FH,

Please don't bow out. Please understand that I am still very much in need of your spiritual guidance. My SDA questions in no way alter what I now believe...I just have some questions as an adult regarding what I was taught as a child and I wanted some questions answered as an adult and also as someone whose belief system was shaped from SDA teachings. The only denomination I fall into now is Christian which I don't think is actually a denomination. I think it is best for me to remain non-denominatinal because my walk with God is with God and not any particular affiliation other than believing in Christ.

Jilly, I will help as I can. No brother can refuse a sincere request for help because we didn't "get where we are in our own walk" all by ourselves. To paraphrase the Scripture, "you are to comfort others with the same comfort that you yourself received." To refuse a command of God would be, at the very least, ungrateful for what He did for me.

With respect to the church you have decided to attend, it sounds wonderful. Just remember that ALL believers in Christ, no matter where they are, make up the church of God. Be grateful for a communion of fellow believers to fellowship with, because there are enough "hungry wolves" waiting around every corner and in every church. Never forget that Satan himself masquerades as an "angel of light" for the purpose of deceiving others and leading them astray. Whenever in doubt, consider the Parable of the Soils and WHO is trustworthy always, no matter any given circumstances you might be facing.

God bless.

FH,

This is what I think I was trying to get at.



I am not for sure where I got a certain message whether it was one that was actually taught to me or one that I mysfelf miscontrued but at some point I thought that SDA was the only "true" faith. If you weren't SDA then you wern't going to heaven. I don't want to ruffle any feathers or be politically incorrect because I don't know if this is what the SDA church believes or not...maybe I was taught that by my grandmother or someone else in my family.

I do think that anyone who accepts Christ as their saviour is part of the body of Christ. I don't think it matters what church people go to...at least not to me. Others can believe what they choose.



Can you post scriptural reference for Parable of Soils...I don't recognize this one. I know WHO is trustworthy though. God is trustworthy and He is the only one I know for sure is.

Thank you for helping me.

Sure thing. You'll find it in Matthew 13 and Luke 8. It's also known as the Parable of the Sower.




A fairly common thing with many groups. The Roman Catholic Church, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, to name just a few.




I understand what you are saying and I even agree with it in that sense. However, it DOES matter what church you attend because it will have a direct bearing on WHAT is taught and what you may or may not learn. In addition, it's important if you are going to have fellowship with others in the church. Much false teaching has made it's way into many churches today, so finding a solid, bible believing, bible teaching, church is not as easy as it might seem.

FH,

I had just read this a couple weeks ago when I was reading through Luke and the parables there but for some reason I had this parable stuck in my mind as the parable of the farmer. Anyway it was good for me to read it again. I cried this time when I read it. This has been happening to me some lately when I read the Bible. I am not really sure why. I think maybe because my reading it now is a choice I am making for me and not something that I was told to do. Yes, of course I think God wants me to be reading His Words for sure but they sure do take on a whole new meaning when His word is taken in out of the sheer longing for His word. I hope this makes sense.

I see what this parable means...I would say that my past would seem to suggest that most of my seed was sown along the path and maybe some rooted in the thorns. I do NOT want the seed to root in rock right now because I know what will happen if it does. This commitment I have made to God is not temporary to get me through this hard time in my life because I realize that if the seed isn't rooted in good soil I will never really be okay. I don't just need God right now...I need him for the rest of my life.

This is why I asked before about not wanting to become "too strong" that it was because of my weakness that I finally really got how much I need God. I think what this means for me is that I understand that although I am making progress with God it is only because He is in charge. What I see is that when He has the reigns I am okay...even in my brokenness I am still okay. He is taking care of me. He is showing me what I need to do and leading me where I need go.



I see what you are saying here and I agree. I am not going to judge anyone else's belief system however I am certainly going to check mine. I think what you are suggesting is that to check what is being taught in church is to make sure that it matches what the Bible says and if the church I am attending message is veering away from what the Bible is teaching then I have a problem with my church. So far I don't see a problem with my new church. They use NIV as primary word. If it isn't NIV it is always noted. They don't appear to have any other "books" they are using. To my knowledge (and I will investigate this further) they aren't following any "prophets".

