Hi Kent,
Do you know who Paul is actually addressing? Those with eyes to see and ears to hear, otherwise his words are wasted on everyone rather than most. What does the following parable say to you?
Sorry, but I don't see that. He is addressing Jews (verse 17). They think they know, they think they are teachers, they think they are guides. Did they have eyes to see and ears to hear?
How is that different than "christians", both the preachers and those they preach to? IMO it is the exact same thing. They think, but do they know? Can they admit that they don't know? Not hardly...
If I seem harsh, I have no right to be. That is just the way I write.
I was like that too. I tried to get people to believe these very same lies. "Accept Jesus or go to hell. Accept Jesus and have peace. It was their choice." blah blah blah.
But deep down I knew that none of it made any sense. It took peoples resistance for me to start looking at things again. I was not entitled to any respect because I was a liar. An unintentional liar, but a liar nonetheless.
It takes honesty to say that all a person believed makes no sense. If they do this, they may or may not get an answer, that is up to God, but they are looking. If I never got an answer, then I would have kept my big mouth shut when it came to certain churchianity teachings.
That is what I respect; an honest search for the truth. I refuse to respect those that will not do this.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Who is responsible for their present condition?
Are those that don't believe His servants? I think scripture is plain that they are, whether they want to be or not. Pharoah in Exodus for example.
Is it compassionate to lie intentionally or otherwise? Is it compassionate to tell people to repent or be tortured forever? Is there such a thing as a compassionate unintentional lie?
I am compassionate with His servants. Too bad that the "church" isn't.
What are the new Christians going to do with they read that NO ONE comes to the Father but by Me?
Think of all those poor loved ones being tortured. Wow, God really is a God of love, unless they are not chosen, and until the heart stops beating.
Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
And are we accountable on how we use it? Scripture is plain that we are, since we will give an account of every word we utter.
Peace,
Joe
Peace
We just see a few things differently.