Putting God in a box, or putting your ideas in a cracked crock pot of error?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
1

1still_waters

Guest
#1
#1
I always see spiritual red flags when I hear someone make comments about putting God in a box. Don't hear me wrong, often we can put handcuffs on God, actually it's more like handcuffs on our thoughts about God, and we can indeed have a limited view of what he can and won't do.

Regardless, I'm convinced that when some people resort to the 'don't put God in a box' mantra, what they're really saying is: "Please accept my crackpot idea blindly without testing. I spent time letting it slowly cook in my cracked theological crock pot of error, letting it heat up to some nice heresy. If you don't accept what I say/teach, then you're just limiting God and quenching the Spirit."

I'm sorry, but the 'putting God in a box' mantra, should not be used to give ones crack pot spiritual ideas cover, so the masses will blindly accept the error you let slowly cook in your cracked crock pot. We don't have to put your slowly simmered morsels of error on our plate. We're not going to be guilted in to partaking of your morsels of error, just because we're afraid of 'putting God in a box'.

I'm a pot of fragile clay as it is. A jar of clay God is working in. I'm not going to let some crack pot teaching inside my already fragile clay jar. There's not room in this clay jar for both God and someone else's crack pot teachings and non-words from God.
 
Last edited:
A

Abiding

Guest
#2
#2
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1). The true sheep enter the sheepfold through the door, Jesus Christ (John 10:7). He as the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He protects His sheep from the wolves, gives them pasture, and abundant life (John 10:10-15). Being in the sheepfold may seem restrictive compared to the adventures of exploring the bigger world out there unencumbered by the guidance of the Shepherd. However the restrictions are there to save our spiritual lives.

The restrictions God places on how and by what means we may legitimately come to Him and receive spiritual truth are for our own good. The spirit world that Christian mystics like Morton Kelsey want to explore is far more complex than even Jung and Kelsey give it credit for being. The dangers of deception are far more real. In fact, if we journey into the world of the spirits by means other that what God has ordained, we will be deceived, not may be deceived. The spirits who inhabit that world have been there for many thousands of years practicing the art of deception. They willingly give people whatever experience they would tend to think is from God. Jose Silva, who is Catholic, when he went into his alpha level to gain guides received Jesus and Mary.72 The spirits will give you what you would expect is from God in your own context. They will provide any experience that serves their deceptive purposes, including sending a spiritual “Jesus” (see 2Corinthians 11:4). The prohibitions on divination are there to protect us from these malicious entities.

So we are not putting God in a box, God is putting us in a sheepfold if we are willing to be there. The practices of “thinking outside the box” that are so popular today are fatal when it comes to spirituality. God has not left access to spiritual truth in the hands of innovative thinkers who like pioneers blaze new trails. God has given access to Himself, once for all, through Jesus Christ who is our heavenly High Priest. The truth is revealed once for all in the Scriptures. excerp from Bob Deway
 
Last edited:
U

unclefester

Guest
#3
#3
1still_waters said:
I always see spiritual red flags when I hear someone make comments about putting God in a box. Don't hear me wrong, often we can put handcuffs on God, actually it's more like handcuffs on our thoughts about God, and we can indeed have a limited view of what he can and won't do.

Regardless, I'm convinced that when some people resort to the 'don't put God in a box' mantra, what they're really saying is: "Please accept my crackpot idea blindly without testing. I spent time letting it slowly cook in my cracked theological crock pot of error, letting it heat up to some nice heresy. If you don't accept what I say/teach, then you're just limiting God and quenching the Spirit."

I'm sorry, but the 'putting God in a box' mantra, should not be used to give ones crack pot spiritual ideas cover, so the masses will blindly accept the error you let slowly cook in your cracked crock pot. We don't have to put your slowly simmered morsels of error on our plate. We're not going to be guilted in to partaking of your morsels of error, just because we're afraid of 'putting God in a box'.

I'm a pot of fragile clay as it is. A jar of clay God is working in. I'm not going to let some crack pot teaching inside my already fragile clay jar. There's not room in this clay jar for both God and someone else's crack pot teachings and non-words from God.
Click to expand...
I remember when Gibby hit that homer. Cool pic /avatar:) (yup.....love my Tigers :))
 
S

silverwind

Guest
#4
#4
God cannot be put "in a box", quite obviously, because he is omnipresent ;). Unfortunately as long as we have these finite minds we will never fully understand everything because we cannot.
 
