tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post5725245144051222196..comments2023-10-29T19:03:11.547-04:00Comments on A Pilgrim's Progress: Poor Interpretation of the Old Testament Always Leads to a Multitude of Church ProblemsErichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-74129224571891918012014-09-21T21:43:59.373-04:002014-09-21T21:43:59.373-04:00Randi Jo,
It can certainly be a lonely road at ti...Randi Jo,<br /><br />It can certainly be a lonely road at times. Many loving Christians cannot/will not see what the scriptures so clearly teach about church life. I suppose that shows us the power of tradition.<br /><br />Please know that throughout the long history of the church there have always been dissenters. What I mean is there have always been folks outside the institution who have been pointing to the bible for both what we should believe about the gospel and what we should believe about the church. All of us on the outside will feel lonely sometimes, but it is worth it.<br /><br />I blogged a while back about a good book that you might like. It is called "The Pilgrim Church." It traces the history of dissent throughout the church. The blog post URL is:<br /><br />http://eric-carpenter.blogspot.com/2013/09/there-have-always-been-dissenters.htmlErichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-55617030655329476872014-09-21T20:56:57.269-04:002014-09-21T20:56:57.269-04:00Yes! What is incredible to me though is that *I* ...Yes! What is incredible to me though is that *I* see these things. Why do *I* see them? I didn't grow up in rich church culture, never put any effort into the "Sunday schools" I did attend. I never took a Bible class or went to seminary or any training. I am not a very intelligent lady. <br /><br />I just gave my life to Christ fully and cried out to Him that I wanted to truly KNOW HIM and BE HIS with nothing in between us...and that year, I started reading the Bible for myself... and it changed everything. I call it pure grace that I have been given the small yet apparently not very known understanding & wisdom I have at this point. With this journey though, comes much pain & loneliness even (?) because it's difficult to *see* what so few around me see. I have peace & contentment and I have stopped trying convince everybody around me what I've been shown. But I'm not sure why I've been given wisdom/understanding other than to influence and teach my direct family. For now, I simply take these truths & insights and "ponder them in my heart". <br /><br />Sorry, just rambling.<br /><br />I AM so very thankful for both you & Alan Knox whose blogs entered the picture at the perfect time for me. :) <br /><br />and I'm thankful for this particular series you are doing here. Randi Jo :)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10455815193915058855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-51796297601760467612014-09-21T20:14:41.404-04:002014-09-21T20:14:41.404-04:00John,
Yes! The OT points to Christ and was fulfi...John,<br /><br />Yes! The OT points to Christ and was fulfilled by Christ. It saddens me that so many Christians fail to understand this. Do they even know what freedom in Christ means? I wonder.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-16449302486741834212014-09-21T20:13:26.084-04:002014-09-21T20:13:26.084-04:00Jeremy,
It truly is amazing just how many solid C...Jeremy,<br /><br />It truly is amazing just how many solid Christians continue to look to the O.T. for the wrong reasons. While they would say that we don't have to follow the O.T. law, they then turn around and try to follow it. It is difficult to even know where to begin in these types of situations/conversations.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-58874064823694538982014-09-21T16:48:26.864-04:002014-09-21T16:48:26.864-04:00Eric,
You are so right. All of this was part of m...Eric,<br /><br />You are so right. All of this was part of my struggle many years past. <br /><br />Part of the problem is that a large part of the traditional scene cannot see that the O.T.is consistently pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ, who not only inaugurated the New Covenant, but is the New Covenant personified (Isaiah 42:6).<br /><br />Check out David H.Gay Ministry Free Downloadable books on Sermon Audio, especially "Christ is All: No Sanctification by the Law".<br /><br />I had my interest whetted when I bought his "Four 'Antinomians' Tried and Vindicated" from Amazon. Aussie Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16199918171163666399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-50182491910060838092014-09-21T14:08:05.010-04:002014-09-21T14:08:05.010-04:00Yes! I had a man once tell me that our church buil...Yes! I had a man once tell me that our church building didn't reflect the glory of God well enough, and he was prepared to dump $50k into our church building if only I would adopt his theology. <br /><br />He wanted to make our building look more like the Temple. <br /><br />I told him, "Thanks, but no thanks."<br /><br />I am really looking forward to the rest of this series.Jeremy Myershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01778420126998625079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-81648914963654146272014-09-21T09:40:54.725-04:002014-09-21T09:40:54.725-04:00Tom,
Well said. The American church loves its wa...Tom,<br /><br />Well said. The American church loves its warm fuzzy. To "support" those traditions they are forced to look back to the OT to find anything that looks like support. What poor interpretation it is!<br /><br />Thanks for commenting.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-67426398872571764012014-09-21T09:32:07.130-04:002014-09-21T09:32:07.130-04:00Comfort and tradition have been a cornerstone for ...Comfort and tradition have been a cornerstone for convenience in church culture now for over an American century. It's also served as a poor master in Kingdom growth.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01801701613405503479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-56300011164068265352014-09-21T09:12:45.543-04:002014-09-21T09:12:45.543-04:00Athur,
Agreed! It's amazing to me how so many...Athur,<br /><br />Agreed! It's amazing to me how so many believers do not seem to comprehend the differences between the covenants. Why would anyone want to go back to the old? I suppose the answer has to do with comfort and tradition.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987271399653590272.post-31576134610671501542014-09-21T09:05:33.331-04:002014-09-21T09:05:33.331-04:00I don't think it is an exaggeration to say tha...I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that virtually every issue with the church as we understand it can be traced back to misapplying Old Testament/Old Covenant passages to the New Covenant community of regenerate believers.Arthur Sidohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03848508095612688493noreply@blogger.com