church authority.
You see this is the issue at the moment the church wishes to bind an action which is not God's it ceases to be the church. The church is under authority and cannot act apart from authority.
Often there is a confusion that the church has a vested authority in itself. All stripes of Christianity contain this error. You see however that as a means of God in the world the power comes with strings attached - that the means is God's.
You see a parallel in prayer. Why does God answer "no" or "wait" so much for prayer. You see God's plans are not our own.
We have a limited vision in ourselves to see what is right and wrong. Together as the church our vision is often clearer but you see we often cannot really know the will of God.
Many people questioned Paul's placement as an apostle to the gentiles. Really him? You see God often does the unexpected in the world - he does so to shame the wise.
You see God chooses how to work in the world. He can give a church power and take its power away. He does not need a specific church or denomination to carry out his means. He will carry out his means the question is how he chooses to do so.
We cannot stand against God and have no power or life apart from him. Often the world is thought to have permanence. The bible makes it clear the world is only held in existence at each moment by God.
God is good and not fickle and consistent in nature, but we are helpless. We can see things his way or not but always he is.
What is ultimate reality? God. We may like it or not but he is the beginning and end and all in-between is under his power.
He is good but he is not exactly what we would always think of as good. The issue there is we like to be bad at least to a degree and his purity is in a sense upsetting. We always have to come to see things as he does.
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