Mammamel
08-11-2008, 09:45 AM
As many of you know I am a Bible literal person. I believe God tells us how to live in this world. I do not believe His instructions to be archaic, hard to understand or changing.
As I was doing my nightly study and prayer I came across 2 Timothy 3. These verses struck me and stayed with me for several days while I prayed for wisdom to understand the message. Now let me be clear, I am not claiming I have a special gift to interpret God’s word. In James 1: 5 we are told that if we ask for wisdom God will give it abundantly. So what I am writing is what came to me through study and prayer. I can not tell you what to do with what I am led to share, that is between you and God.
I have been troubled for years by the whole KJV only debate. There are several reasons why this disturbs me. It was only through prayer and study over the last few days the reasons became clear and I was given the words to address them.
These verses in 2 Timothy 3 cemented it for me. What I see on message boards and blogs (Not recently on PH, Praise God!) so saddens me. What I have witnessed much of the time is the KJV only proponents railing at those of us who do not share that view. Many of the KJV only people are addressed in these verses. Now mind you some folks have studied and decided for themselves to be KJV only. I have no issue with that. What I take issue with are the ones who decide to do this, then demand the rest of us follow suit or be ****ed. These verses addressed the later group. They are boastful, proud, truce breakers, false accusers, despisers of those who love good. As I said not all KJV only folks are this way, but I have sadly met many who are. These attitudes carry over into other areas as well.
Verse 5 though hit the whole thing right between the eyes. “Having a form of godliness but denying the power there of.” Before we proceed stop and ponder this for a moment. How many times are we told that God is all powerful? How many times are we told to trust in Him, for wisdom, knowledge and protection? Yet this verse says that people will claim He is all those things yet not trust Him to BE all those things. People claiming His name will not trust in Him for the things they say He can do.
How can this be? Think about this, we claim God created all things. He created the world out of nothing, He created mankind. We say that if we pray He will answer our prayers. We say that all things work together for those that love God.
So let me get this straight. We can trust Him… but only to a point? We can ask Him to heal us, help with our finances save us from hell, but He is powerless to protect His word? Is He God or not? The great I AM is all powerful. Even now.
Now, look at who these people who do not truly trust God are lumped with. The proud, conceited, boasters, slanderers, with out love, unforgiving and brutal. All of which I have witnessed in their blogs, and on message boards. Verse 5 tells us how to handle these people. We are told to have nothing to do with them. Verse 6 says they are the kind who get in and harass silly women weighed down with sins. “Always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth”.
How far this is from what God tells us HIS followers will actually be. Galatians 5 shows the differences. God uses meekness instead of pride and boasting, forgiveness in place of unforgivness. Loving instead of brutal and with out love.
Now when some one like me (not a KJV only person) writes something like this the auto response goes on. We are accused of being liberal…anyone who has ever studied with me knows I am anything but liberal where God’s word is concerned. They do not tend to really study and pray over things non KJV people write, they close their minds. I do not agree with them, therefore I am wrong, it is simple as that.
Some assume I say things like this to be more popular. Ummm have they really read some of the posts I make??? It may be thought I want to fit in with the world not the set apart. My philosophy is on the lines of Galatians 1:10.( 10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.)They also claim this. Ah, but are they really? They claim they only want to please God not man. That is fine, that is what we are told to do. However (there is always a however isn’t there?) how can one use ungodly means to please God? Arguing, boasting, hate, these things do not please God. Yet these are the weapons and methods often employed.
Since these methods do not please God, why employ them? Because they have a form of godliness, but do not trust in true godliness. They do not trust that the methods God gives us to spread His word will work. On top of that since they have decided that He is powerless to use different versions (calling them ALL perversions) to save us, they can not employ His tools. They must use their own worldly tools. Now it is true some men have written versions that are way off on some things. However, all can be used to teach. The whole point is to meet people where they are, and go from there. Just as Phillip did with the eunuch. Just as Paul said when he was with jews he became as a jew, when he was with gentiles he became as a gentile. We have to meet folks where they are. We have to meet them God’s way, with love and meekness not being proud and demanding.