I prayed about where to go and I felt led to go to this church but I will have to really pay attention. They do offer bible study. I don't want to get into a bible study group if it isn't really a true study of the bible.

When my total surrender to Him happened He did speak to me. I heard Him telling me the Cross was enough. This is what allowed me to let go so freely and so deeply and to want to study and learn all I can from His word. I feel safe in His words. I know it is the truth.

Now for a couple of questions. First let me start off by saying that unfortunately my previous study of the bible growing up was more based in the old testament. So I have some honest questions about the old vs. the new testament. Is the new testament set in the time when Jesus was on earth or is that the gospel?

Was Jesus' time on earth recorded primarily in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Is this why it is the gospel? Is the gospel Christ's teachings? I understand that the word gospel means good news. So is the good news that because of the cross my salvation can never be taken from me for sinning?



Is the gospel just Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Is this is what is meant by "the gospel"? My new Life Application Study Bible (NIV) appears to me that that is what the gospel is but since I know you know FH I hope you can clarify for me.

Also should my focus right now be in the New Testament? Is the New Testament a new and different message from the Old testament? I feel like there is a reason why there is a separation of the old from the new. Does this mean there is a separation in thinking from the old to the new? I really don't know the answer to this at all.

When I say sinning I don't mean that I plan on going out and doing anything I want to without a care as to what God wants because that isn't my thinking at all. My thinking is that none of us can ever be sinless no matter how close we walk with God because we are NOT God. Yes?

I know that I have to study the Bible on my own and hopefully also with a church group but I see what you are saying that my group study will need to be with others who are following only the teaching of the bible itself.

Okay probably enough questions for one session.

Thank you again for helping me. I know God commands you to help but I also really, really appreciate it because I know it takes time for you to answer and I know you answer a lot of people on here who ask for Christian help.

FH,

Jilly, it makes perfect sense to anyone who is a believer. It is part of your new nature as a result of being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit.




Exactly. God IS our ever-present help in times of need, but it is “human nature” to feel like we don’t need God when things are “going good.” The pull of the “human nature” is what we struggle with all of our lives and is why we need to live a life that is surrendered to God at all times.





Jilly, you CAN become “too strong” if you rely on self, but never too strong “in God.”
It is a matter of WHO the focus of your life is on, self or God.

The intent of God is to move us from new born again “babies” to full maturity in Christ. Such is the nature of Sanctification (becoming more and more “Christ-like”).





Jilly, it may be difficult for you to know this with certainty since you are only at the “beginning” of your new walk in Christ. Don’t get impatient, though I understand the “thirst” you are feeling. It’s similar to the thirst for water that someone might have who had been lost in the desert for days and suddenly came upon a refreshing oasis. They might “feel” like they want to drink every drop of water in the pool at one time. But they drink enough to “save” their life and then begin the process of drinking all that is needed, whenever it is needed, over time.

In the past I have referred to it as “how do you eat an elephant?” The answer is “one bite at a time.” You won’t get it all in one “meal,” but over time you will make progress and get closer to eating the whole thing. It’s very much the same thing with understanding the truths of God and proceeding along the path of Sanctification.

As for the “judging” part you referred to, Christians ARE supposed to “Judge” whether or not what someone says or believes or teaches IS what the Scripture teaches or is something “of their own mind.” YOU are instructed to “make sure” and not associate yourself with heresy or heretical teaching that denies the truth of God.





This is a normal reaction to being born again. It is the working of the Holy Spirit within you to guide you into “all truth” concerning God, and Jesus Christ the Son.






Jilly, the OT is a part of the Scripture. There is nothing wrong with studying it. In fact, such study should be encouraged. The “problem” in “overbalancing” the study is when it begins to emphasize the “works” that someone does as a means to salvation. The OT is consistent throughout, it is NOT works that God found favorable, and it was FAITH in God, not in self or works. The “works” always flowed as a result of one’s faith in, love for, and surrender to, God and HIS will.





