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[John from Kentucky]

My statement of faith brings together the visible and the invisible. The past, present, and future.  It bridges the gap between the cosmos and the unseen spirit world which scientists have been searching for since time immemorial.

What is the cosmos?  Who made it?  When?  What is its purpose?  Why is there war and wickedness in the earth?  Why does mankind sin?  Is there a God?  How do we know?  Does He care for His Children?  Has He communicated with humanity?  Is God good?  Will there ever be an end to pain and suffering?  How will regeneration come about?  Does God know how difficult it is to be a man or woman?  Has God ever suffered as mankind has suffered?  Can God feel pain, heartache, rejection, fear, poverty, hunger, disease, torture, and even DEATH? What is true love?  Is mankind capable of true love.  Has God given us an example of how to live and love?

In fact, God has Authorized the preservation of that knowledge necessary to understand the world in its past, present, and future state;  the reasons for why the world was as it was, is as it is, and will be in the future and eternity;  and God Himself has Authorized that knowledge that explains how it is that God really does understand what it is like to be a man, to live as a man, and to die as a man.  You say, "Impossible." No, it is not impossible.  The answers and solutions to all of these questions are contained in an expanded understanding of my Statement of Faith.

It is the second part of my statement that contains the highest possible wisdom regarding the reason for the cosmos, the creation, the human race, and God's personal purpose for creating humanity.  Are you ready for this?  Okay, here it is:

I Believe that the Holy Scriptures are God's Authorized Biography, and

I Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's Authorized Autobiography

That's it.  It's all in there.  It'll come to you.  Just meditate on it a few years!

In the Love of God,

L.  Ray  Smith

[lauriellen]

most excellent....just what i needed this morning. thanks for posting that JFK

[GaryK]

Interesting John.

I've been reading, and actually sometimes studying, the bible for the better part of my life and it wasn't until I came to BT that I discovered questions 7 & 8 were a stumbling block.  And I was absolutely shocked and dismayed.  And then I read Ray's "How Hard Is It To Be Saved", and the Free-will series. Even worse.  It was a reckoning of discoveries which began a series of processes.  Those processes turned into small growth spurts.   Set me back by 40 years.

I've come to believe we can't see, and know, the answers to questions 1-6 and 9-19 until 7 & 8 are answered.....and believed.  And we both know--now, at least--that belief comes as a "gift".   Any human effort prior to that gifting is on a sub-par level.


Ray:  "It'll come to you.  Just meditate on it a few years!"

Was he ever right.  And that's only after the initial "start-up process" I like to call it.

But that's just my silly story and I'm sticking to it.   


But I'm more interested right now in what made you post this thread?  Something must have triggered it, or, something really interesting must have been on your mind and this is the prelude.   Normally you don't come out of the corner swinging at just air.   

[John from Kentucky]

But I'm more interested right now in what made you post this thread?  Something must have triggered it, or, something really interesting must have been on your mind and this is the prelude.   Normally you don't come out of the corner swinging at just air.   

Hi gk,

Last night I was reading Ray's creed for the umpteenth time.  Lately, we have had several "members" quote outside teaching sources and topics fundamentally opposite the Scriptures and Ray's teaching thereon.

So I thought, would it not be a hoot to quote something L. Ray Smith wrote?   

Ray's 2nd statement is deep, very deep.  Cutting edge.  'Where no man has gone before."  For the last two years I've been studying related Scriptures and been thinking of little else.  I always come back to it.  It is the spear point of what is unfolding.  I always like to be at the edge.

Jesus led Ray to that 2nd statement.  Then, Jesus took Ray's life.  Why?  Where do we go from here?  God's Spirit is like rushing waters, like the wind.  It does not stagnate, but always moves forward.  So over and over the thoughts go through me, whither do we go from here?  I'm too young and frisky to contemplate the lint in my bellybutton and chant Ommmmmm for the rest of my life.   

[GaryK]

Lately, we have had several "members" quote outside teaching sources and topics fundamentally opposite the Scriptures and Ray's teaching thereon.

Careful John, you may wind up putting votes of confidence in Ray's ramblings.     

So I thought, would it not be a hoot to quote something L. Ray Smith wrote? 

