Well, the NT killings do show parallels with the OT, or "under the Law" argument, and I might argue that they occurred as "types," so that we may see more fully "a sin without forgiveness" or something...but I would find it hard to believe that killing from God would occur in this dispensation? After Christ came and showed literally the opposite? Make that impossible to believe.
That God is perfect is essentially not understandable with our minds, also, so really, how far do you need to go down this path to trust God? My point being that either God tells people to kill today, or prolly not, and they are deluded; and God killed people in the past, and made a record of it, for you to assimilate.
If God is not understandable, why do so many people think they do understand Him?
Edit: Oh, sorry. You didn't say He's not understandable. You said that God is perfect is essentially not understandable. Never mind.
So, anyway, my point is that if God speaks to people (today or in the distant past), nobody can really know for sure if what they think He says to them really is God speaking. Some say are absolutely certain that He does, but they can't be certain. Anyone could be deluded, including those who say they hear reasonable things. But again, nobody who does believe God speaks has any basis to say to someone else that they are wrong, when they've heard something -- even "unreasonable" things. God's ways are not our ways, after all.
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
If God is not understandable, why do so many people think they do understand Him?
Edit: Oh, sorry. You didn't say He's not understandable. You said that God is perfect is essentially not understandable. Never mind.
So, anyway, my point is that if God speaks to people (today or in the distant past), nobody can really know for sure if what they think He says to them really is God speaking. Some say are absolutely certain that He does, but they can't be certain. Anyone could be deluded, including those who say they hear reasonable things. But again, nobody who does believe God speaks has any basis to say to someone else that they are wrong, when they've heard something -- even "unreasonable" things. God's ways are not our ways, after all.
I agree with most of your post, Timmy, but I disagree in that a way has been provided that anyone may know for sure, and not be deluded. I use it all the time, and it is not held out for "believers" only. I don't believe this is given to aid anyone's judgement, but everyone's discernment, meaning that testing is given so that a person may know for themselves.
No political talk in my church at all. I try not to talk politics outside either. I do my own studies, and I vote. That's it. Now I'll admit, when I was of the world, one of my favorite things to do was loudcast my views.
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1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
I agree with most of your post, Timmy, but I disagree in that a way has been provided that anyone may know for sure, and not be deluded. I use it all the time, and it is not held out for "believers" only. I don't believe this is given to aid anyone's judgement, but everyone's discernment, meaning that testing is given so that a person may know for themselves.
OK, spell out the method, please.
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
If God is not understandable, why do so many people think they do understand Him?
Edit: Oh, sorry. You didn't say He's not understandable. You said that God is perfect is essentially not understandable. Never mind.
Ha, you like to play with words, but you know that what is meant is that the whole of God is not understandable. I would hate to think that someone was reluctant to post an aspect of God that might have revealed to them for fear of being misunderstood, laughed at, etc., as I am able to discern for myself, just like anyone.
I note that I got quite a bit of ridicule for "If God was in the next room, you, a believer, would run screaming from the house," which makes it no less true, surely not for me, anyway...
Ok, 1 John 4:2
I'll post this link, http://bible.cc/1_john/4-2.htm
as the translations differ, but note that nowhere is this reserved for believers only, or anything; you might simply need to temporarily suspend any disbelief that you can test a spirit, and I say temporarily because I started down this road a skeptic, and I encourage you to ignore this if it does not edify you. Fake it 'til you make it worked fine for me here, and it will for you too. As I recall, irrefutable evidence came for me in less than a week; in the form of silence, when I expected agreement, which I don't expect to convince you, of course.
Ok, 1 John 4:2
I'll post this link, http://bible.cc/1_john/4-2.htm
as the translations differ, but note that nowhere is this reserved for believers only, or anything; you might simply need to temporarily suspend any disbelief that you can test a spirit, and I say temporarily because I started down this road a skeptic, and I encourage you to ignore this if it does not edify you. Fake it 'til you make it worked fine for me here, and it will for you too. As I recall, irrefutable evidence came for me in less than a week; in the form of silence, when I expected agreement, which I don't expect to convince you, of course.
The question was regarding God speaking to people. Are you saying that the method of knowing whether God has spoken to you or not is to ask the (potential) spirit (who may or may not be God) if Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? If it/he says "yes", then it is definitely God who spoke to you?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
The question was regarding God speaking to people. Are you saying that the method of knowing whether God has spoken to you or not is to ask the (potential) spirit (who may or may not be God) if Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? If it/he says "yes", then it is definitely God who spoke to you?
Correct, yes, except that this spirit will not ever be God for the simple reason that it is a spirit, which your post seems to not acknowledge the existence of? But it is simply a things...center, the image you get in your mind when I say...recycling, for instance. "Recycling" might invoke quite a few images to you, from the drudgery of actually doing recycling, to the warm fuzzy feeling evoked in making the planet a better place, but whatever the specific image that it brings to your mind, you now have its spirit, right there in your brain. I might add that this was carefully chosen, as this should not be a frivolous exercise, but I didn't want to involve the other variables that testing aspects of Scripture might involve. I'm realizing that it's almost foreign to me again, haven't had to test a spirit in, wow, over a year, so prolly two, hmm, but the sequence I did go through in testing spirits left a powerful impression that I haven't forgotten...ah, you have to test spirits when you do new things or accept new beliefs, and I'm not doing anything new since then in those areas ouch lol.
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