The four Gospels teach about the time that Jesus walked the earth. Their purpose is to declare Jesus to the world. Each of the four gospels is centered on a different aspect of Jesus, i.e., as Servant, as King, as Son of God and LORD.

The New Testament in total are the writings of the apostles of God’s revelation to mankind of the fulfillment of His promise that was made at the time of the Fall way back in Genesis. It is filled with God’s revelation of how those in Christ are to live in faith, not works, and how they are to live “in the world.”





Yes, the four Gospels deal primarily with Jesus while he lived, was crucified, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven. Other books also speak about Christ’s life on earth, but the “primary source” for that information is the four Gospels.





No. The “gospel” IS the Good News. They books known as the Gospels reveal that Good News to us.





No, the Gospels CONTAIN Christ’s teaching, but that teaching is not limited to just the four Gospels. God spoke through the writers of the entire Scripture (inspiration) to teach us what God wants us to know. Christ IS the second person of the Triune God. What the Gospels primarily record are the words of Christ while he was “visible and audible” in His incarnation as a Man while He lived here to be the fulfillment of God’s promise to provide to a means for our salvation that God himself would provide.





In part it is. But the real “Good News” is that our sins CAN be forgiven through Christ because of what He did for us. A result of being born again is that you can never lose your salvation. Understand that there ARE those who think you CAN lose your salvation after you have become a Christian. I’ll not get too into that right now, but they tend to ascribe to what is known as “Arminianism.”





It’s an indication of the limitations of the English language at times, where the same word can have multiple meanings. Love, for example. There are many types of love, but the English language only has the one word, and then we have to “expand” through discussion just what “sort” of love we might be talking about.

The “gospel,” or “gospels” is a similar type of situation where the meaning behind the term must be understood in the context of the usage of the term. The books known as the “Gospels” are the first four books of the New Testament. They are known as the Gospels BECAUSE they declare the gospel message of Jesus Christ as THE way to be reconciled to God from our sin. The “good news” is, “For God so loved the loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (or his only begotten son), that whoever 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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18 NIV)






Yes, I would agree that is where your focus should be “right now.” That is NOT to neglect the Old Testament, but to acknowledge you have a “greater need” right now to understand the fundamentals of being a Christian, which the Old Testament doesn’t focus on. The Old Testament, while applicable to all, was directed to the Jews.





Not really. The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, All of Scripture has been about God and God’s provision for mankind and reconciling mankind to God after the Fall. The New Testament IS different from the Old Testament in that it testifies to the MESSIAH that was promised in the Old Testament, the fulfillment of God’s promise to His people.





There IS a separation from Old to New. That separation IS Jesus Christ. It was true then and it’s still true today.





Yes, but not because we are not God. It is because we have not yet received our glorified bodies after sin and death have been “banished.” Until then, we still live in our fallen flesh and in a fallen world.





Yes. So let’s begin with the Doctrines of Grace in order to establish a foundation of what the Bible teaches. This is part of “putting on the full armor of God” so that you will be able to “stand.”

Understand that you will also have to guard against extremism with respect to those Doctrines of Grace so that you can discern not only truth, but also the patience of God in teaching us and bringing us along our individual path of Sanctification. Not ALL things have been revealed to us. Some things, such as the exact timing of Christ’s second coming, are known only to God and we are given only “so much” information. The rest we leave in God’s hands because we trust Him to be faithful not only to His promises to us, but to Himself.


Now, are you familiar with the term “Doctrines of Grace” or what those doctrines are?





Jilly, you are quite welcome for any help I can offer. It is God’s command to all believers, but that does not mean that I don’t appreciate your feeling, as I have similar feelings toward those who have helped me. God uses people to help people, it has always been God’s way. Rarely does God directly intervene, though He has and does, as He chooses by His own good will.

God bless.