Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Question for the holy guys

Understanding context crucial gaining the meaning of a verse…

Consider Jesus speaking in …Matthew 12:36….. “But I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken”

What does this mean?

Do you take this… woodenly….for simply the words or do you search the context for meaning?

The ultimate authority is simply reality live against it and it will bite you in the ass HARD…

You can make up your own reality (Internet) or you can try to understand the fabric of reality and live well in it.

Some call that Meeting God… because there is a whole bunch of things we don’t know about in terms of the fabric of reality and how we act in it.

And in fact that’s what I’m suggesting, if the Bible is a library of methods to learn about living in the fabric of Reality in a way that will do all of us good…. Well then you would be a complete idiot for ignoring those… just like you would be an idiot for not learning how to drive on ice and then ending up in the ditch…

It comes down to responsibility to knowing what the hell you are doing in life…. Most of us what the short answer and are willing to swallow an ideology…. The problem with this is YOU ARE NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY….
This is why a crowd of people will do HORRIBLE things to a person…. It takes a single guy a while to get that F’d up in their mind and get responsibility and evil interwinded….

But with a group of idiots who aren’t responsible because they are hiding behind a ideology that “is responsible” (the crowd)…

There are very few real men out there who have figured it out - Thank God there are 5 times as man of them as there are the idiots that decided to act with Malice …. But we are breeding more cowards because we don’t teach responsibility..

So - ultimate authority = Responsibility

And we all have that responsibility to “get” there is a REAL fabric of reality where what you do has some effects on yourself, your family, and your community…

To rebuke truth of outcome (Karma, God, … ) would be to refute real outcomes of behavior…. Which if frankly beyond stupid if you are more than 12 years old.

Yep.

I look at it this way…


Everyone has a frame of reference or “sense of reality” and we can actually see things differently based on our experiences and how they changed us over time.

We also have “emotions” or “feelings” about what we are experiencing in life, or with what other people are saying…

IF one act’s with a concern for yourself, concern for the other person, and concern for the relationship between yourself….
WELL - then when they say something make you I don’t like X (makes you feel bad) - you SHOULD naturally say… hey this surely FELT this way to me and it seems way wrong, so before I go off half cocked…. Here is the context of why I saw it that way - Am I nuts (Do you see it that way or is this valid)….

This respects yourself, the other person and the relationship between you because you can “negotiate” your “frame” or sense of reality and Grow as people, in a good respectful relationship.


BUT - this is not generally how people react on the Internet…. They often insult, and criticize. - these are not respectfully motivated… they are power plays.. God help you if you act in Malice … They Other person picks up on your motivation more than what is said…

So - the nice part… we get to pick if we are all butt holes, or good Men..

This doesn’t mean you can’t be a monster of a guy, it means you walk in with your sword in it’s sheath… if someone refuses to respect you.. simply articulately state reality and walk away from the idiot…. Fixing someone else is Really hard, and fixing someone who doesn’t want to be fixed is darn near impossible…. Choose your time and friends wisely.

Spot

Hank Sr, "Got It", when he sang, Lord build me a cabin in the corner of Glory.

I'd put a please in there.

Regarding holiness whatever we are, we have not 'made it' ourselves.....

1 Peter 2:9, 10

'...But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY...'

WHO was he speaking to/about???

1 Peter 1:1,2

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

'...To those who reside as strangers, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: ...'

Unless I missed something along the way, the concept and techniques of logic were assembled by humans. A man made tool may not work for some who require mechanical means to understand or measure God and His meaning in Scripture.

SS,

Interesting viewpoint to be sure. Seems to me that I can partly agree with you that the Bible has purpose in it being “a library of methods to learn about living in the fabric of Reality in a way that will do all of us good…”

But I think there is more…..the Bible reveals the reality and nature of God and also reveals…. and illustrates …the reality of Jesus.


TF

One reason I don't respond much to the "Christian" threads anymore is the stumbling block, the refusal of the swine to accept the concept of faith. After all, we are talking about the Christian Faith, aren't we? Faith is trust, assurance, and confidence in God, the the substance or assurance of things we hope for, but have not yet received or seen. The doubters cannot and will not accept or acknowledge this concept, and discussions always come back to this fact. Since this simple concept is marginalized and trivialized, and ignored by the same group of swine that migrate to these topics like a moth to a flame, I really have nothing to discuss with them.