You go too far.
 

Last night I was reading Ray's creed for the umpteenth time.  .

I remember that, I just don't remember where it might be.    Perhaps a link?     

Maybe Ray just thought the 'apostle's creed' was too wordy and he wanted to shorten it down to be able to say it in one breath......?   

[Kat]

Hi John,

Jesus led Ray to that 2nd statement.  Then, Jesus took Ray's life.  Why?  Where do we go from here?  God's Spirit is like rushing waters, like the wind.  It does not stagnate, but always moves forward.  So over and over the thoughts go through me, whither do we go from here?  I'm too young and frisky to contemplate the lint in my bellybutton and chant Ommmmmm for the rest of my life.   

This was a question I asked myself many times. I have come to see that we each need to reach a place where we are able to commune with God much the same as Ray did. I mean I realize that  we all depended on Ray to teach us all that God was revealing to him and he was a great teacher... but do we not think that God does the same with all of the believers? We were able to stand with Ray for quite a while as he was able to share with us what he had come to understand and it was great while it lasted, but now we must move forward towards studying the Scripture and letting God's Holy Spirit reveal things to us as He so desires.

Like gk was saying the article 'Twelve Truths to Understanding His Word' was just one of the papers that Ray provided for us as fundamental in understanding in order to study on our own and it takes time to process this info and discard our faulty beliefs. We have been blessed with a huge boost from Ray by giving us all this hard gained lifetime of knowledge, but come on we still have God and He will teach us personally in the Scripture, that's what the Holy Spirit does.

Joh 14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

I study the Scripture with great joy now... I don't need to look for another person to show me truths in the Scripture, as Ray was an excellent example along with his articles in teaching me how to study for myself. I think it is a great blessing to search the Scriptures and see God's Spirit of truth everywhere, that's what we should be striving for.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Deborah-Leigh]

 

Maybe Ray just thought the 'apostle's creed' was too wordy and he wanted to shorten it down to be able to say it in one breath......?   

 ~ One breath. One Spirit. One Sovereignty. 


I Believe that the Holy Scriptures are God's Authorized Biography, and 

I Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's Authorized Autobiography    http://bible-truths.com/Creed.htm


God's Authorized Biography  is as  Logos and God's Authorized Autobiography is the Rhema.

The words I speak ARE Spirit.   


Rhema (ῥῆμα in Greek) literally means an "utterance" or "thing said" in Greek.[1] It is a word that signifies the action of utterance.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhema


The word in the Breath is one. The Word can not be independent of Breath.

The Father is greater than I. Breath can be silent without word or words.

Arc

[Dave in Tenn]

Link, Horseman.

http://bible-truths.com/Creed.htm

[Dave in Tenn]

Paul, Peter, James, and John are also dead.  As are Moses, Abraham and Joshua, Isaiah, and the rest of the prophets, David and Solomon.  They are still 'teaching'...indeed, it is for "our" benefit that what they lived and wrote and were written about was lived and written. 

So is and will Ray as long as Bible-truths.com exists.  That's the way I want it to be.



 

[John from Kentucky]

Hi John,

Jesus led Ray to that 2nd statement.  Then, Jesus took Ray's life.  Why?  Where do we go from here?  God's Spirit is like rushing waters, like the wind.  It does not stagnate, but always moves forward.  So over and over the thoughts go through me, whither do we go from here?  I'm too young and frisky to contemplate the lint in my bellybutton and chant Ommmmmm for the rest of my life.   

This was a question I asked myself many times. I have come to see that we each need to reach a place where we are able to commune with God much the same as Ray did. I mean I realize that  we all depended on Ray to teach us all that God was revealing to him and he was a great teacher... but do we not think that God does the same with all of the believers? We were able to stand with Ray for quite a while as he was able to share with us what he had come to understand and it was great while it lasted, but now we must move forward towards studying the Scripture and letting God's Holy Spirit reveal things to us as He so desires.

Like gk was saying the article 'Twelve Truths to Understanding His Word' was just one of the papers that Ray provided for us as fundamental in understanding in order to study on our own and it takes time to process this info and discard our faulty beliefs. We have been blessed with a huge boost from Ray by giving us all this hard gained lifetime of knowledge, but come on we still have God and He will teach us personally in the Scripture, that's what the Holy Spirit does.

