“ What are we to do? We must never stop being peacemakers. (Matthew 5:9) We pray for them continually. We witness to them every chance we get. When war breaks out over the division we always seek to leave a door open in which to do our peace work.” Greg Koukl and Trey Gowdy have… Continue reading Not Peace but Division
The Deceit of Human Reason
It seems the definitive work on this today is Tim Keller’s Reasons for God. I had so many friends and family promoting him I had to not only read it, but I listened to his original sermons, which undoubtedly form the basis of the book, read the book and watched the DVD series. IMO he progressively softened the message, and by the time the DVD came out it was hard to find the Truth in it. I observed a lot of waffling and maybe just a bit of truth squeezed in at the end.
I observe other issues with Keller’s messages, I will not go into here.
I like what you wrote here..“They accuse those who teach Biblical Truth of not teaching what the original languages say because they rely on “tainted” translations.”
“William Tyndale was a formidable scholar who knew seven languages including Hebrew and Greek. His translation of the Bible was the basis for both the Geneva Bible and the King James Bible.”
Seven or eight years ago I picked up the most “tainted” of all translations the KJV. Despite knowing that Tyndall and the translators were such horrible scholars. Anyway in my own walk from RSV, to paraphrases, to NASB, to NIV, to ESV I never have gone back. I do appreciate your own translations too. Clearly the KJV is”tainted”. The best example I’ve seen lately, is their translations of the Hebrew words which they put in English as Judgment and Righteousness, while the more modern translations use the word so popular today, “Justice”. But then even today’s liberal or human reasoning advocates love that word. Literally, over a hundred changes.
“They focus on words and logic, but since faith is outside of Human Reason and totally not understandable by an unregenerate mind, they cannot see it nor grasp it.”
Nothing really wrong with words and logic. Gordon Clark was much better than Keller on these, he used logic soundly, and taught that we have to start from God’s Word, the Bible or we can’t have any knowledge of Truth.
Anyway I would agree, keep preaching.
by Mike Ratliff
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 2 Timothy 3:1-8 (NASB)
Genuine Christianity is not a world religion. Instead…
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Therefore Repent
Mike I do find your teaching soooooo useful.
Peter definitely got the messages.
Not only here…where he reflects on their ignorance, not unlike Jesus saying: Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Acts 3
Act 3:17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
Act 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.But Peter also was bold in his first speech.
Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
As I’ve repeated before, if you read Luke 24, you see that all about Jesus was actually, written and taught before in the Scriptures. Luke 24: 25-27, 44-47
by Mike Ratliff
19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19 (NASB)
One form of religion that claims to be Christian but isn’t is based in something called “no Lordship” or “easy-believism.” On the other hand, many of the proponents of it will point to what we call “the Gospel” in what follows as the “damnable heresy” of Lordship salvation. I have often shared here using passages such as Acts 3:19 (above) making it clear that the Bible tells us that there is no salvation without repentance and again in Acts 2:38.
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (NASB)
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On the Road to Emmaus
I wonder if spiritual blindness is regularly part of God’s sovereign plan.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
“ They were kept from recognizing Jesus because that was God’s will. This is supernatural my brethren and this is the sort of thing that professing Christians who are of the secular mindset reject.”
30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.
Pray for open eye, and eyes and hearts to see and hear God’s word, which is really his story….Jesus says this twice as Luke relates:
Luk 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,Plus it’s I directly said he regularly was reach the same.
by Mike Ratliff
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” Luke 24:1-7 (NASB)
The philosophy…
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Rainbow Trout 