Perry wrote: > Herein lies a problem. To you YOUR revealed interpretation > is the correct one, and to me MY revealed interpretation is the > correct one. > There are only 4 possibilities here: 1) the true meaning was > revealed to me and not to you, 2) the true meaning was revealed > to you and not to me, 3) the true meaning was not revealed > to either of us, or 4) the Holy Spirit has contradicted himself > by revealing different meanings to each of us. > How are we to choose which of the above 4 possibilities > are correct?
This is where "submitting one to another" becomes important. The early church hashed out these same problems. Some had one revelation, another had their own revelation. Some thought the resurrection was past, some baptized for the dead, some thought that Gentiles needed to be circumcised, etc. By testifying what has been revealed to us, and by submitting one to another, a beautiful balance comes into play. Of course, all this requires humbleness and meekness, but then that is exactly what God is after in us, is it not? The alternative is to take a scientific approach and declare that what has been written and established is the only way in which God talks to us. This is only an attempt to make Christianity objective rather than subjective, but the very fact that the Bible tells us to be witnesses for Christ implies that Christianity is meant to be subjective. I think that there are more problems by trying to make Christianity's pursuit of truth objective rather accepting its subjective nature. When we submit one to another in the spirit of love and meekness, we will find that what revelations we do receive are small and minor. What is even more wonderful is when you receive a revelation from your brother and sister, something not revealed directly to you prior to hearing from them, and you marvel within yourself at the light of God that is in them. You recognize the Holy Spirit within them and marvel at their anointing. This creates a bonding between us that cannot be explained in words. In the end, personal revelation is a wonderful bonding force of love rather than the divisive, back biting source of false doctrine that it is feared to be. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida USA ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
