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Thanks Dave.
First of all, yes, I am the only one who was involved in the car crash. I thank God frequently for that. Secondly, I'm 40. Now to answer the more cryptic query:

I'd be disappointed to learn that some details of your introduction were still happening these days, but I could be wrong.

If you mean debauchery, no. I struggle with smoking cigarettes, but I'm glad to report that I'm doing pretty well in the resentments, lust and honoring my parents departments. I have the occasional bout of worry, but remembering that I'm commanded not to certainly helps.

If you mean I'm still somewhat plagued by the daffy doctrines of a particular group? Yes. I just re-read the rules and maybe a PM would be the best way to discuss them.

-Nick

Hi, Nick.  I'm glad you made it through the wreck, and I hope you were alone in needing to.

I'm going to make a few general comments that sprang to mind on reading. 

Firstly, the "facebook group" is not related to this forum or Bible-Truths.  Last I successfully logged on, they were allowing (if not actively promoting) subjects that were well removed from stuff Ray covered or even much cared about.  I don't know it's current status.  I found myself locked out (on purpose or by accident), and I didn't have any interest in it any longer.  That's been a few years ago, I think, though I'm not good at remembering some things.  Could be I was ruder than you?   

I'm guessing from some of the clues that we are of the same generation.  I'd be disappointed to learn that some details of your introduction were still happening these days, but I could be wrong.  I definitely get the bit about vacillating between trying to be a good christian  and descending completely into degeneracy.  In my case, I for the most part solved that conundrum  by stopping trying to be a good Christian.  It's not that I recommend that, but I'm thankful that the Lord sent me that way.

I don't want to violate the rules by asking for explanations that are beyond the bounds of ray's teaching, but I do have a couple questions that fall into exactly that category. Is there any way around that?

If your questions are "beyond the bounds" by being about topics or subjects that Ray didn't explicitly teach on, then there is likely no real harm in asking them if you are asking in good faith.  I can't promise that you will get satisfactory answers from discussion.  If your questions are "beyond the bounds" by being disagreement (temporary or permanent) then just re-familiarizing yourself with the rules will, I think, inform you about how to proceed, whether you do proceed or don't.  In some respects, discussion about what Ray taught is the point of the forum.  In other respects, it's a sanctuary for those at peace with understanding.  In either case, I'll tell you what I have told dozens and dozens of people over the years:  This forum is moderated.  Fear not.     They're good.

It's nice to meet you.         


 

Hi everyone. I introduced myself fairly recently on here and I thought I would tell a bit more about myself.
First, since my last introduction, I basically ignored this forum, continued in drunkenness and broke my neck behind the wheel. It was just a fracture, I'm not paralyzed or anything, but the car is totalled. My neck is healed. I'm almost 9 months sober at this point and have no intention of going back to the drink. That's recent and I think it's relevant to my character, so there it is.

As for my background in regards to religion, I was raised in a secular home, with a nonpracticing catholic father and nonpracticing protestant mother. When I was in daycare, there was a little girl who told me that I would burn in hell if I didn't accept Jesus as my personal saviour. This was the first I'd ever heard of this and it stuck with me for years. Later, when I was in junior high school (grade 8-9), though it was a public school, there was a christian program within it, called the Logos program. This was the first time I'd ever knowingly met people who didn't believe in evolution, etc. and we traded barbs and then a year or so later, I read a chick's tract telling me that I was going to hell, so I started going to church with those very kids. I was 15 then and I attended a bible study that was basically a high school-university level education in the bible from a protestant perspective.

From there I went back and forth between trying to be a good christian and descending completely into alcoholic degeneracy. Somewhere along the way, I got absolutely obsessed with an extreme hellfire and brimstone website/preacher called A True Church and while looking for counter arguments to that madness, I found Ray's work right around the time he passed. I've now read the entire lake of fire series and I'm quite persuaded that hell is unbliblical.

I'm in the facebook group, where I admit, I've been a bit rude at times. I have all kinds of questions and even though I've read the entire lake of fire series, there's a lot there and I don't remember it all. I'm reading the bible all the way through from the beginning. My faith is extremely weak and I spend most of my time studying the word and asking god for faith, repentance, correction and understanding.

Unlike the last introduction I put on here, I won't be ignoring the responses. I don't want to violate the rules by asking for explanations that are beyond the bounds of ray's teaching, but I do have a couple questions that fall into exactly that category. Is there any way around that?

Thanks and god bless
Nick

Is he not referring to the spirits of the time of Noah : spirits who are not and never were human ?

I stand by Pamelas words. Christ is Lord.

Thank you for your advice. I've read through the 12 spiritual truths and am now going over them again to study them.

 No one is righteous…. Psalm 14
Rom.3:9…What then,are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are under sin..10… as it is written: None is righteous, no not one; 11..no one understands, no one seeks God..12… all have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good not even
one.

Rom.3. 19…. Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be accountable to God 20… by works of the law ( old covenant) no human being will
be justified in His sight, since through the law comes KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.

Psalm 143:2…. .. for no one living is righteous before you.

Gal.5:18… but if you are led by the spirit , you are not under the law .
(What law? The one written on tablets of stone.)

1 Thes. 2:13… and we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received
the word of God  , which you heard from us you accepted it not as the word of men
but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers .

John 6:63… It is the Spirit that quickens . The flesh profits nothing; the words that I speak unto you , they are Spirit and they are life.
Witness 1 Corth.15:45

There were many who were said to be righteous .Zec. And Elizabeth, Job, Noah,
Joseph of Arimathea, Simeon, and many more who all died in faith, never receiving
the promise, because God had something more excellent. The new spiritual covenant of Jesus which requires a higher understanding , thankfully provided by
Christ.

Christ said in Luke 5:32… “ I have not come to save the righteous ( that’s tongue in cheek, there are none righteous, only self righteous.) but sinners to repentance.
Witness Mark 2:17…. those who are sick….

Rom.8:2.   For the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Knowledge of the two laws is very important. Sermon on the Mount, Hebrews chapters  8 and 9 .
Have you read and studied the 12 truths.

Ray did not contradict the scriptures by saying that they were righteous merely in the eyes of men. Humans are carnal minded. Rom.8:6-8 & 1 Corth.2:14.
Jer.17:9 the heart is deceitful above all things , and desperately wicked( exceedingly weak ) who can know it?
All hearts are exceedingly weak, too weak to resist sin and the wages of sin…….
Death. The only cure is Christ in you and everyone else. All have come short of the glory of God.All means All, even Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Isa.26:9… when thy judgements are in the earth the inhabitants of the world
will learn righteousness.
Then and only then , praise God.


May God give you much insight into His words of spirit.
In Christ, Pamela

To put it another way, I understand that in one way, a person can be righteous and blameless by living according to the old covenant rules (which is exactly how the text says that Zachariah and his wife were righteous) but in another, grander sense, those things don't actually make one righteous (as per Paul's confession that all of his adherence to the old laws meant nothing, as does physical circumcision) and that no one is good but God.

Even still, that relative righteousness is said in the text to be in the eyes of God and Ray says that it was only in the eyes of men.

Now, either this is one of those examples where the bible doesn't mean what it says and we have to take the whole council of god into account, which is why I'm bringing this up, or Ray was just wrong about this particular point. Everybody makes mistakes and when he was alive, he was firing off responses left and right. It would be understandable.

My problem is not with absolute or relative, but rather perspective. The text says that these two people were righteous in the eyes of God, Ray says that they were righteous merely in the eyes of men.

Luke 1:5 and Romans 3:10 use the exact same word which can mean absolute or relative. So I don't see a problem.