One thing I have learned in all of my debates about the Bible and Homosexuality, is that the Bible can be made to say just about anything one wants it to say, and yet, the Spirit says only the truth.

That sounds really simple and easy to get, but then you find out that what the Spirit says is truth for one person, might actually be different to what is true for another. This is a complexity in God that I have never managed to fathom and so I have just come to accept.

When people tell me that there cannot be two truths, I have no answer. When people tell me “We can’t both be right.” I have no answer either.

I can only hold up my two empty hands and say that in a human economy, we can’t both be right, but maybe in God’s economy we can?

We want things to be concrete, graspable, easy to understand and live with, whereas I think that much of Scripture, and all of God, is abstract and difficult to understand.

There is an illustration in the Gospel of John of how one thing can be true/applicable to one person and not to another:

Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”

Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

John 20:18-22 (Emphasis mine)

Here, Jesus has clearly given one instruction to Peter, and indicates that another instruction may apply to John. And Jesus reminds Peter that His instructions to John are not Peter’s concern. Peter’s only concern is to “Follow me.”

If this is too deep and makes no sense, I blame it on an excess of chocolate and insufficient sleep. 😆

Just putting it out there.

I am reminded of the words of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Our knowledge of God and his will is limited and tempered by our human minds and we cannot begin to fathom his thoughts. Maybe, in God’s ‘philosophy’ two different and seemingly opposing views can in fact be right. I think God is big enough to be able to do that, and big enough, certainly to treat each person as an individual with an individual life path, plan, and mission.

Blessings,

I know for myself God has given me a conscious, a ‘path’ I guess and a standard that he holds me to [which I am forever failing at hehe] and wants me to follow – I know this is not some huge revelation that the whole of humanity must now live by just because it works [or should work] for me – that’s just silly – I see God alive and kicking in people that follow a completly different path to me – and live in ways that I know God doesn’t want me to – but I know we both can be right [in the way we live and what we believe] because we are following Gods individual call on our lives – how can we possibly do anything more?

Hey I did it, I quoted woohoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

I had to enable the bbcode for the post, just by accident discovered it, well probably guided 😉

Yes, Bec I agree with you, we all have our own calling and far out I have no desire to be what many people are and do, I’d just bum out very quickly, happy like you to follow what God wants for me. I mean theres a corporate call, to believe, pray, worship, be thankful………..etc then theres our own call, I remember Sy Rogers using the finger print as an example about 4yrs ago, it was a great example and message. (just my thoughts too)

Yeh, what I agree on is that also, that there are some things applicable to all across the board no doubt……then their is personal stuff, like ministry or work or family, our giftings, talents etc……..there is no way I could do what anyone on this post does, just not in me, even if I gave it my best shot it would be half assed in comparison because its not me, not my talent not my call. But if God asks me to do something off the cuff, because he asked, he has provided, so it will be ok as I have experienced before but if its my own just willy nilly decision, not often I can pull it off with success. Dunno just my opinion. On second thoughts, sometimes just taking a massive chance or leap can prove fruitful, gotta watch which wind blows from me gob sometimes. wink

Well to me biblical error is an oxymoron, I’m not sure whether that is pious nor naieve. Certainly people make errors about the bible, but the bible itself in its objective form as God wishes it to be read? Zero error.

I have only been a Christian about eighteen months so my list is possibly not quite as substantial. The way people deal with it is to assume that they are not in error. There is an anon quote that says “there are three sides to every story, your side, their side and the truth” there is some relevance in that idea. Perhaps when we realise that perviously we have been in error we see the whole thing more as a learning experience than a complete 180. I have got a whole lot of stuff wrong. The stupidest mistake I ever made was to reject homosexuality because other people told me I should. I made a HUGE decison based on the face value of the bible and other more mature Christians opinions. While I am glad I made the decisions I did if I could do it over my motives for doing them would be totally different.

The funny thing about it is we assume that God will look at our lives, actions, beliefs and behaviours in the same way that we percieve other peoples from the outside. Yet God knows whats in our heads 24/7, he knows our motives for doing things. Personally I believe that it is these motives that count for more to God. If we live lives that in our heart are truely meant to honour God, and we do belive sincerely that we have interpreted section x correctly then even if that interpretation proves faulty our motives are still pure because we are using our understanding in the here and now to honour God, and he knows that.

Does that answer your question? Maybe I interpreted it wrong 😆

It amazes me what makes people think they have heard specifically from God to the point of special revelation, just for them to spread? shock one well known guy would say he often saw Jesus and they conversed shock and he has a huge following, he has passed away but claimed Jesus told him he would see his return, it didnt happen and yet people fob it off with excuses, he has some wonderful preaching with some things but far out he has some weird in other things.