S

silverwind

Guest
#5
#5
unclefester said:
I remember when Gibby hit that homer. Cool pic /avatar:) (yup.....love my Tigers :))
Click to expand...
How come you have a little black square thingy instead of a green one? Have you been bad? ;)
 
U

unclefester

Guest
#6
#6
silverwind said:
How come you have a little black square thingy instead of a green one? Have you been bad? ;)
Click to expand...
I never did "enable" that thingy on my control panel. It just shows ones "reputation level". Figured I'd wait til' I received at least 3 REP approvals before I showed off .......Lol
 
D

dinner82

Guest
#7
#7
Definitely agree. In my limited experience, I've encountered some self-proclaimed Christians who have a mindset- not necessarily given by God but are fueled by a particular ideological, theological or even Biblical thought that is then twisted and morphs into something other than truth. Mix a little doubt and fear in, and you get recipe for disaster. That's why it's so important to be familiar with the real deal so you know the counterfeits when they inevitably come up. I'm struggling with recognizing the fake "crack pot" theories, because until recently I was backsliding, so I'm trying to get closer to God.
 
A

Abiding

Guest
#8
#8
dinner82 said:
Definitely agree. In my limited experience, I've encountered some self-proclaimed Christians who have a mindset- not necessarily given by God but are fueled by a particular ideological, theological or even Biblical thought that is then twisted and morphs into something other than truth. Mix a little doubt and fear in, and you get recipe for disaster. That's why it's so important to be familiar with the real deal so you know the counterfeits when they inevitably come up. I'm struggling with recognizing the fake "crack pot" theories, because until recently I was backsliding, so I'm trying to get closer to God.
Click to expand...
Welcome back :)
 
S

silverwind

Guest
#9
#9
unclefester said:
I never did "enable" that thingy on my control panel. It just shows ones "reputation level". Figured I'd wait til' I received at least 3 REP approvals before I showed off .......Lol
Click to expand...
"gasp" 3 REP approvals? how will you ever pull that off ;)
 
U

unclefester

Guest
#10
#10
silverwind said:
"gasp" 3 REP approvals? how will you ever pull that off ;)
Click to expand...

Giving a prophecy or two should put me way over my goal. Combine that with claiming it and I should be good to go. Where you been lately ? You're missed you know, ya knucklehead :)
 
S

silverwind

Guest
#11
#11
unclefester said:
Giving a prophecy or two should put me way over my goal. Combine that with claiming it and I should be good to go. Where you been lately ? You're missed you know, ya knucklehead :)
Click to expand...
this knucklehead was on vacation for 2.5 weeks in sunny california :) other than that i really don't have much wisdom to give since everyone in here already knows it all ;)
glad i'm missed tho... at least by one person, that accounts for somethin!
 
loveschild

loveschild

Banned
#12
May 21, 2009
3,955
25
0
#12
1still_waters said:
I always see spiritual red flags when I hear someone make comments about putting God in a box. Don't hear me wrong, often we can put handcuffs on God, actually it's more like handcuffs on our thoughts about God, and we can indeed have a limited view of what he can and won't do.

Regardless, I'm convinced that when some people resort to the 'don't put God in a box' mantra, what they're really saying is: "Please accept my crackpot idea blindly without testing. I spent time letting it slowly cook in my cracked theological crock pot of error, letting it heat up to some nice heresy. If you don't accept what I say/teach, then you're just limiting God and quenching the Spirit."

I'm sorry, but the 'putting God in a box' mantra, should not be used to give ones crack pot spiritual ideas cover, so the masses will blindly accept the error you let slowly cook in your cracked crock pot. We don't have to put your slowly simmered morsels of error on our plate. We're not going to be guilted in to partaking of your morsels of error, just because we're afraid of 'putting God in a box'.

I'm a pot of fragile clay as it is. A jar of clay God is working in. I'm not going to let some crack pot teaching inside my already fragile clay jar. There's not room in this clay jar for both God and someone else's crack pot teachings and non-words from God.
Click to expand...