John 20:29
New International Version
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Bingo. Well said.

The swine know this and disingenuously use it in their efforts to marginalize Christ.

Why? It's about all they've got.

TF49,

If you have worked with people anytime you find out some can read and “get it”, others have to “see it done,” and others actually have to “DO IT”…

so we don’t all learn things the same way - so I am not surprised by anyone figuring things out a different way.

I simply offered something a bit more contemporary that is not rebuttable because may people are reacting off “badly used” religious ideology that didn’t want them to be better people, but wanted to control or self rationalize…

It’s a journey but we don’t treat it like one, we treat it like status…. The first recognizes you want people to be there best self… the later simply tries to climb whatever hierarchy you think is there…

There is a reason why the Bible says Love is the greatest thing… and this is why.

Well said. Problem is, I'm a sinner and fall short.

True living faith inspires us to do good to others. Those deeds are simply manifestation of true faith.

IMO, James 2 is just pointing that out. To claim faith, but still be unwilling to cheerfully do good for others is what "dead faith" is.

We ALL do. Hypocrisy is an innate human condition that shows from time to time no matter how hard we try to kill it off in our own lives. You may call me one if you like but that never negates your own.

Yup….ok….

TF

Where did you get the idea "no right to judge."?

An example - The “light and the way” ..

Think about living right in a world of risk, suffering, … you have to sacrifice doing the wrong things, and do the right things for growth, and happiness.

There are verses that say no one makes it to the father yet through me because I am the light and the way…


We are people of Meaning - what is your purpose = what is your meaning…

Responsibility is your meaning if you understand it…. Take responsibility to lift the heaviest burden you can, to limit suffering, eliminate malice, and do your best for yourself, your friends, and the relationship between the 2 of you…. Because our society is made up of people, and our relationships form the fabric of society and reality of what suffering is in the world…. So be responsible.

You can aim to be hedonistic and just do things for pleasure - is that the wisdom that builds a great family & country ?
Or you can take responsibility and ask your friends to do the same, not act with malice but share your feelings & your frame of reference (context) to help each other transform and become greater by simply respecting the relationships…
Teach your kids to not be hated (behave) so they can join in those types of relationships …

It’s weird people ideaologize Christ as being “love” and a “sacrifice” ….

What he was, was responsible in his role, and that is what we should be as well.
The world and life are hard enough alone no wonder people are nearly apocalyptic when people also fail to take on responsibility and become full of malice…

In the end don’t squander what you have, and try to be responsible….
“This is the way” was stolen by Disney for a movie…. It didn’t originate there.

Saying "techniques of logic were assembled by humans" is akin to saying "gravity was assembled by humans." Logic is universal, immaterial, immutable, timeless and other adjectives I can't think of at this time.

I appreciate your response, but do not agree with your view. Your example with "gravity" has to do with a force inherent in nature - the environment - in which we are born and live. In my belief, God created that force. It is universal and, to some extent, it is measurable. Having discovered it, humans have striven to understand and work with that force - but they cannot change it. It is beyond mankind's control.

Logic, on the other hand, normally is known and used as a somewhat scientific structure devised by humans to address matters and questions of correct reasoning. This is done through the use of certain principles. Humans set these principles and try to use them as criteria to establish validity of inference and demonstration in assessing rationality. Humans have devised differing forms/structures of logic according to needs. A logic system, in and of itself, is not universal and is controllable by humans.

Do you use a different definition of "logic"? If so, I would appreciate your providing the explanation of that logic.

The bible is a good example of "con" text. 200 versions of Christianity in the USA, and tens of thousands of versions throughout the world. God isn't perturbed to set the records straight - maybe he doesn't exist? Nah, that can't be it.

Apparently context can transform verse narrative from what it says into something you want it to say. That's convenience for you.

If the bible is the inspired word of God, as claimed, its clarity leaves a lot to be desired.