Re: [TruthTalk] Christians' authority over nature

[Lance Muir]

1. Are you self-identifying? 2. If you truly think so then, I'd like very much hearing (reading) your clear explanation of 6-8 parables. ----- Original Message ----- From: ShieldsFamily To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: August 20, 2004 12:52 Subject: RE: [TruthTalk] Christians' authority over nature BTW, Jonathan, I never said that a particular parable was the key to understanding the gospel.  But JESUS said, in Mark 4: 11   And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12   so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN." 13   And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? If I may translate: The parables are the “Gospel for Dummies” who don’t get it.  Izzy   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 8:13 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Christians' authority over nature   In a message dated 8/19/2004 6:22:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Greetings all,   Just a quick note.   The parable of the sower or any parable for that matter is NOT the key to understanding the gospel.  The key to understanding the gospel is Jesus Christ Himself.  We must always allow God to disclose Himself to us apart from our own bias.  When we take a passage and thrust it out as our hermeneutic (especially for something as important as the gospel) we apply our own spin to it.  If we allow God to disclose Himself to us, on His terms, we can be much more confident in what we are promoting.  When one says Jesus Christ, one says God, one says humanity, and one says God and humanity together.  Much is contained in that sentence.  Much is contained in Jesus!  By starting with Jesus, with who He was and is and then working out our doctrines (i.e. what the gospel is and how it is worked out in our lives) we become centered on Christ, our eyes correctly fixed on who matters (1 Cor 2:2, Heb 12:2).  To sum up, when we start with a doctrine (a parable, a verse, a passage) and use it to interpret the rest of what we believe we have created our own faith.  If we start with Jesus, and who He is, and interpret our doctrines through Him then you are on safe ground (for the reason that it is not your ground; it is holy ground).  The word (scripture) must always be subservient to the Word (Christ).  To switch these around is to fall into error.  Christians need to be constantly reminded that the fullest source of revelation from God to us has not been the Bible, but rather Himself in the Person of His Son (Col 1:15-20).  To Christ be the glory.  Amen.   Jonathan   This paragraph is just great.  First century Christians had no choice but to start with Jesus since the biblical message was not even close to being what it is today.   That last sentence really gets to the heart of the discussion.  John