Joh 14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

I study the Scripture with great joy now... I don't need to look for another person to show me truths in the Scripture, as Ray was an excellent example along with his articles in teaching me how to study for myself. I think it is a great blessing to search the Scriptures and see God's Spirit of truth everywhere, that's what we should be striving for.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

Yes Kat, I agree.  There is that Scripture which says we have One Master, One Teacher, Who is Jesus.  Everything is through Him.

We no longer need priests or ministers since Jesus works with every member of His true church on an individual basis.

[Rene]

This scripture came to mind when reading this thread:

Hebrews 5:12 - For, even when ye ought to be teachers, by reason of the time, again, have ye, need, that one be teaching, you, what are the first principles of the oracles of God, and have become such as have, need, of milk, not, of strong food;

No question that human teachers have a place in our spiritual journey, but only for a period of time.  Our spiritual growth is in the hands of the Master Teacher and He is the One that will bring us to spiritual maturity.  Now, that's just the way I like it.


René

[adiamondintheson]

This is really GOOD!! 
The one thing we think is really neat..  looking back through the years, we read, and thought we studied Gods word... but it wasn't till we came to BT and got some eyes opened.. that we see it wasn't possible before, because we had the wrong foundation!!  Once you get the right foundation, then you can build from there.  Now we look at scripture that we've read for years and years, and all of a sudden they're making sense.  We are so thankful for how God used Ray to help us all... and now that he's gone... we can go on from where he left us... and continue to build.  It's really exciting!! 
Connie & Dennis

[Rito1980]

I hope that in my next life/reincarnation that i will be able to have the wisdom and bible knowledge as you do. God willing.

[hummer]

I

It is the second part of my statement that contains the highest possible wisdom regarding the reason for the cosmos, the creation, the human race, and God's personal purpose for creating humanity.  Are you ready for this?  Okay, here it is:

I Believe that the Holy Scriptures are God's Authorized Biography, and

I Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's Authorized Autobiography

That's it.  It's all in there.  It'll come to you.  Just meditate on it a few years!

In the Love of God,

L.  Ray  Smith

Total Truth wonderfully expressed in a few but powerful words.

[GaryK]

I study the Scripture with great joy now... I don't need to look for another person to show me truths in the Scripture, as Ray was an excellent example along with his articles in teaching me how to study for myself. I think it is a great blessing to search the Scriptures and see God's Spirit of truth everywhere, that's what we should be striving for.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

Wonderfully stated Kat.   The typical "ray-ism">>>>>>"read ALL the words"..........resonates.

[theophilus]

Interesting John.

I've been reading, and actually sometimes studying, the bible for the better part of my life and it wasn't until I came to BT that I discovered questions 7 & 8 were a stumbling block.  And I was absolutely shocked and dismayed.  And then I read Ray's "How Hard Is It To Be Saved", and the Free-will series. Even worse.  It was a reckoning of discoveries which began a series of processes.  Those processes turned into small growth spurts.   Set me back by 40 years.

I've come to believe we can't see, and know, the answers to questions 1-6 and 9-19 until 7 & 8 are answered.....and believed.  And we both know--now, at least--that belief comes as a "gift".   Any human effort prior to that gifting is on a sub-par level.


Ray:  "It'll come to you.  Just meditate on it a few years!"

Was he ever right.  And that's only after the initial "start-up process" I like to call it.

But that's just my silly story and I'm sticking to it.   


But I'm more interested right now in what made you post this thread?  Something must have triggered it, or, something really interesting must have been on your mind and this is the prelude.   Normally you don't come out of the corner swinging at just air.   

Hello Horseman, which questions are you talking about? Do you have a link? Thank you and God bless you.

[onelovedread]

That answers the question once and for all as to whether or not Jesus Christ is God.

[GaryK]

Hello Horseman, which questions are you talking about? Do you have a link? Thank you and God bless you.

In John's quote of Ray he listed 19 questions.  I'm referring to questions 7 & 8 of that list.   See John's original posting above.