Spiderman
Veteran Member
The Bible is a confusing book of babble that contradicts itself.
Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her!"
One Church dates back to when he said that!
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Have I been unfair to God?
- Thread starter Spiderman
- Start date
Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her!"
One Church dates back to when he said that!
stvdv
Veteran Member
Eyes to See
Well-Known Member
The anointed Christian congregation (ecclesia or church) is not as big as you might think it is. It is composed of 144,000 members. It first started in Pentecost in 33 C. E. Today there are millions of others who have joined with the anointed Christian congregation, other sheep not of the first's fold, but they have the same master and shepered and are rightly also called part of the congregation (or church) of God.
I don't have much more time to talk with you tonight. But I would like to more later. I understand it can seem confusing. But when you read the Bible with prayerful humility and ask for God's spirit, he does help you understand it. When your eyes are opened to its truths you can really see that they are actually quite simple.
Yes, Jesus is Lord...he is my Lord...but Who made him such?
God did. Philippians 2:9 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name...”
Did they “worship” him? No...they ‘honored’ him. It’s the same word (proskyneo) used to describe Abraham when he honored the sons of Heth, in Genesis.
“One”, how? Read John 17:22....”I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.”
Because Jesus is an “exact representation” of his Father. (Hebrews 1:3....”The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being,“)
A representation is not the genuine article, is it?
As some would say, he’s the “spitting image” of his Father.
Not every Bible says that....
Yes, Jesus did... and thousands saw him... But John 1:18 says.... “No one has ever seen God.”
To get the proper understanding, it must agree with the context.
Take care, my friend.
Spiderman
Veteran Member
I don't agree with everything you said, but rated your post friendly because I believe you mean well and are doing the best with what you know.
I’m glad that you’re open to the possibility that there may be a reason why God hasn’t or doesn’t step in.
I wondered that at one time myself. Let me show you what I learned….
at
Genesis 3
“Now the serpent+ was the most cautious* of all the wild animals of the field that Jehovah God had made. So it said to the woman: “Did God really say that you must not eat from every tree of the garden?”+ 2 At this the woman said to the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.+ 3 But God has said about the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden:+ ‘You must not eat from it, no, you must not touch it; otherwise you will die.’” 4 At this the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die.+ 5 For God knows that in the very day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.”+
6 Consequently, the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was something desirable to the eyes, yes, the tree was pleasing to look at. So she began taking of its fruit and eating it.+ Afterward, she also gave some to her husband when he was with her, and he began eating it.
As I read the above verses I learned and recognized several things.
1) The serpent or snake speaks. How could that be?
Who used the serpent or snake to speak to Eve and that she
was able to understand what was being said?
2) Who put doubts into Eve’s mind and tells a lie that she would
not die eating from the fruit but knowing good and bad?
3) Who is questioning and challenging God’s rule and
sovereignty?
What is the individual behind the scenes trying to accomplish?
Those were some of the questions I had and I found the answers. I’ll share the answers with you tomorrow since it is late. Please reply, I would like to know what you think about these questions.
Thank you and good night.
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Spiderman
Veteran Member
I think God was wanting the Serpent to do that , and God wanted eve to fall with Adam
But it is late here as well. You can pm me and I can leave you my phone number, and you can call via private number, and we can talk that way
Or just keep it here .
Talk tomorrow.
He gave leaders from himself and if people accept them, support and help them, the world problems would end.
I think it would be fair to listen His view on these issues before judgment. If you have not done that, then perhaps it would be fair to wait His explanation first. I don’t know enough to say why certain things have happened, but, Bible says for example:
…whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.
Gal. 6:7
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. [URL='https://raamattu.uskonkirjat.net/servlet/biblesite.Bible?lex=Thayer&ref=Matt.+16%3A25-27&ent=1063']For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. [/URL]
Matt. 16:25-27
I think that goes both ways, if you sow good things, you will also reap them, if not in this life, in the following. I think Biblical advice in all misery is this:
…don't be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height? If then you aren't able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.
Luke 12:22-31
It can be comforting to wallow in sadness and suffering, but, I think it helps much, when the focus is moved to, how can I make life of other people better.
