Have "christians" Decided To Pick And Choose Parts Of The Bible? Your Thoughts?

Hello

I was wondering if this was only in my select group of friends, or if it was a common denominator among other Christian groups of friends? There are certain scriptures that people tend to overlook- or worse yet, pretend they don't exist. Somewhere along the way, it seems Christians have lost focus on several truths of scripture. Is there some reason for this? Does anyone have any insight? I know that no Christian is perfect, and that the only perfect person was Jesus- but isn't there at least some degree of attempting to be Christ like? Recently, in interacting with several circles of online friends (which I have other non-Internet Christian friends and that is a different issue), but whether they are online or not- I notice a lot of Christians, nae those who claim to bear HIS Name, doing things which contradict scripture. The following ones are some that stand out, and was wondering what anyone's thoughts were. Is this the new "normal" because we are facing the end times, if this is the new "normal" to overlook The Word of God- then we are in dangerous territory. Here are the verses:

# 1- Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.- Ephesians 4:31

# 2- To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.- Titus 3:2

# 3- Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.- Ephesians 4:21

We are called, as Christians to be examples to others. So what kind of an example is being set if you are bitter, hateful, spread malice and content with others? What kind of a witness is that to a non-Christian? It isn't. And I see way too many people who claim to be Christians that act opposite of that- is it my imagination or is this getting worse?


The other thing I see is flat out denial of scripture. A common one in my mind is Matthew 6:15, which states that if we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us. I have been told on several occasions that this was irrelevant, because it was "before Jesus died". So in essence is this to mean that we no longer have to forgive anyone? I think not.

Anyway, that sums up what I have been seeing lately and I wondered if I was alone, I welcome any thoughts & discussion- it would be much appreciated.
 
I dont see those scriptures ignored a lot, but I do see them misused a lot. Such as ephesians 4:21, I see a lot of people using that verse to tell other christians to sit down and shutup basically-that we shouldnt speak out against the evil in our world, and that just isnt true. Jesus spoke out frequently, and I think we are called to. People often falsely accuse christians of spreading malice and miscontent, simply because what were telling them is the truth. Truth hurts, but it is not malice.
 
I dont see those scriptures ignored a lot, but I do see them misused a lot. Such as ephesians 4:21, I see a lot of people using that verse to tell other christians to sit down and shutup basically-that we shouldnt speak out against the evil in our world, and that just isnt true. Jesus spoke out frequently, and I think we are called to. People often falsely accuse christians of spreading malice and miscontent, simply because what were telling them is the truth. Truth hurts, but it is not malice.

But what about facts? What if the so called "truth" is gossip and not verified?
 
is there some kind of secondary agenda here? last I checked, the facts were the truth. the two are not interchangeable. So if I say the truth, it means the truth, as in aka the facts. If your talking about something else, then maybe you should be a little bit more specific.
 
is there some kind of secondary agenda here? last I checked, the facts were the truth. the two are not interchangeable. So if I say the truth, it means the truth, as in aka the facts. If your talking about something else, then maybe you should be a little bit more specific.


Well, truth has to be verified by facts. Without facts, it is an opinion. Some examples that come to mind, is Obama not being a US Citizen, or him being a Muslim.
 
It's human nature that hasn't yet come into submission to God's Spirit, IMHO. And yes, it is very common. It doesn't seem that there is a lot of value placed on meekness, gentleness, and kindness. They are seen as weakness. But I submit that genuine meekness, gentleness, and kindness come from strength, not weakness. For instance, some people's faith is weak, and they find it threatening that someone else might not believe the same things they do, so they lash out in an effort to get the other person to conform (or at least aquiesce) to their beliefs or to go away. If everyone around them shares every point of their belief, they can feel secure and comfortable because their faith is not sufficient to stand on its own.
 
Incorrect. Truth is fact and verifiable. If its not verifiable then it neither fact nor truth but opinion. However there is a very strong case against Obamas citizenship-enough of one that if we were taken to court hr would likely be at best, deported. Now, this is a side issue let's get back to the main issue.

