Hi guys! (including you ladies too) Yes I know.... this is not what we have been traditionally taught in the Baptist church. But you have to admit there are many things we have been taught that we had to un learn concerning God that we were taught in the world., or the other churches we went to for that matter.
[FONT="]I was taught in the Catholic church that Mary was the mother of God and was co-equal with God. Among other very wrong teachings concerning God and His ways. We were taught that God was much like the Greek Gods who played crazy make no sense games with humans. Always testing us to see if we would listen or ignore His rules and regulations so we could be put in the "good" section and be accepted for that day.[/FONT]
These wrong concepts of God had to be cleared up in time by many of us who have been saved. We needed the truth concerning God from the Bible. Not ideas coming from certain religions we came from or even parents that we had who may have abused us or just were uncaring or not available. Just look at the many different people that come to CC. We all have differing ideas based on differing experiences based on differing countries and nations in the world.
Look at the different threads started by different people here. Each one of us have certain subjects we are into and want to discuss. There is nothing wrong with our different personalities because God made each one of us unique. But when it comes to the truth., the Bible is of no private interpretation so we can't take a Bible verse and build a religion on it. Yet that is what many (even Christians) have done.
Take the book of Job for instance. We were always taught that he was (the whole time) a man to follow in the foot steps of. But I've since discovered a few things about Job's beliefs that are not in agreement with what the Bible says about God. And so I have endeavored to share it here with those who are willing to reason together.
Paul Ellis is pretty cool IMO. I like his teachings on different things. Although we don't agree concerning some of the end times issues of the church. I am looking forward to Jesus coming for the church in what many of us call "the rapture" But that's ok Paul E. isn't on the same page as me.
In the next post I'll show some of the things PE says about Job. At the end of the book, Job found out some major truths about God he didn't know before and he was set straight by God (as we have been) These men of faith in the Bible were flawed and although they are examples of how us humans can fail and then come to our senses and learn to follow God., the bigger lessons are to show how gracious our God is in showing love and grace and mercy to us when we fail. How His love never fails although we often do.
So, again I am confused about your denominational background. But, this time, I have it right in front of me. I once told you that most of us (except Depleted and a few others) did not come out of the rigid, legalistic Catholic Church, like you. You countered that you did not come out of the Catholic Church. So what does the bolded part above say?
[FONT="]I was taught in the Catholic church that Mary was the mother of God and was co-equal with God. Among other very wrong teachings concerning God and His ways. We were taught that God was much like the Greek Gods who played crazy make no sense games with humans. Always testing us to see if we would listen or ignore His rules and regulations so we could be put in the "good" section and be accepted for that day.[/FONT]
It says, and I believe this is a direct quote from before, that you were “taught” in the RCC, etc, etc. I have no quarrel with what you say about the errors of the Catholic Church, although not sure how even you got Greek gods out of the RCC.
Again, no Catholic doctrine to unlearn for most of us, and Depleted has done a fine job of coming to a knowledge of the truth of the Bible - it being all about God, not about us.
For me personally, although I did attend Baptist Sunday School as a child, and then 2 a totally apostate churches in my early teens, where I basically learned nothing, my first experience in church was in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement where there were many people who loved God with all their hearts, and they knew the Bible a bit. I say “a bit” because there was no teaching of hermenetics and how to read the Bible.
It was all about “new revelation” and “new experiences.” Sadly, that left many people wandering out of classical Pentecostalism, (I do not agree with most of the doctrine, including eschatology or soteriology) but still people who had based their walk with God on the Bible. Word Faith, was a prime example of how far away experiential doctrine, which you espouse in this post, gets from the Bible.
But back to YOUR post. First, you talk about traditional Baptist Churches. So which variety? Because, an Independent, legalist, fundamentalist Baptist Church is about as far away from the convention I go to now. With everything in between. There are over 50 Baptist denominations in the US, plus a myriad of Independents, and in Canada, 5 conventions with a bunch of Independents.