I think one of the biggest signs of God’s love is that He has given us advices for better life. Unfortunately many people don’t seem to want to go by that.
PureX
Veteran Member
What befalls us in life that is God's doing, we can do nothing about. What befalls us in life that is other people's doing we can maybe do something about, even if it's only getting away from them. What befalls us in life that is our own doing is what we have the most control over. So: "God did it" = I have zero control. "They did it" = I have some control. And "I did it"= I have all the control.
Seems to me it makes the most sense to focus on what I do to myself, either directly, or by association with others, and to work on changing those things. It's important to know what I am not responsible for, but only so that I will more clearly see what I AM responsible for. Because that's where the corrections will be the most effective.
Seems to me it makes the most sense to focus on what I do to myself, either directly, or by association with others, and to work on changing those things. It's important to know what I am not responsible for, but only so that I will more clearly see what I AM responsible for. Because that's where the corrections will be the most effective.
Spiderman
Veteran Member
A lot of the things that I did to ruin my own life, I would not have done, if I had received the grace, the enlightenment, and the wisdom from God that I prayed for, to do differently.
Some people, the way the neurotransmitters fire in their brain, the brain damage they have received, the abuse and neglect they have gone through as a child, the way their brain is wired, the examples that have been set for them, and countless other factors like personality disorders and mental illness, delusions, hallucinations, being brainwashed, and all the bad habits that can result from that, being poisoned by parents or other people, inheriting things from parents, it can cause a person to make some very bad choices!
A lot of people cannot help themselves, when those factors are present to extreme degrees, as is the case with me!
Fortunately with me, I have learned how to have empathy. I try my best to not be selfish. I try to be humble and forgive other people, I want to be law-abiding, I want to have control of my emotions, and I avoid drugs and alcohol, and internet pornography and vices that are not healthy!
However, things do keep coming up, and certain things can trigger me to be very explosive, and make irrational decisions! Some of that is not in my control!
Sometimes when a person grows up beginning at age 10 in mental institutions, group homes, psychiatric facilities, and
terrible parenting skills, their ability to help themselves, is not very good, and it requires a miracle from some other entity besides themselves!
syo
Well-Known Member
Who knows? I might!Christianity, islam, and Judaism declares that God is all powerful, all knowing, and capable of intervening!
You might be incorrect!
PureX
Veteran Member
None of that matters, now. Now, you know better. Now you can make better choices.
I agree with all of that. But now you know better. What happened before is over. It's moving forward that matters. We're never going to know why God did or did not do whatever God did or did not do. So what's the point of speculating and blaming? It will change absolutely nothing that has already happened. It's all about what comes next, now. What's the next right thing for you to be doing, right now?
No, it isn't, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. You are not insane. Telling yourself you're hopeless is just a way of making it so. Of you doing it to yourself. Another bad decision. So make a different one this time. Accept that you aren't hopeless. That grace and enlightenment is all around you in the form of addiction recovery. it's being given to you. All you have to do is accept it, and follow it. So this time you can't blame God. God has answered your prayers and provided you a way out of that insanity. All you have to do is surrender to it.
More proof that you are not insane, nor hopeless! But as you learn how to let go of those bad choices, you also need to learn how to embrace some new, good choices. One of those choices is letting go of the blame game. And replacing it with the gratitude game. I am sure you know this already. And I know that it can become frustrating and exhausting: replacing every negative (blame) thought with a positive (grateful) thought. Those negative thought pattern's neural pathways in your brain are very deeply entrenched. They will not be dislodged and usurped by these new positive thought pathways, easily. But if you keep at it, in time, they WILL be replaced. And the negative thoughts will finally just no longer occur. You are retraining your brain to think better, after many years of thinking badly.
Years ago when my friend Jay was going through this period of brain-retraining he would walk around New York City mumbling to himself every time some negative thought would spring into his consciousness; "Thank you for sharing that, Jay, now SHUT THE "F" UP! YOU'RE LYING! IT'S NOT TRUE!" and so on. I can't imagine what his fellow New Yorkers thought of him when they saw him wandering around arguing with himself, out loud, but then again, it was New York in the 1980s. Seeing people defecating on the sidewalk was a common occurrence in those days.
