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To: topcat54
Is your personal creed authoritative in your life? IOW, do you take action in your personal life based on what you believe the Bible teaches? E.g., suppose you believe the Bible teaches that abstinence from beverage alcohol is required by believers. Do you then believe it would be a sin for you to drink beverage alcohol socially? Would you believe it is a sin for everyone?
Irrelevant line of inquiry. Authority is not instilled based upon belief. Authority emanates from God Himself. I am not God and neither are you and neither is the Magisterium. If the Holy Spirit taught me something about Scripture was true then that teaching would be authoritative. I can hear now, how do you know the Holy Spirit teaches you? First, Scripture says He does. Second, you have to test the spirits as Scripture says to. If you see what is being taught is in conflict with Scripture, then it is not the Holy Spirit teaching You.

Is that view of alcohol not a personal creed?
Sure. It is a personal creed. But, it is not looked at in the same way Scripture is looked at. My opinion and my beliefs can be in error. God's Word can not be. I can cherry pick Scripture to support my belief, but that isn't the way Scripture works. The interpretive framework for Scripture is found within Scripture itself. You see several points where the apostles or Christ show the harmony of the Scriptures on a certain aspect - the prophecies concerning Christ's first coming for example. In the same respect, when you look at Scripture you see what Scripture as a whole says about a subject and then, by faith, accept that the Holy Spirit will guide You into truth in that matter. I can look at some of the ancient creeds and see a harmony with Scripture and therefore have no problem with their content per se. Other creeds conflict with Scripture. A creed, confession, or statement of faith simply are not authoritative in and of themselves. Absent Scriptural backing, they are words on paper.
408 posted on 03/30/2009 12:06:04 PM PDT by Blogger (Pray and Prepare)
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To: Blogger; raynearhood
Irrelevant line of inquiry. Authority is not instilled based upon belief. Authority emanates from God Himself.

How so? The Bible says that whatever is not of faith is sin. You must make judgment calls all the time based on your personal interpretation of that the Bible says. If it does not conform to the Bible (as seen through your personal creed), then it is sin. And you are forced to act on those interpretations. Does not your personal creed become an authority for you?

Sure. It is a personal creed. But, it is not looked at in the same way Scripture is looked at.

But you act on it, therefore it has authority to you. It may not to anyone else, but it does to you.

409 posted on 03/30/2009 12:13:39 PM PDT by topcat54 ("Naysayers" laughing at a futurist is not scoffing at God.)
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