Agreed; yet, would you agree that the way a person approaches a (seemingly) controversial passage is pretty much determined by their faith & readiness to condemn? A diligent person that wants the truth will have patience to carefully examine and not rush to the conclusion, but the person without faith will not want to examine, but immediately shout, aha!
Yes. And I avoid them. God has not called us to strive with skeptics. There is a rule I use called "opposing themselves" that is the signal for me to shake off the dust and talk to someone else. It is when they are not intellectually honest, and we can tell when it is going on.
Paul reasoned daily in the synagogue using prophesy scriptures about Jesus and they listen for a while but then they "opposed themselves". I believe this is when they knew that Paul's interpretation of the scripture was correct but they made statements declaring their unwillingness to admit it. That is when Paul shook off the dust and left them to teach the gentiles in that town. I have learned over the years to recognize when someone was opposing themselves and it was time for me to move on.
I think opposing oneself is the same as being intellectually dishonest, not willing to concede when in your heart you know that your interpretation is wrong or more specifically when someone else is correct. Opposing oneself goes on in the inside but those who have the Spirit of God as Paul had can see when it is going on.
Acts 18
4And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
5And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews
that Jesus
was Christ.
6And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook
his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood
be upon your own heads; I
am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
2 Tim 2:
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
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