I agree. And I understand. But the miracle is there, right in front of you, in the form of recovery programs and the people who have devoted their lives to helping you and others like you to recover from all of that. Take their help, in earnest. Listen to them. Do everything you can make their offer to you worth it.
I know it's hard. I know it feels like an impossible task. But I promise that if you keep at it, in earnest, it will get easier. And it will get better. You're not insane. You are not hopeless. And you are not alone. You're just damaged, and you need to heal, and to recover. And you need help to do that. The help of those who have been where you are, and have gotten through it to a better life. And now they're there offering to help you though it to a better life. That's the miracle. That's what a miracle looks like in real life. People helping to help heal and save each other.
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Spiderman
Veteran Member
I will keep working at it, but I feel I'm not going to get well without a miracle and grace from God though.None of that matters, now. Now, you know better. Now you can make better choices.
I agree with all of that. But now you know better. What happened before is over. It's moving forward that matters. We're never going to know why God did or did not do whatever God did or did not do. So what's the point of speculating and blaming? It will change absolutely nothing that has already happened. It's all about what comes next, now. What's the next right thing for you to be doing, right now?
No, it isn't, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. You are not insane. Telling yourself you're hopeless is just a way of making it so. Of you doing it to yourself. Another bad decision. So make a different one this time. Accept that you aren't hopeless. That grace and enlightenment is all around you in the form of addiction recovery. it's being given to you. All you have to do is accept it, and follow it. So this time you can't blame God. God has answered your prayers and provided you a way out of that insanity. All you have to do is surrender to it.
More proof that you are not insane, nor hopeless! But as you learn how to let go of those bad choices, you also need to learn how to embrace some new, good choices. One of those choices is letting go of the blame game. And replacing it with the gratitude game. I am sure you know this already. And I know that it can become frustrating and exhausting: replacing every negative (blame) thought with a positive (grateful) thought. Those negative thought pattern's neural pathways in your brain are very deeply entrenched. They will not be dislodged and usurped by these new positive thought pathways, easily. But if you keep at it, in time, they WILL be replaced. And the negative thoughts will finally just no longer occur. You are retraining your brain to think better, after many years of thinking badly.
Years ago when my friend Jay was going through this period of brain-retraining he would walk around New York City mumbling to himself every time some negative thought would spring into his consciousness; "Thank you for sharing that, Jay, now SHUT THE "F" UP! YOU'RE LYING! IT'S NOT TRUE!" and so on. I can't imagine what his fellow New Yorkers thought of him when they saw him wandering around arguing with himself, out loud, but then again, it was New York in the 1980s. Seeing people defecating on the sidewalk was a common occurrence in those days.
I agree. And I understand. But the miracle is there, right in front of you, in the form of recovery programs and the people who have devoted their lives to helping you and others like you to recover from all of that. Take their help, in earnest. Listen to them. Do everything you can make their offer to you worth it.
I know it's hard. I know it feels like an impossible task. But I promise that if you keep at it, in earnest, it will get easier. And it will get better. You're not insane. You are not hopeless. And you are not alone. You're just damaged, and you need to heal, and to recover. And you need help to do that. The help of those who have been where you are, and have gotten through it to a better life. And now they're there offering to help you though it to a better life. That's the miracle. That's what a miracle looks like in real life. People helping to help heal and save each other.
I will pursue recovery and have been! But grace from God is extremely important and needed!
Sgt. Pepper
All you need is love.
No, I don't believe you have been unfair to God, Spiderman. You and I basically share the same sentiment towards God, but I don't ever thank him and praise him. I've already shared why I have such a deep disdain for the Christian God, so I won't go into further detail in your thread. All I will say is that I've liberated myself from Christianity, and I'm no longer bound to the absolute misery of it in my life anymore. Personally speaking, I think you should continue to express your feelings on this subject because it's good to hear from other people who share the same sentiment as I do. I wish you the very best in your life, Spiderman. Peace, my friend.