Here is where I pause to reflect on my studies in the Bible. I am a Christian who
has received Jesus Christ as my personal savior. I have chosen the Bible as my
fundamental source of spiritual truth, but I see God's creation, God Himself, Jesus
and the Holy Spirit also as sources of truth. What constitutes such communications
is one topic I will discuss and explore. Actually, I would see all of these as
superior sources for truth over that of the Bible as they are more direct communications
from God than is the Bible. However, I recognize the difficulties claiming more
direct access to God's truth than what the Bible says, so naturally my writings
here will consider that. I anticipate that God's truth should be reflected in the
Bible but certainly we may make mistakes with interpreting the Bible that need cross-
references with God in some other context. The trick, of course, is not to mistake
personal desire and other forms of Satanic influence with God's will.
It may alarm some that I relativize the Bible at all. But when one seeks the truth
one undertakes a journey that has no clear end. Anything less than that is a closed
mind and along with it a closed heart. There is no easy journey to the truth.
Some might say that accepting Jesus as having died for your sins is easy. It is
not. It is physically a simple act to mimic, but the inner feeling and understanding
is a whole other matter. If you want to help people come to Christ then you have
to understand people. You must understand yourself otherwise you can only speak
with authority on your own experience. There is a deeper understanding of self,
of psychology, as part of God's created world, that when understood, can bring about
several benefits: 1) becoming independent rather than dependent, like being a steady
rock for others to cling onto rather than a hanger on who always needs support,
2) feeling Christian love and compassion, and not succomb to Satanizing attacks
and un-Christian personal and social persecutions, 3) becoming a source for new
faith, by bringing the Word to the individual so that the individual can find the
door and open it, 4) distinguishing the meaning of suffering, rather than being
trapped by Satan into saving yourself from it at the expense of God's will or others,
5) receiving the Holy Spirit, knowing that you are on God's path and being able
to make the choice to suffer when necessary to bring further light to the world
without feeling utterly lost.
God's message to the world has changed over time. But has God changed? We change
so perhaps His message changes to suit our growth or our folly. It is a living
relationship so, of course, there is change. We look forward to the return of Jesus
and the coming of Heaven to Earth. We must be ready to be in Heaven as Heaven approaches.
We must understand how God acts in the world today and try and be His vehicle.
I like to think of us as participating in the making of Heaven by becoming good
Christians. We can make some corner of the world into Heaven now and learn from
our attempt. We can explore who we are as individuals to the deepest level and
share that knowledge in an effort to help others overcome their own short-comings
sooner. We can create a culture of personal growth that allows us to mature sooner
in understanding the bodies we inhabit that God has created and how to use them
to serve God.
Bible Studies (09-12-2005)