If something is true, as in factual, then one has the responsibility to share it. Many people don't like this, some because they know what they believe is a lie, but most honestly believe themselves right, and don't like having their bubbles burst. No one does. But that doesn't mean the original poster was slandering anyone. And some is how you present it.

For example, Obamas citizenship, g
Just saying Obamas a dirty, illegal alien then that is indeed slander. But, if you say his birth certificate was faked and list multiple verifiable sources, such as sherrif arapaoes investigation into the matter, among others. That's not slander that's true-the facts, aka the evidence shows that Obama may not a citizen-or at the very least not born in the US.

now, if a person presents an factual argument, and you falsely accuse them of slander, are you not yourself slandering that person? You are right in that we shouldn't slander others even Obama but we should also check ourselves and make sure were not falsely accusing someone of slander when they are presenting factual arguments.
 
Karson,
The answer is as P13 and Rumely have assured, it is very common and I will go even further on the basis of Christian Surveys, taken by the Barna Group. There are less than 2%, across the nation, of the membership of the Church that are saved and that means that there is less than 2% that, even, attempt to live a Christian life.

Now, on to the matter of truth and fact. You are using the wrong ground work for your decisions. Truth is not based on fact, truth is fact, just as a fact is the truth. The word you need is evidence and if you go there you fall onto the slippery slope the Atheist seeks to push you down. I know, because I was one for decades. Why is it slippery? Because we know the Bible to be true and to be fact. Much of the scriptures has been proven true by scientists examining the past in world wide archaeological digs but the Atheist and the non;Christian will do everything possible to drag you away from there with, "Yeah, but..."

The answer to the Atheist is simple, "We believe by faith in the truth of the Word of God," and that drives them nuts. I wish the answer for the other 98% of the Church membership could be that simple, but it isn't.
 
Karson,
Because we know the Bible to be true and to be fact. Much of the scriptures has been proven true by scientists examining the past in world wide archaeological digs but the Atheist and the non;Christian will do everything possible to drag you away from there with, "Yeah, but..."

I 100% agree, but I was not questioning ever the validity of The Bible, I am talking (in Response to Patriots' response) the validity of human sources that's all. But that is off topic of the original post. When I made the post, politics was NOT in my mind at all.
 
Hello

I was wondering if this was only in my select group of friends, or if it was a common denominator among other Christian groups of friends? There are certain scriptures that people tend to overlook- or worse yet, pretend they don't exist. Somewhere along the way, it seems Christians have lost focus on several truths of scripture. Is there some reason for this? Does anyone have any insight? I know that no Christian is perfect, and that the only perfect person was Jesus- but isn't there at least some degree of attempting to be Christ like? Recently, in interacting with several circles of online friends (which I have other non-Internet Christian friends and that is a different issue), but whether they are online or not- I notice a lot of Christians, nae those who claim to bear HIS Name, doing things which contradict scripture. The following ones are some that stand out, and was wondering what anyone's thoughts were. Is this the new "normal" because we are facing the end times, if this is the new "normal" to overlook The Word of God- then we are in dangerous territory. Here are the verses:

# 1- Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.- Ephesians 4:31

# 2- To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.- Titus 3:2

# 3- Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.- Ephesians 4:21

We are called, as Christians to be examples to others. So what kind of an example is being set if you are bitter, hateful, spread malice and content with others? What kind of a witness is that to a non-Christian? It isn't. And I see way too many people who claim to be Christians that act opposite of that- is it my imagination or is this getting worse?

The other thing I see is flat out denial of scripture. A common one in my mind is Matthew 6:15, which states that if we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us. I have been told on several occasions that this was irrelevant, because it was "before Jesus died". So in essence is this to mean that we no longer have to forgive anyone? I think not.

Anyway, that sums up what I have been seeing lately and I wondered if I was alone, I welcome any thoughts & discussion- it would be much appreciated.

Karson...........we are in what the Bible call "The Apostasy".

2 Thess. 2:3
"Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition".

When we consider the context of that verse we look to verse #1 and we see Paul is talking about the next coming of Christ which he Calls the "Cathching Away" of believers.

IMO we are in the midst of such a "falling away" from the Word of God.