I like the part about handcuffing Gods hands. He showed me churches do this. He told me he is not in any box people put him in, he is everywhere. He said they only call on him when they want something. He's very upset about this. He doesn't like people standing in the place of God and he doesn't like people worshiping other people. He is God and he shares his glory with no man. People need to repent and ask for mercy.
 
H

Hearer

Guest
#14
#14
1still_waters said:
I always see spiritual red flags when I hear someone make comments about putting God in a box. Don't hear me wrong, often we can put handcuffs on God, actually it's more like handcuffs on our thoughts about God, and we can indeed have a limited view of what he can and won't do.

Regardless, I'm convinced that when some people resort to the 'don't put God in a box' mantra, what they're really saying is: "Please accept my crackpot idea blindly without testing. I spent time letting it slowly cook in my cracked theological crock pot of error, letting it heat up to some nice heresy. If you don't accept what I say/teach, then you're just limiting God and quenching the Spirit."

I'm sorry, but the 'putting God in a box' mantra, should not be used to give ones crack pot spiritual ideas cover, so the masses will blindly accept the error you let slowly cook in your cracked crock pot. We don't have to put your slowly simmered morsels of error on our plate. We're not going to be guilted in to partaking of your morsels of error, just because we're afraid of 'putting God in a box'.

I'm a pot of fragile clay as it is. A jar of clay God is working in. I'm not going to let some crack pot teaching inside my already fragile clay jar. There's not room in this clay jar for both God and someone else's crack pot teachings and non-words from God.
Click to expand...
the thing about a cracked pot is that when you put a candle/light under it, it lets the light out. The thing about criticising crackpot ideas is that you speak in such general terms that mean you won't accept any food/signs.

Would you have accepted Ezekiel's prophecies? Or Jesus' urgent woes against religious leaders while he trained up his own select band of "sinners". What sort of crackpot teaches spiritual pearls to taxcollectors and fishermen and protsitutes? Especially when he has already taught that we don't throw pearls to swine.

He said himself that John was a crackpot for living on nothing in the desert and that Jesus himself was a crackpot because he was a glutton and a drunk.

Mnay of the crackppts here mean well and are gentle. It is the hardliners who keep arguing that new thoughts are to be shouted down with endless off-topic statements and quotes.
 
Red33

Red33

Banned
#15
Jun 24, 2010
3,822
19
0
#15
God has put Himself in our box, that's us. We are the box and He is God and when we believed upon His Son He put Himself in the box of our humanity to dwell within us. Was that a good decision by God to do that, we think so, don't we? I wouldn't want it to be any other way and He promised to never leave us or forsake us, so He has purposed to be in us for the long haul. I like that and I am very thankful for His decision, for it was not mine.

Now it is God's work to fill our box with His word, His promises, His grace and truth, His love and mercy and with the things of God that reveal His life. While He is filling us, He wants to wash that box and sanctify it and make it clean. My box is a different shape then your box but God can fill both boxes with the same life so that both boxes can reveal Him. God made the box and gave it humanity and now through His redemption He wants to give it divinity through His Son and all the promises of God.

The outward part of that box is perishing but the inward part is being renewed daily. We must take care of the box and keep it maintained so that we can keep being renewed in the life of God that dwells within. The life of God is always growing inside the box just waiting to be release. Eventually, God has a plan to empty and break that box of all the precious treasure that He has invested in that box through His word, through grace and through much patience, so that others may benefit by the life of God that abides in that box. We are all beautiful boxes of humanity in the sight of God and what is inside the box is a mystery of God that can turn the world upside down.
 
G

giantone

Guest
#16
#16
I never use that term. I never thought about not using the term as well.

I think that God is who God is and we have limited knowledge. The knowledge we do have comes from the Bible, our experiences, a little of this, a little of that.

None of us see things crystal clear, some of us don't see at all.

I think the phrase "don't put God in a box" is not a clear truthful statement, You can't put Satan in a box because he is always changing and lying and flip flopping. God is who God is and God will never change.

The statement should be " God has a box too big for me to know."
 
H

Hearer

Guest
#17
#17
the one box you cannot put God in is a coffin. He is eternal and resurrected.
 
