From my observations in life and recently right here on the website I have seen the Christian Community take a step away from Biblical authority. Sometimes it is consciously and sometimes it is subconsciously, but always tragically.
A great number of people have slowly moved away from the historic positions concerning the nature of the Scriptures. Big or small, deliberate or not, when anyone takes such a step they court disaster in their lives.
That kind of step will result in a loss of mission, loss of evangelistic zeal, theological defection leading to more of an emphasis on the material and temporary rather than the eternal.
The basic problem IMO that we face today has nothing to do with knowledge and truth. It is not the quantity of truth that is being debated, but the SOURCE of that truth.
Philosophically, what I am referring to is called the study of "Epistemology". That means how we know what we know and how do we now what is true. That seems to be the basic contention between people on ALL Christian web site. EVERYBODY is right!!!!
Just follow any thread on a Bible subject and every single person that contributes to is RIGHT in his own mind. One person says.....we must keep the Law to stay saved. Another person say that we do not have to keep the Law to stay saved. One person says that we MUST BE BAPTIZED in order to be saved. The other person says no, water baptism does not save. The list goes on and on and I am sure that if you are reading these words you are agreeing with what I just said.
Now, how can everyone be right????? How can we analyze competing claims to the truth?
There are 3 basic possibilities to explain this situation:
1. Human Reason or "Rationalism".
2. Ecclesiastical Authority.
3. Divine revelation.
#1...Rationalism is the idea that truth can be determined by experimentation, by our senses, by our observation of phenomena and what we want to happen. What happens in this understanding is classic.
Whether we believe that REAL truth is a product of what goes on in our OWN minds instinctively or whether it is something placed into our minds by what someone else tells us or what we see , it still comes down to a matter of one's own personal mind, reason and experiences as being the ultimate determination of what the truth is.
#2....Ecclesiastical Authority, is not as confusing and is easier to handle. This in effect says that my church is the ultimate authority. No matter what I think is right or wrong, if the church says it is right then it is right for me. There are several examples of this with us today and I see no reason to list any as there are many.
The faithful within the church are supposed to receive the dogma of the church as being of God. That leads to the position of the Scriptures becoming subservient to the denomination teaching of any given doctrine.
So, ultimately, what is truth, or what is right or wrong is determined by man or men who the church has officially determined through it pronouncements and guidelines.
#3.....Divine Revelation. This means specifically the Word of God as we find written in the Scriptures.
Martin Luther said......"My conscience is captive to the Word of God".
That means that when I think one thing but the Bible says something else, the Bible is right and I am wrong and I am the one who needs to change my thinking.
Anytime a person says, "I do not believe the Bible is correct on this point", that person is operating from the basis of RATIONALISM or ECCESIASTICAL AUTHORITY.
Folks......we cannot correct something unless we have something which is more accurate, more true, more authoritative than the thing which we are trying to correct. So then........from now on, when you see anyone that says he finds any flaw or untruth in Scripture, or when he is shown by that same Scripture his error and he rejects it........that person is then by his own statement saying that HE has a higher basis for the truth than the Scriptures, and presumably it is HIM/HER.
This all means simply this: The mind of modern man has convinced himself that his thoughts and ways are better than those of God's Word.
I am interested in what you think and I hope you will respond.
A great number of people have slowly moved away from the historic positions concerning the nature of the Scriptures. Big or small, deliberate or not, when anyone takes such a step they court disaster in their lives.
That kind of step will result in a loss of mission, loss of evangelistic zeal, theological defection leading to more of an emphasis on the material and temporary rather than the eternal.
The basic problem IMO that we face today has nothing to do with knowledge and truth. It is not the quantity of truth that is being debated, but the SOURCE of that truth.
Philosophically, what I am referring to is called the study of "Epistemology". That means how we know what we know and how do we now what is true. That seems to be the basic contention between people on ALL Christian web site. EVERYBODY is right!!!!
Just follow any thread on a Bible subject and every single person that contributes to is RIGHT in his own mind. One person says.....we must keep the Law to stay saved. Another person say that we do not have to keep the Law to stay saved. One person says that we MUST BE BAPTIZED in order to be saved. The other person says no, water baptism does not save. The list goes on and on and I am sure that if you are reading these words you are agreeing with what I just said.
Now, how can everyone be right????? How can we analyze competing claims to the truth?
There are 3 basic possibilities to explain this situation:
1. Human Reason or "Rationalism".
2. Ecclesiastical Authority.
3. Divine revelation.
#1...Rationalism is the idea that truth can be determined by experimentation, by our senses, by our observation of phenomena and what we want to happen. What happens in this understanding is classic.
Whether we believe that REAL truth is a product of what goes on in our OWN minds instinctively or whether it is something placed into our minds by what someone else tells us or what we see , it still comes down to a matter of one's own personal mind, reason and experiences as being the ultimate determination of what the truth is.
#2....Ecclesiastical Authority, is not as confusing and is easier to handle. This in effect says that my church is the ultimate authority. No matter what I think is right or wrong, if the church says it is right then it is right for me. There are several examples of this with us today and I see no reason to list any as there are many.
The faithful within the church are supposed to receive the dogma of the church as being of God. That leads to the position of the Scriptures becoming subservient to the denomination teaching of any given doctrine.
So, ultimately, what is truth, or what is right or wrong is determined by man or men who the church has officially determined through it pronouncements and guidelines.
#3.....Divine Revelation. This means specifically the Word of God as we find written in the Scriptures.
Martin Luther said......"My conscience is captive to the Word of God".
That means that when I think one thing but the Bible says something else, the Bible is right and I am wrong and I am the one who needs to change my thinking.
Anytime a person says, "I do not believe the Bible is correct on this point", that person is operating from the basis of RATIONALISM or ECCESIASTICAL AUTHORITY.
Folks......we cannot correct something unless we have something which is more accurate, more true, more authoritative than the thing which we are trying to correct. So then........from now on, when you see anyone that says he finds any flaw or untruth in Scripture, or when he is shown by that same Scripture his error and he rejects it........that person is then by his own statement saying that HE has a higher basis for the truth than the Scriptures, and presumably it is HIM/HER.
This all means simply this: The mind of modern man has convinced himself that his thoughts and ways are better than those of God's Word.
I am interested in what you think and I hope you will respond.