Once Upon a time

Am fantastical as these events sound, we must rember than none of them are alerogory or myth - they are actual history, miracles of God that really happened.

There is a different between fact and fantasy. These events sound fantastical but they are fact. B ut what about the other side of the coin?

What about things that sound like fact but actually fantasy? Things which many people and many chritsians believe to be true, but are not?

1 Timothy 1:1–5 AV

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; 2 Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. 5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

There are 2 words in this pasage I wasnt to draw your attendtoin to:

Doctrine and Fable.

What is Doctrine? Dctrine is a beliefe that based and grounded firml;y in Scripture.

Things we believe, not because we were taught them by man, but because we were taught them by the Holy Spiorit though the Wor - man may have help us understand, but it was a john the baptist encounter, like John only pointed to Jesus, so pastors can and should point to doctrine.

A fable is simply the opposite, its a teaching or concept that has very little to no scriptual support, and the in time where there is support - the scripotures hgave to be butchered to make it work.

Doctrine edifies the christian and draws them closer to Goid. fables cause nothig but division and confusion.

Let me tell you what i include in the fables catagory: Things the bible calls disputible matters:

So let us settle some things today, let us put everything in its right catagory.

1: The Fable - God hates sin but loves the sinner.

This one you hear all the time. It is very common, and its simplty not true. It is said to make people wgo are guilty feel better about themselves. There is no a single shred of scriptual eviudence for this fable.

However, `doctrine says:

2: The Doctrine - God loves you but as a sinner his wrath rests upon you.

The bible clearly tells us that Goid wrath and anger is NOT directed at sin BJUT at the sinner.

Ezra 8:22 AV

22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

Psalm 21:8–9 AV

8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. 9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

Ephesians 2:3 AV

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

It is clear, God hates sin, yes, but his wrath is firmly fixed MOT on the sin but on the sinner.

We do not punish murder, murderers. We do not punush rape, but rapists.

1: The Fable - The Bible contains the word of God

This is a view held by many religious sects. Somwehere in the bibkle is the Words of God. And whatb they like to do is the parts they dont like, they remove or reject, saying that those parts are NOT trhe word of God.

7th day adventists reject most of Pauls writing, they also reject all words in the gospels that Jesus did not say.

Mormons believe that the bible is incompltete and the writing of Joseph Smith make it compltete.

Not once in all scripture do we even get a hint of any of these fables.

In Fact:

2: The Doctrine - the Bible IS the Word of God.

Every single word in this book is the very words of God spoken to us.

Proverbs 30:5 AV

5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

2 Timothy 3:16 AV

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The bible is compltete. Nothing new can be added and not a single verse should be taken away.

Revelation 22:18–19 AV

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

1: The Fable - You can keep sinning and God will forgive you.

This is a favorite of the false christian. Most church’s are made up of this kind of so cvalled christian.

No repentance at all, just lots of noise and load worship and all is well. Being a christian is not about living holy or being obedient, its just about having relationship with Jesus.

However

2: The Doctrine: If you keep sinning you were never forgiven in the first place and if you were then you have fallen awayt from the faith

1 John 3:4–9 AV

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

and

Hebrews 10:26–27 AV

26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

The Disputible:

This is just the smallest sampeing of false fables, but other than fables there are the disputible things that bring no edifiction gto the church,n only division.

Titus 3:9 AV

9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

and

1 Timothy 4:7 AV

7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

Thesen things are issues which we know are to be true, because the bible says so, but the bible gives us very little or no deep insight within the issue. Its a mysry known onmy to God.

We certaninly do not have sufficient scriptual evidence for form a doctrine aboout it so we leave it open to God.

Now its fine to draw your own conclusions on the matter, thats fine - but they, because they are NOT based in solid exegitical scripture are just OPINIONS.

Yes many people would seem wise aurguing these things, biblically it is pure imature foolishness.

Foer example:

The nature of the ressurected body.

This question has been aksed since the begining.

1 Corinthians 15:35 AV

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

The answer is we do not know what kind of body it will be.

We know it will be like Christs ressurected body.

1 John 3:2 AV

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

and based on that we know that it is an actual body NOT a spirit body.

Luke 24:39 AV

39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

But other than that we know nothing - yet people love to urgue over this.

Another point of muchg aurguing is:

The details aboout our existance pre-ressurection.

Here is what we know: We know that when we die as christian we go straight to paradice.

Luke 23:43 AV

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

But we also know that the ressurection of the dead has not taken place and will opnly take place at the rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 AV

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

So what state, what consciencess do the disembodies Spirits of dead christians have now while in paradice without their body?

We have not got a clue. Are they conscience, what level of conscience do they have?

That they exist in a pure spiritual relm not bound to space and time like the physical, does that mean thet they even experience time at all?

Is the duration of them in paradiuce the pasing of seconds or is it the passing of biblical seasons?

We do not know - and to aurgue about these things is the hight of spiritual immaturity and foolishness.