Digital_Angel_316

Digital_Angel_316

Banned
#18
May 2, 2011
1,134
8
0
#18
Abiding said:
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1). The true sheep enter the sheepfold through the door, Jesus Christ (John 10:7). He as the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He protects His sheep from the wolves, gives them pasture, and abundant life (John 10:10-15). Being in the sheepfold may seem restrictive compared to the adventures of exploring the bigger world out there unencumbered by the guidance of the Shepherd. However the restrictions are there to save our spiritual lives.

The restrictions God places on how and by what means we may legitimately come to Him and receive spiritual truth are for our own good. The spirit world that Christian mystics like Morton Kelsey want to explore is far more complex than even Jung and Kelsey give it credit for being. The dangers of deception are far more real. In fact, if we journey into the world of the spirits by means other that what God has ordained, we will be deceived, not may be deceived. The spirits who inhabit that world have been there for many thousands of years practicing the art of deception. They willingly give people whatever experience they would tend to think is from God. Jose Silva, who is Catholic, when he went into his alpha level to gain guides received Jesus and Mary.72 The spirits will give you what you would expect is from God in your own context. They will provide any experience that serves their deceptive purposes, including sending a spiritual “Jesus” (see 2Corinthians 11:4). The prohibitions on divination are there to protect us from these malicious entities.

So we are not putting God in a box, God is putting us in a sheepfold if we are willing to be there. The practices of “thinking outside the box” that are so popular today are fatal when it comes to spirituality. God has not left access to spiritual truth in the hands of innovative thinkers who like pioneers blaze new trails. God has given access to Himself, once for all, through Jesus Christ who is our heavenly High Priest. The truth is revealed once for all in the Scriptures. excerp from Bob Deway
Click to expand...
The ark of the covenant is a literal "Box of Rocks". We put god in that box in err. (The law
came by moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ). We are not to put our faith in
a box of rocks (or on the wall of Judge Moore's Court). David said it well when he said -- I
will hide your word in my heart ...

The new testament says ... The law is not written on tablets of stone, but in our hearts

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink
but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human
hearts. [2 Cor 3:3 NIV for simplicity]

We are also to not 'bottle up' the truth of scripture ..

Luke 11:33-36 "No man, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar, nor under a basket, but
on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye.
Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light; but when it is evil,
your body also is full of darkness. Therefore see whether the light that is in you isn’t
darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be
wholly full of light, as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you light."

Matt 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. [NIV for simplicity]

"Putting God in a Box" is nothing to do. Spiritual "Mysticism" in terms of magic revelation
is a different thing. But we are to be 'quickened in spirit' and baptized with the fire of a
fervent witness - Born Again into a new walk.

Perhaps the Opening Post needs to be more clear in it's intent.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#19
#19
1still_waters said:
I always see spiritual red flags when I hear someone make comments about putting God in a box. Don't hear me wrong, often we can put handcuffs on God, actually it's more like handcuffs on our thoughts about God, and we can indeed have a limited view of what he can and won't do.

Regardless, I'm convinced that when some people resort to the 'don't put God in a box' mantra, what they're really saying is: "Please accept my crackpot idea blindly without testing. I spent time letting it slowly cook in my cracked theological crock pot of error, letting it heat up to some nice heresy. If you don't accept what I say/teach, then you're just limiting God and quenching the Spirit."

I'm sorry, but the 'putting God in a box' mantra, should not be used to give ones crack pot spiritual ideas cover, so the masses will blindly accept the error you let slowly cook in your cracked crock pot. We don't have to put your slowly simmered morsels of error on our plate. We're not going to be guilted in to partaking of your morsels of error, just because we're afraid of 'putting God in a box'.

I'm a pot of fragile clay as it is. A jar of clay God is working in. I'm not going to let some crack pot teaching inside my already fragile clay jar. There's not room in this clay jar for both God and someone else's crack pot teachings and non-words from God.
Click to expand...
I agree. and might add. Even if our doctrines are correct (which I doubt any of ours are 100 % in all areas) we should not use this scape goat to try to guilt people into believing our way. God never used it. And if we would use it. It makes us no better then the people you are speaking to.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#20
#20
unclefester said:
Giving a prophecy or two should put me way over my goal. Combine that with claiming it and I should be good to go. Where you been lately ? You're missed you know, ya knucklehead :)
Click to expand...
lol. I somehow made it. I think if I can anyone can. you should have no worries ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.