If you knew anything about Baptists at all, you would realize their is a huge difference in doctrine, worship, translations used, mission, training of the eldership, etc. So, probably you shouldn’t draw such broad brush strokes about ALL Baptists and what has to be “unlearned.” In fact, from everything you post, mostly regurgitated from the filters of these REAL false teachers, JP and Paul Ellis, the only one needing to “unlearn” is you!
You have gone from the extreme of RCC rituals and legalism, never knowing if you are saved, to probably some kind of Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church, where you lived in terror of losing your salvation, to the far other extreme of the likes of hypergrace, where the Bible is sound bites, to prove doctrines, rather than the Bible being the sound basis of all doctrine, using context, historical background, Greek and Hebrew in the matter of exegetics to determine doctrine.
Oh yes, I haven’t been in a Baptist Church that didn’t have the Holy Spirit leading and guiding in all things. BUT, as every good Bible student knows, the Holy Spirit will NEVER taken you to a place far beyond the Bible or that is in conflict with the Bible. I have had the full Holy Spirit guiding me since the moment God saved me. One of the first things the Holy Spirit told me, was to read my Bible, which I have done faithfully from cover to cover for 37 years. And so much more.
And when the Holy Spirit comforted me in sickness, the presence and His love was so amazing. And He directed me to Scriptures that helped me recover from the judgment and condemnation the Word Faith Movement put on me. And God led me to seminary. Wow! Talk about a place with the Holy Spirit leading and guiding. And transformed people! Really living the fruits of the Holy Spirit, humble, gentle and caring, yet, so strong in the Word of God. Anointed people, in every sense of the word!
[FONT="]But I've since discovered a few things about Job's beliefs that are not in agreement with what the Bible says about God. And so I have endeavored to share it here with those who are willing to reason together.[/FONT]
You are kidding me, right? You have actually read the book of Job? Job was a righteous man in God’s eyes. And he never cursed him, even though Job’s wife told him to. Job had it right, and God certainly showed him in the last chapters, where he was wrong. But, don’t read anything into it. God never told Job why he had to suffer. But, it is pretty evident Job has been an example of the truths of God, his control of Satan, and what faithfulness looks like in the midst of suffering. I lived with Job as my best friend for 6 months after a painful reconstruction surgery, which went wrong. The Holy Spirit was there every minute ministering to me through that, and he used Job to help me make it through the pain, but also to grow tremendously as a Christian. Of course, I had a huge number of Christians praying for me, and I know prayers of God’s people was a big factor in what I went through, too!
I doubt I will even read your next copy and paste, Paul Ellis, is so shallow theologically. What did Maxwel say? A teacher at a business college? How does that have anything to do with theological training? When I read that, I saw exactly why this guy is a false teacher. Because he really doesn’t know the Bible at all.
He twists things around, knows nothing about context, and frankly doesn’t care, as long as he can support his direct experience! But you know the trouble with experiential Christianity like that? Well, just say, the devil masquerades as an angel of light, and these days, he is overly busy with that role, in the Word Faith/hypergrace Movement.
Anyway, I’m going to save this whole post of yours, especially the confusing references to being a Baptist and a Catholic. Not that you couldn’t be both, of course, but just that you denied it when I asked about it. It will be nice to have it, to bring back again. So, you are using the copy and paste method that certain other members used to use? I remember when he was exposed for using the same paragraphs over and over 20 times. It was quite a shock! I guess he rationalized it like you! That it was written by you (mostly), so why not copy and paste? I do copy and paste my own work, but I am always certain to post I am doing it. I just don’t find it honest to post something without the source, even if that source was you!
As for most of us, I think it was pretty easy to tear apart this constant unbiblical teaching. You know, when you think you are unlearning “traditions” you would be best to check the Bible, in context, rather than trusting these uneducated, unbliblical teachers, because I know you will find that YOU are the one being deceived and being dragged away from Biblcal Christianity, and from that deep and transforming walk with Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. And into traditions from the wrong source!
“
But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be condemned to hell! 9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!” Gal. 1:8-9 NET
[FONT="]
You have been deceived, and/or you are deceiving people in this forum. Condemned to hell, or “accursed” as the KJV says. Beware false teachers! Beware Paul Ellis and his lies, no matter if he appears like an angel of light![/FONT]