I actually don’t think you have any idea what God agrees with, but I am glad you are willing to share what YOU think He does. You can take anything out of context and prove anything else, there are so many other bible quotes that can be quoted. To know what God thinks ask him! PRAY to him, and then be quiet and Listen!
To try to understand what is not understandable is foolish at the best.
Hi RobGentner! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, too. I still believe though that I know what God agrees with. For example, I know that He agrees with – my not worshipping other gods, my not taking His name in vain, my keeping His holy day, my not stealing, killing, telling lies, etc. I’m sure you would agree with me on that. We know it because that’s what God says in His Word, the Bible. Unless, He tells us what pleases Him, we will never know, will we?
You know, you’re right about Bible texts being taken out of context to prove a point. In fact, almost all professing Christians do that to defend their treasured beliefs. Who could be behind all this? Could it be Satan? He quoted Scripture when he tempted Christ. By the way, how do you think should the text I mentioned be properly understood?
About prayer, you’re right that we need to pray – and pray always. God says so in the Bible. But I don’t think God will answer us when we keep quiet and listen for His reply after we pray. How would He answer us? By some sign? If we’re trying to understand the trinity, a sign would not be enough. Or maybe an audible voice? But how would we know the voice does not come from the devil? And how many people have claimed to have heard God’s voice anyway? There’s one I know from the Catholic Church – a mother Eugenia. There’s another one not far from our place, but he’s oneness Pentecostal. He’s got his own followers now and he’s beaming his message through his TV and radio station. That’s just it; we wouldn’t know whose voice we’re hearing – if we ever get to hear one. If God does things that way and assuming the RCC is God’s church, the bishops of that church would have been enlightened on its trinity doctrine by now. It’s been nearly 2,000 years!
I believe God offered us a better and sure way to know Him and what His will is. Before Christ appeared, God communicated to His people through His prophets: “God, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1). When Jesus appeared on earth it was Jesus who spoke for God: “In these days, hath spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:2). Now, what about today, how does God communicate to us?
It is a tragedy that most professing Christians today do not fully grasp the significance of their acknowledgement of the Bible as the Word God. If the Bible is indeed the Word of God, then God speaks to us through the Bible! God does not have to speak to us now in an audible voice or signs because He has already spoken to us in His Word. God gives His answers to our prayers through the Bible. We talk to God in prayer and he answers us through His Word. All we need to do is ask Him, in prayer, for wisdom to understand His Word. God reveals Himself in the Bible.
It is worth noting that when Jesus answered questions on any subject that has already been written in the Jews’ Scripture (the OT), He ALWAYS quoted Scripture for His answer. He would begin His statements with, “It is written,” “Have you never read,” etc. Jesus showed us that God’s written Word is as good as His spoken answer because Scripture is the Word of God and “what the Scripture says is true forever” (John 10:35). If Jesus were to appear to us today to answer our questions, I believe He would answer us in the same way He did the Jews back then, QUOTING SCRIPTURE. Why? Because, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).
We can learn from David how to pray for understanding: “Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart” (Psalm 119:33-34).
But obedience to God’s commandments is a condition for answered prayer: “…a good understanding have all they that do his commandments” (Psalm 111:10).
We need God’s Holy Spirit to understand His Word: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth” (John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual things (including the things about God, of course): “For what man knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of a man that is in him? So the things also that are of God, no man knoweth, but the Spirit of God. Now, we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God: that we may know the things that are given us from God. Which things also we speak: not in the learned words of human wisdom, but in the doctrine of the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:11-13).
God bless.
