Mark:

AV -

*Sigh*
Talk about "taking scritpure out of context.

Let's look at your posts IN context.

You referred to 2 Timothy
Let's REALLY look at it.
I don't know what translation you used, but I'm using NIV.

2 Timothy 4:1 -2 reads
(1) "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing, and his kingdom, I give you this charge, (2) Preach the word; be prepared in season an dout of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction.

Notice two things. VS one says Christ Jesus will judge. Verse two says encourage and use great patience and careful instruction when rebuking or correcting.

Which is what I have said over and over and over. "Correct, but correct in love."

For those of you who only use King James, the phrase "exhort with all longsuffering " means "encourage, correct with patience and love."

Looks like Paul and I agree on that one.

Paul and I also agree on the rest of it. There are false teachers out there. Men who teach that Christ does not love, for instance. Or men who teach that Christians should not correct with love, patience and encouragement for instance.

Now:
You used 1 Thessalonians 5:21. That's one of my favorite passages of the bible.

Let me put it BACK into context.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire, do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good, avoid every kind of evil."

Now, the same man who wrote that passage, stated:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries, and all knowledge, but have not love, I am nothing."
"And if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
"If I give all I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
"Love is patient."
"Love is kind."
"It does not eney. It is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered."
"It keeps no record of wrongs."
"It does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth."
"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
"Love never fails."
"But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge; it will passs way. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes the imperfect disappears."
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection in the mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully know."
"And now, these three remain. Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
"Follow the way of love, amd eagerly desire spiritual gifts."

That was I Corinthinans 13:1 to 1 Corinthians 14:1


But - apparently, the doctorine of love is "false doctorine" and "blaspheme," because one verse in Timothy sort of mentions correcting with a hint at encouragement and patience.

 

AV,

I have repeatedly stated that Christians should correct with love. So I have NOT implied that correction is totally wrong.

I have stated it must be done in love, and I've posted scripture to support that.

I have shown a lot of scripture about love.

So, when you come back at me, and accuse me like you have of "twisted doctorine," and "one-sided doctorine," or such things, I assume you are trying to teach against love.

That seems to be what you bring up in your condemnation of me.

You said, "TexasSky has tunnel vision when it comes to the love of God."

And following my post about Matthew, you wrote.

Here again, a twisted bit of doctrine by TexasSky....how unoriginal. Texas...is God also a God of judgement and Holiness or not? You seem to overlook this particular thing. Nobody is saying God isn't love.
-------

If you aren't saying that, AV, what ARE you objecting to?

That I think you have no right to look down on others? You're right, I think you have no right to look down on others.

That I think correction should be loving?
You're right, I think you have to correct with love.

That I think you're mean spirited?
Well, you're right. I do think you are.

I think your comments about me and to me are snide, rude, and unChristlike personal attacks.

If your intentions were Godly, you would have been able to say, "Sky, I agree that God loves, but in Timothy God said that we need to correct one another." You wouldn't have said, "You have tunnel vision about his love!"

But I DO have tunnel vision about his love.

Without his love, none of the rest of it matters.

None of it.

Without his love, we're doomed to the hell we earned.

So yeah, I get a little emotional about His love.

[ June 21, 2005, 01:34 PM: Message edited by: TexasSky ]

 

AV...to say "Granny is one of the best and most loved posters on the BB" is wrong! We are not to favour some people over others. Also, to say "at least she doesn't lie..." implies that she DOES do some other kind of sin for which you are excusing her for. That kinda violates the "holiness of God" doctrine you so one-sidedly espouse does it not?

 

Av

" am saying however that you lean too far to one side to the detriment of the truth. "

Andy the Truth is
"That God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son into the world that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

You can't over state that.
You can't "lean too far into that."

That IS the message of Christ.

The people had the judgmental law before He, came, Andy. - It didn't save them.

The people had their pious finger-pointers - They couldn't save themselves or each other.

The people had the will to do what was right,and the people who really thought they were doing what was right, and Christ told them, "No, you still haven't got it."

There is "over stating" the love of Christ. It is totally impossible to overstate it.

It is impossibe to even come close to stating how amazing it is!

Don't you get that, Andy?
Jesus Christ - God Himself - became a man, a human being in a poverty striken, disease ridden, hate-filled world as an expression of love for men like Matthew who ripped off his own people, for men like Saul who murdered believers, for men like Peter who denied knowing Him three times.

He went through the cat-of-9-tails so that you, when you were the worst sinner you've ever been in your live - didn't have to.

He wore a crown of thorns so that me, when I was an unsaved kid fed up calling his love a lie, wouldn't have to.

He went to the cross for people that hated Him, had nails driven into His hands and feet, a sword shoved into His, as He hung for hours and hours in a hot sun - surrounded by people who had been there to SEE, first hand, the miracles He performed on earth, and who asked that a killer be set free so that HE would die, and his prayer was "Father forgive them."

This is NOT a God that looks at His own children, the children who LOVE Him back and says, "Get out of my sight!"

This is a God that comes like a loving parent and says, "Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself, just as surely as if you stuck your hand into an open flame. Listen to me. I love you, stop hurting yourself."

We, as Christians, are to "guide" one another, Andy, NOT condemn one another, NOT judge one another.

You can say, "THIS IS WRONG," without sitting in judgment.

I am doing that now. I am telling, you, Christian to Christian - if you think it is possible to over-state, or to "lean too much" toward the Love of Christ - you are WRONG.

That doesn't make you a bad Christian. That doesn't make me "better than you."

It just means I love you enough to say, "LOOK at the LOVE. Put it first, all the rest hang on this."

That's what HE said in his Holy Word. "All the rest hang on love," Andy.

If we can't get the love right - we can't get the rest right.

 

Now - regarding calling me a liar.

If I misunderstand the message you are sending - it is not intentional. I am telling you what you have communicated to me.

In the same light, if you misunderstand the message I am sending (and you have, I can tell this clearly by thoughts, statements and ideas you have attributed to me that are incorrect), I give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it is not intentional.

However - calling me a liar - IS intentional. It IS slander, and it is WRONG. It is un-Christ like.

 

For those wondering - Menageriekeeper's interpretation of the discussion fits what I feel it is about.