[MHGinTN] You have need of more study, to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the Word, because you certainly don't know how yet.
I'm sure you think I do.
Jesus had this same problem in His time.
John 5:38 - 40
38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
The Jews read their scriptures but couldn't see that Jesus was the Messaiah. Can't see the forest for the trees.
[MHGinTN]Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:" Stourme, who are the 'them'
"them" is irrelevant. The point is He is commanding them to go 'do'. Teach them to observe all the things... According to you there's only one thing to observe. This proves you wrong.
2 Timothy 3:1 - 8
1 THIS know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
For this conversation there are several points to be taken from this scripture. It gives a warning for those in the last days, or our time.
- Have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away
- The priests that denied the prophet, so do these also
Have a form of godliness, but deny the power of it. Those are people that go around repeating the name of God. But they ignore most of the Bible. They don't believe God has the power to call a prophet in the last days. They claim all you have to do is believe while at the same time refusing to acknowledge the relationship of works to salvation. They deny that God has the power have more of His written down than what's in their little Bibles. (Which they don't really believe anways)
Jannes and Jambres were priests in Pharoahs court. In the last days or our time, these people will fight against the true prophet. Just like these men did to Moses.
Jesus gave the same warning:
Luke 13:23 - 24
23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
People striving or seeking the way to heaven but won't be able to get in.
Luke 13:26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
These people think they are with Jesus. They believe is their Lord. But they will not be allowed into heaven.
As Paul says, they only have a form of Godliness.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Simply having faith that Jesus is your savior is not enough. The are crying Lord Lord but not DOING the will of God. They have a form of Godliness...but that's it.
"them" is irrelevant.Stourme Bless your little heart, Stourme, you still miss the mark. Asserting that it is irrelevant is precisely how the lies of Mormonism are inveigled, by ignoring the context, to whom a passage is directed, and finding agreement or disagreement in the other scriptures. It's kind of like assuming when Paul said the Bereans search the scriptures daily he was referring to the new Testament, which is silly since it was not yet written, so He must have been referring to the existing Jewish scriptures. But you would not know that unless you studied to know when the various scriptures were authored and in what languages, and written by whom, and from where to whom, etc. So you see, Stourme, you have shown yourself not yet ready to divide the scriptures rightly.
Now, why don't you go and read the passage from Matthew you offered, to see whom is the 'them', and to what Jesus is referring.
"The are crying Lord Lord but not DOING the will of God. They have a form of Godliness...but that's it."
Stourme Stourme, I'm going to rightly quote then 'divide' the Bible passage for you, to give you an illustration of simple exegesis.
2Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
First, do you know what is the 'power thereof' with this godliness? You know only God has godliness, right? So, it is possible to show a form of godliness but not have God-liness, according to the passage. When salvation /being born again happens, at that point in time the saved have the Holy Spirit come into their human spirit. As the person lives the subsequent life, the presence of God as the Holy Spirit in their human spirit brings forth godliness, real godliness as source in God, not human endeavor.
Those who show a form of this leadership but are not being lead by His Spirit, these have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof ... to pretend at godliness is to deny God's Holy Spirit to author the godliness which God produces in the Born Again. Until you can have that godliness authored by His presence in you, you are not going to be able to produce a good enough report to reach a state of worthiness for God Grace ... it cannot be done. And here's why: the Ten Commandments are a description of God's nature and unless you can live up to ever one of those ten you are in violation of not having godliness, not having God's nature.
A Christian, in God's sight, has His nature in them because God places a smidgen/the earnest of the inheritance of His Holy Spirit presence in the Born Again.
When a Mormon tells us that God's Grace, His Nature only comes into one after all that they can do to earn the Grace, they are denying the power of godliness, denying that it is ONLY God's Holy Spirit Who can produce the godliness of His nature in the Born Again.
Only Jesus has ever lived up to the ten commandments, because He could not sin, His seed/His Godliness nature remained within Him as He walked among us ... The Word made flesh Who dwelt among us.
When Stourme thinks he can have real godliness without the God of that nature within his human spirit to Author that Nature which is His nature, then Stourme is 'denying the power thereof'.