Positive thoughts make a difference

laoda99 SG

Just to share with some of the new Christians or people who are interested in reading the bible, I think positive thoughts make a difference when u read the bible. For myself, I concentrated on Jesus' love and not when/why/how theology/church doctrines/conspiracy theories are formed. Christ just want us to have simply faith in him when he asked the apostles to spread his word, not theology to the world.

I can see a difference now in me then before, when i used to read the bible for information/evidence to counter my christian friends who said I would go to hell for not a christian. I believed this is not the kind of message Christ wants his followers to share with the people. Christ is simply about love, the kind of person u would want to approach when u are troubled or in need, not a high priest/bishop who sat high up the throne and is unapproachable.

If you read the bible with negative thoughts, why this doctrine is this/that, chances are u will be as confused as me last time, trying to grasp the contrast between the OT/NT God. Negative ideas will come out with more negative ones. I used to come up with more and more ironies/contradictions in the bible and quarrelled with my friends over these. It is simply not productive this way. Why not view the bible as a whole? The NT is simply a mirror of the OT and makes me glad that I now have Christ whom I can easily prayed to 24x7.

laoda99 SG

deleted...same post as above

Ironside SG

Laoda99 there is nothing wrong with theology per se. What is wrong is when people 'go for the mat' even in non-essential theologies.

The letters of Paul is filled with theology. Take for instance the book of Galatians, the reason why Paul wrote that is because of theological purpose.
Galatian Chrisitans were now supplementing law to grace. Paul was concerned about right theology.

The Letter of Paul to Colossians, again the Colossian believers were being duped into wrong theology by the Judaizers and the Gnostics so Paul countered by writing the letter.

The book of Corinthians was written because again false apostles lured the Corinthian believers into wrong theology. Some of them were denying the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ already and Paul had to correct that.

In his letters to Timothy, Paul had to remind Timothy that Timothy must pass on the right theology of Christ death and resurrection to faithful men who will not change the theology of Christ passion and resurrection. Because there were men who were teaching the wrong Gospel....and wrong Gospel saves no one.

Why is this? simply because right theology especially in ESSENTIAL MATTERS HAVE TO BE DEFENDED.

What are essential theologies of orthodoxy that Christians must guard and defend?

a) Trinity
b) Salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone]
c) The inerrancy of the Bible

What if one person teaches that salvation is found in a car not Christ Jesus?
Certainly that's not the word of God right? That's not right theology. This is certainly an attack against the theology in the Bible that says: Salvation is in Christ alone right? This is an attack against a very essential theology of Christianity.

other theologies are non-essential.....one can believe that the Church is a distinct entity from Israel [Dispensational theology] another can disagree and say that the Church is the continuation of Israel [covenant theology] and still is a Christian brother as long as he holds on to the essentials of the faith.

One can believe in immersion in baptism anothe can believe that baptism should be by sprinkling and to another person another belief.........that's just fine these are non-essentials of the faith.

One can esteem one day over the other days, while one can esteem all days of the week, one believes only in eating certain kinds of food and to another believes in eating only vegetables [Romans 14:1-8].........these differences are just fine and ok......so long as they embrace the essentials of the faith above.

As Phillip Melancthon, the great Lutheran reformer once said: 'In essentials; unity, in non-essentials; liberty, in all things; charity or love.

Ironside SG

Laoda99 there is nothing wrong with theology per se. What is wrong is when people 'go for the mat' even in non-essential theologies.

The letters of Paul is filled with theology. Take for instance the book of Galatians, the reason why Paul wrote that is because of theological purpose.
Galatian Chrisitans were now supplementing law to grace. Paul was concerned about right theology.

The Letter of Paul to Colossians, again the Colossian believers were being duped into wrong theology by the Judaizers and the Gnostics so Paul countered by writing the letter.

The book of Corinthians was written because again false apostles lured the Corinthian believers into wrong theology. Some of them were denying the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ already and Paul had to correct that.

Why is this? simply because right theology especially in ESSENTIAL MATTERS HAVE TO BE DEFENDED.

What are essential theologies of orthodoxy that Christians must guard and defend?

a) Trinity
b) Salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone]
c) The inerrancy of the Bible

other theologies are non-essential.....one can believe that the Church is a distinct entity from Israel [Dispensational theology] another can disagree and say that the Church is the continuation of Israel [covenant theology] and still is a Christian brother as long as he holds on to the essentials of the faith.

One can believe in immersion in baptism anothe can believe that baptism should be by sprinkling and to another person another belief.........that's just fine these are non-essentials of the faith.

One can esteem one day over the other days, while one can esteem all days of the week, one believes only in eating certain kinds of food and to another believes in eating only vegetables [Romans 14:1-8].........these differences are just fine and ok......so long as they embrace the essentials of the faith above.

As Phillip Melancthon the great reformer once said: " In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things, charity [or love].

breytonhartge SG

Both of you are right… the essentials in Christian theology need to be defended but the bible should be read with a positive attitude… negativity never helped anything.