The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum The importance of going to church

Carlos,

Let this reply due for both this response and your previous one.

1. You seem to bifurcate what these stalwarts have written from Scripture as if they never consulted the Scripture but simply wrote down their opinions.

2. Focusing upon the Bible is fine. But the truth of Scripture is not relative but absolute. Thus, sitting in a corner with your Bible (I'm assuming you are referring to the original languages and not some translation of fallible men, right?) The truth is first and foremost given to the CHURCH. It isn't that individuals cannot study the Scriptures for themselves, for even the Bible enjoins ALL to do so. But NOT in isolation from the body of Christ in which the Spirit operates. I say again (passages previously provided), that Elders were given to the Church for the purpose of TEACHING and PREACHING the Word of God. They are GIFTED by the Spirit to do so. To ignore what the Spirit has established in the Church would be nothing short of sheer arrogance.

3. Re: "what the Bible actually says"... again as if neither John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Robert Dabney, all the Reformed Confessions, Catechisms, etc., etc., ad infinitum totally ignored and/or missed the truth of Scripture. At least the Reformers stood toe-to-toe with Rome with the Scriptures and exposed their errors. Why don't you do the same. The onus is upon YOU and Robert to meet the challenge against what the vast majority of the Protestant Church and before has believed and set in writing to guard against heresy.

4. Yes, the Holy Spirit dwells in all believers alike, generally speaking. But He also gives good gifts to men, (cf. 1Cor 12:4f; Rom 4:6-8; Eph 4:11, 12). Now, your insistence that you have the same Spirit as did Edwards or Murray or et al is fine. However, this really puts you on the block, whether you know it or not. For God's truth is absolute, propositional, eternal and not relative or individualistic. Thus, either the Holy Spirit was not operational in all these hundreds of men and women throughout history when it was revealed to them that the Fourth Commandment is a creation ordinance and one which those delivered from bondage were to perpetually keep, or your view is not of God. The Spirit doesn't speak with a forked tongue!

5. It is also true that no man is infallible in all things; that includes you. The litany of stalwarts who wrote concerning the Sabbath surely erred on some things. But what must be kept in mind and which certainly is worthy of consideration is that all these men came from different backgrounds, belonged to different denominations, differed on various articles of the faith with each other, yet they ALL agreed on many things. Could it be that they were ALL wrong on those things which they did not differ?

6. Lastly, bring your arguments if you will. But doubtless, they have all been addressed by these stalwarts with painstaking study of the Scriptures. And, some of the members here are no novices to the Bible either, although I unashamedly admit I cannot hold a candle to the stalwarts named yet I do disagree with them over minor doctrines.

PS: we would prefer you abstain from the silliness of "prooftexting" as is the manner of some, not that you would be guilty of such practice. We much prefer and insist on exegesis and biblical hermeneutical practices. Surely, "a text out of context is nothing more than pretext".

BTW, yes please do start a new thread on the Sabbath.

Thanks!