Originally posted by knightmeisterUsually being terrified and miserable seems to lead people to Christianity. Loneliness helps too.
Can I take the fact that most Bible passages quoted to me seem to me to be silly and unintelligible to be an indication that God is not knocking on my door?---whitey---
You probably can. There are points in people's lives where conversion is close and others where the opportunity is further away.
Originally posted by AThousandYoungWhat has led many to Jesus Christ is the realization of His peerless worth. There is simply no one and nothing that can compete with His beauty and preciousness.
Usually being terrified and miserable seems to lead people to Christianity. Loneliness helps too.
Some of us are captured by His beauty. Self love sinks in shame. What can you compare to Jesus? What is worth more? What could be more precious than God incarnate as our Lord and Savior.
We are made full in Him. We are set free from religious duty. We are captivated by His utter preciousness.
It is not a matter of sacrificing anything. It is an eternal and holy bargain.
Mary Magdalene had been a professional prostitute. Jesus had cast seven demons out of her and released her from that life style.
For a woman to be a prostitute in those days she had to save up her wealth for the future time when no one wanted her anymore because of her age.
Mary had saved some expensive ointment, the worth of which probably represented her life's savings.
When she knew of the upcoming death Jesus she wasted her saved up treasure by pouring it out on the Lord Jesus. This was a show of her love for Him. This was her savings and her security for the future. But she poured out on the head of Jesus as an expression of her pure love for Him.
She knew what was going to happen to Jesus. She didn't want to pour her treasure out on Jesus after He was dead. She wanted to show her love for Him while He was still alive. She showed her love for Jesus much more than the twelve disciples. They criticized her for wasting such and expensive savings on Jesus.
As a reward the first person to see the resurrected Christ was Mary Magdelene. The clear headed intellectual men were home in bed asleep. The woman who no one would believe or would trust, but loved Jesus so much, was sovereignly allowed to be the first to witness the resurrected Christ.
The testimony of a woman would not be admissible in court in those days. Yet the most important fact in history was first witnessed by a woman. And that was the woman who just loved Jesus so much - Mary Magdelene.
All the clear headed and intellectual men should learn from Mary. She gave her all to Christ at the right time. She wanted nothing for herself. She wanted everything for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Originally posted by ThinkOfOneBut I don't think you have answered one of my most fundamental questions:
I've given you a road map to one way of interpreting the verse in question and to a certain extent, the Bible as a whole.
Who should I believe and why when it comes to road maps.
For example, you have presented me with a road map, whereas others have quite clearly stated that without becoming a Christian, I can have no valid road map. How do I know if you are right or them?
Do you agree with me that there is no apparent consensus on the meaning of much of the Bible and therefore most peoples interpretation is necessarily wrong. That being the case, shouldn't everyone refrain from simply quoting the Bible unless they are willing to give the interpretation as well?
Originally posted by twhiteheadLike I said in my previous post:
But I don't think you have answered one of my most fundamental questions:
Who should I believe and why when it comes to road maps.
For example, you have presented me with a road map, whereas others have quite clearly stated that without becoming a Christian, I can have no valid road map. How do I know if you are right or them?
Do you agree with me th rain from simply quoting the Bible unless they are willing to give the interpretation as well?
"For various reasons, the Bible is also widely open to interpretation. It is what it is. So you can either chose to familiarize yourself with the fundamental concepts and interpretations or remain ignorant on the subject. "
Obviously, you can only try to inform yourself the best you can and decide for yourself what to believe.
I think we both know that when people quote Bible verses it's usually within the context of trying to 'prove' some point. That context is usually understood and therefore the person's interpretation isn't too difficult to figure out. I guess it's up to the listener to decide how much weight to give it.