Study some on how God tells us to act, and think on it, KJV or not, this is how GOD tells us to act. If we truly follow Him and love Him, this is how we will act.
As I was doing my nightly study and prayer I came across 2 Timothy 3. These verses struck me and stayed with me for several days while I prayed for wisdom to understand the message. Now let me be clear, I am not claiming I have a special gift to interpret God’s word. In James 1: 5 we are told that if we ask for wisdom God will give it abundantly. So what I am writing is what came to me through study and prayer. I can not tell you what to do with what I am led to share, that is between you and God.
I have been troubled for years by the whole KJV only debate. There are several reasons why this disturbs me. It was only through prayer and study over the last few days the reasons became clear and I was given the words to address them.
These verses in 2 Timothy 3 cemented it for me. What I see on message boards and blogs (Not recently on PH, Praise God!) so saddens me. What I have witnessed much of the time is the KJV only proponents railing at those of us who do not share that view. Many of the KJV only people are addressed in these verses. Now mind you some folks have studied and decided for themselves to be KJV only. I have no issue with that. What I take issue with are the ones who decide to do this, then demand the rest of us follow suit or be ****ed. These verses addressed the later group. They are boastful, proud, truce breakers, false accusers, despisers of those who love good. As I said not all KJV only folks are this way, but I have sadly met many who are. These attitudes carry over into other areas as well.
Verse 5 though hit the whole thing right between the eyes. “Having a form of godliness but denying the power there of.” Before we proceed stop and ponder this for a moment. How many times are we told that God is all powerful? How many times are we told to trust in Him, for wisdom, knowledge and protection? Yet this verse says that people will claim He is all those things yet not trust Him to BE all those things. People claiming His name will not trust in Him for the things they say He can do.
How can this be? Think about this, we claim God created all things. He created the world out of nothing, He created mankind. We say that if we pray He will answer our prayers. We say that all things work together for those that love God.
So let me get this straight. We can trust Him… but only to a point? We can ask Him to heal us, help with our finances save us from hell, but He is powerless to protect His word? Is He God or not? The great I AM is all powerful. Even now.
Now, look at who these people who do not truly trust God are lumped with. The proud, conceited, boasters, slanderers, with out love, unforgiving and brutal. All of which I have witnessed in their blogs, and on message boards. Verse 5 tells us how to handle these people. We are told to have nothing to do with them. Verse 6 says they are the kind who get in and harass silly women weighed down with sins. “Always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth”.
How far this is from what God tells us HIS followers will actually be. Galatians 5 shows the differences. God uses meekness instead of pride and boasting, forgiveness in place of unforgivness. Loving instead of brutal and with out love.
Now when some one like me (not a KJV only person) writes something like this the auto response goes on. We are accused of being liberal…anyone who has ever studied with me knows I am anything but liberal where God’s word is concerned. They do not tend to really study and pray over things non KJV people write, they close their minds. I do not agree with them, therefore I am wrong, it is simple as that.
Some assume I say things like this to be more popular. Ummm have they really read some of the posts I make??? It may be thought I want to fit in with the world not the set apart. My philosophy is on the lines of Galatians 1:10.( 10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.)They also claim this. Ah, but are they really? They claim they only want to please God not man. That is fine, that is what we are told to do. However (there is always a however isn’t there?) how can one use ungodly means to please God? Arguing, boasting, hate, these things do not please God. Yet these are the weapons and methods often employed.
Since these methods do not please God, why employ them? Because they have a form of godliness, but do not trust in true godliness. They do not trust that the methods God gives us to spread His word will work. On top of that since they have decided that He is powerless to use different versions (calling them ALL perversions) to save us, they can not employ His tools. They must use their own worldly tools. Now it is true some men have written versions that are way off on some things. However, all can be used to teach. The whole point is to meet people where they are, and go from there. Just as Phillip did with the eunuch. Just as Paul said when he was with jews he became as a jew, when he was with gentiles he became as a gentile. We have to meet folks where they are. We have to meet them God’s way, with love and meekness not being proud and demanding.
Study some on how God tells us to act, and think on it, KJV or not, this is how GOD tells us to act. If we truly follow Him and love Him, this is how we will act.