easternstar
Active Member
I want to address spiritual knowledge, or how we know spiritual truths. I contend that the way we know what is true spiritually is by first-hand experience. The early Quakers were fond of stating something like this: "You say, 'Paul said this', or 'John said that', or 'Peter said', but what can YOU say?" In other words, if you believe something because someone else said it, without yourself having direct personal experience or communication from God, then your knowledge is second-hand knowledge. Or head knowledge.
I believe that. But what if we never have that personal experience or direct communication from God? Then we have to rely on the words of others, like the scriptures, and I do believe God speaks to us through the scriptures. But then comes the problem of whose interpretation of the scriptures is the correct one -- mine, yours, a particular denomination's? I think that's both a strength and weakness of the Baptist, and Protestant, view of the Bible.
Anyway, don't most Christians have only head knowledge of spiritual truths?
I believe that. But what if we never have that personal experience or direct communication from God? Then we have to rely on the words of others, like the scriptures, and I do believe God speaks to us through the scriptures. But then comes the problem of whose interpretation of the scriptures is the correct one -- mine, yours, a particular denomination's? I think that's both a strength and weakness of the Baptist, and Protestant, view of the Bible.
Anyway, don't most Christians have only head knowledge of spiritual truths?