.
57» Rom 16:17-18 . . I urge you, brothers, beware of those who cause
divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you
have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our
Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they
deceive the minds of naïve people.
Naïve folk can be characterized as credulous, i.e. easily convinced by slight
or uncertain evidence, viz: non-critical thinkers.
"smooth talk" is the practice of sophistry; defined as a reason or an
argument that sounds correct but at its core is actually false; viz: subtly
deceptive reasoning or argumentation. Sophistry is typically rational,
reasonable, and sensible; but the thing to keep in mind is that faith believes
what's revealed rather than only what makes sense.
According to Eph 4:11-14 the very reason that Christ endows some of his
followers to speak for him is so that the rest of his followers may have
access to true premises upon which to build their faith and thus achieve the
unity for which he prayed at John 17:20-21.
NOTE: Rom 16:17-18 contains somewhat universal instructions because,
with a little adjustment here and there, they can be incorporated as
counseling for just about every ideology known to man, e.g. Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam, Baha'i, Protestant, Catholic, Democracy, Communism,
Socialism, etc. It's kind of humorous, in an ironic sort of way, that
everybody's ideology warns its adherents about the dangers of everybody
else's ideology.
_
57» Rom 16:17-18 . . I urge you, brothers, beware of those who cause
divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you
have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our
Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they
deceive the minds of naïve people.
Naïve folk can be characterized as credulous, i.e. easily convinced by slight
or uncertain evidence, viz: non-critical thinkers.
"smooth talk" is the practice of sophistry; defined as a reason or an
argument that sounds correct but at its core is actually false; viz: subtly
deceptive reasoning or argumentation. Sophistry is typically rational,
reasonable, and sensible; but the thing to keep in mind is that faith believes
what's revealed rather than only what makes sense.
According to Eph 4:11-14 the very reason that Christ endows some of his
followers to speak for him is so that the rest of his followers may have
access to true premises upon which to build their faith and thus achieve the
unity for which he prayed at John 17:20-21.
NOTE: Rom 16:17-18 contains somewhat universal instructions because,
with a little adjustment here and there, they can be incorporated as
counseling for just about every ideology known to man, e.g. Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam, Baha'i, Protestant, Catholic, Democracy, Communism,
Socialism, etc. It's kind of humorous, in an ironic sort of way, that
everybody's ideology warns its adherents about the dangers of everybody
else's ideology.
_
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