We now accept what we want to believe, NOT what the Word of God actually says. That is called ..........................
"Cafeterira Christianity".

We pick what we like, what we can do and want to do and simply reject the rest.
 
I dont see those scriptures ignored a lot, but I do see them misused a lot. Such as ephesians 4:21, I see a lot of people using that verse to tell other christians to sit down and shutup basically-that we shouldnt speak out against the evil in our world, and that just isnt true. Jesus spoke out frequently, and I think we are called to. People often falsely accuse christians of spreading malice and miscontent, simply because what were telling them is the truth. Truth hurts, but it is not malice.


Sometimes it is malice, malice dressed up as the Gospel. I see this often. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Remember, Jesus is not an American. He is not beholden to the American way.
 
Sometimes it is malice, malice dressed up as the Gospel. I see this often. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Remember, Jesus is not an American. He is not beholden to the American way.

Agreed.

The definiton of malice is:desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness

Nothing about False accusations, according to the Dictionary definition of malice- if you intend to inflict harm or suffering on somebody, it is malice. True or not- not everything needs to be spoken. There is also a verse in The Bible that says Love seeks to cover offenses.-

Proverbs 17:9 - He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

As far as politics go, we are to submit. FACT- Romans 13 , and unless they tell us to do something against The Word of God, we are to submit. (FYI- Buying Health Insurance and Registering your guns is NOT a sin and if mandated, Christians should do so, Biblically speaking- off topic, I know- but just thought I would throw it out there since Politics was brought up by Mr. Patriot above)

Facts are only facts if backed up by, well facts. Facts can be made up to push one's agenda, and are not always fact. Often, I see facts changed and slanted to push one's own political or other agenda. Such as..... a recent example of stating that the Affordable Care Act mandates RFID Chipping, it even cites a page and article number- it is false, because you look at the Affordable Care Act and it is not there. That is as far as I am going to take this thread off the original intent.

Back on topic, it is frustrating that Christians have become "Cafeteria Christians" and decided to only pick what they want and leave the rest. God's word is true, and it is all or none- if you take one thing out, you may as well throw the entire thing out and my purpose was to see if I am alone, or if everyone else knows people like that.

cafeteria+chistianity.jpg
 
Karson,
As I mentioned before, you are not wrong in substance but because of your misuse of language, you have no case. You keep tossing the word "fact" out there when you need evidence. I can tell you all day long that I flew over a thousand hours in Vietnam all day long but, though it is a fact, without evidence, it cannot stand, uncontested! Like-wise, it is a fact that King David was a man after God's own heart and from a thorough study of the passages in scripture one might deduce that truth. On the other hand, had God not had it recorded for us, it would be a truth, a.k.a. fact, without evidence and could, in fact, be called a deduction that is unproven.

I do not wish to contend with your thoughts because I'm feeling that you are not going amiss but with improper use of the language, you will never make the point you are attempting to drive home.
 
Karson,
As I mentioned before, you are not wrong in substance but because of your misuse of language, you have no case. You keep tossing the word "fact" out there when you need evidence. I can tell you all day long that I flew over a thousand hours in Vietnam all day long but, though it is a fact, without evidence, it cannot stand, uncontested! Like-wise, it is a fact that King David was a man after God's own heart and from a thorough study of the passages in scripture one might deduce that truth. On the other hand, had God not had it recorded for us, it would be a truth, a.k.a. fact, without evidence and could, in fact, be called a deduction that is unproven.

I do not wish to contend with your thoughts because I'm feeling that you are not going amiss but with improper use of the language, you will never make the point you are attempting to drive home.

I see where you are coming from. It is evidence...... is the word I am looking for. I guess I was just uncertain how to properly put it into words.
 
I see where you are coming from. It is evidence...... is the word I am looking for. I guess I was just uncertain how to properly put it into words.
I understand, I got as far as the eighth grade and i struggled for years with the use of words. I knew what I was saying... why couldn't they?

God bless.
 
Sometimes it is malice, malice dressed up as the Gospel. I see this often. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Remember, Jesus is not an American. He is not beholden to the American way.

In some cases that maybe true, christians need to be sure they are spreading the truth in love, and not in hate.
 
I remember back in my college days listening to some of the instructors talking about "truth". Their idea was that truth is ever-changing as people's values and perceptions change. That is not truth, that is belief. Beliefs constantly change, sometimes due to people having more information, sometimes due to agenda or expediency, sometimes due to emotion. Truth, fact, and reality all speak of the same thing. Belief is only as good as the degree to which it corresponds to truth. That correspondence depends on three things: the facts available to us (what we can know), our ability to understand those facts, and our willingness to accept those facts.

I think these distinctions and defining of terms is important if we are to have a coherent discussion of such matters. The western world seems confused as to what these terms mean, so they are quite willing to concede that Christianity is "your truth", but that it is not binding on them. They have their own "truth", thank you very much. However, I think this goes beyond what you are talking about in the OP. The verses you quote are fairly simple and straightforward and I don't think there is much dispute as to their meaning. It seems to me that people either have not read these verses, have overlooked or forgotten about them, or are deliberately ignoring them. Having seen a church torn apart and rendered ineffective by bitterness, wrath, jealousy, gossip, evil speaking, etc., these verses and others like them have been at the forefront of my mind ever since. What's saddest of all is that we were a church which claimed to be "Spirit filled" and had visions of being a beacon of light to our community through our demonstration of God's love and power. Instead, the community was laughing at us.
 
Hello

I was wondering if this was only in my select group of friends, or if it was a common denominator among other Christian groups of friends? There are certain scriptures that people tend to overlook- or worse yet, pretend they don't exist. Somewhere along the way, it seems Christians have lost focus on several truths of scripture. Is there some reason for this? Does anyone have any insight? I know that no Christian is perfect, and that the only perfect person was Jesus- but isn't there at least some degree of attempting to be Christ like? Recently, in interacting with several circles of online friends (which I have other non-Internet Christian friends and that is a different issue), but whether they are online or not- I notice a lot of Christians, nae those who claim to bear HIS Name, doing things which contradict scripture. The following ones are some that stand out, and was wondering what anyone's thoughts were. Is this the new "normal" because we are facing the end times, if this is the new "normal" to overlook The Word of God- then we are in dangerous territory. Here are the verses:

# 1- Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.- Ephesians 4:31

# 2- To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.- Titus 3:2

# 3- Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.- Ephesians 4:21

We are called, as Christians to be examples to others. So what kind of an example is being set if you are bitter, hateful, spread malice and content with others? What kind of a witness is that to a non-Christian? It isn't. And I see way too many people who claim to be Christians that act opposite of that- is it my imagination or is this getting worse?

The other thing I see is flat out denial of scripture. A common one in my mind is Matthew 6:15, which states that if we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us. I have been told on several occasions that this was irrelevant, because it was "before Jesus died". So in essence is this to mean that we no longer have to forgive anyone? I think not.

Anyway, that sums up what I have been seeing lately and I wondered if I was alone, I welcome any thoughts & discussion- it would be much appreciated.

Hi Karson,

There are many Christians out there who actually never read their bibles. They spend a large amount of time being entertained by the world and by other Christian authors instead of taking up scriptures seriously. Mankind has lost faith in the power and authority of scriputres - the reason is in my opinion because church leaders have become seeker sensitive and do not preach with the authority of the scriputres. They preach life experiences with a little dab of scriputre here and there but because church leaders do not take the Word of God seriously and they have lost faith in scriptures their followers do the same. If we preach what people want to hear then they will never grow spiritually but if we teach them what they need to hear then those who are truely Christian will stay and grow in Christ.

When last did anybody on this forum hear a sermon that it is a sin to shack up before marriage (Bible calls it fornication), when last did anybody hear a sermon that stealing from the tax man and insurance companies is a sin, when last did anybody hear a sermon that following Jesus will cost you everything, possibly even your wealth and your freinds?

The time is coming, God is raising up men and women who will not compromise scripture and who will preach with absolute passion for Christ, they will not worry about the program or the next entertainment system, they will tuck themselves away in the study and search God's Word for the next life changing sermon.
 
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