Any heathen can start a religion

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by disciple

Hi Phoenix,
Putting aside the term religion, would you agree that there can be only one truth? Meaning that what
a person or group believes about God is either true or it is not. And if it is truth, time and culture and
beliefs do not change it, it can be knowable by all and it is absolute.

So which was the one truth in the Bible--the OT commandment to slaughter those caught in adultery, disrespectful children and gays? Or the NT commandment to forgive, to not kill and not even be angry, etc?

[disciple]

Hello Phoenix,
My question was not really about commandments and the context in which they were given but that what we believe concerning God cannot be relative to a certain group or religion. If something about God is true, it is true for everyone regardless of what someone believes. People can be sincerely wrong. If what is written concerning God in the Old and New Testaments was true it will always be true.

In Gal 1:11-12 Paul said this,” but I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ”.

So, Paul lets us know that he got his information directly from God and if that is true then we can rely on what Paul writes.

In Isaiah 45:22-23 we read the following;

“For I am God, and there is no other.
I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow,
Every tongue shall swear”.

God declares that every knee shall bow only to Him and swear allegiance to Him as the only true God.

Paul writes the same of Jesus in Phil 2:6-11

“ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.

In 1 Cor.8:6 Paul writes the following;
“yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live”, using the same words for Lord and God
used in Deut. 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God; the Lord is one”.

So if these things were true for Paul they are true for everyone.

[alan]

disciple.

You asked a question about , if what people think is true about God can change?

The answer is that what we only know about God is via revelation.
There is no way to learn about God other than God reaching down and showing us something about himself.

So this means that what we know of God in history depends 100% on the revelation God gave men in history.

God does not lie about Himself, but he also does not tell us all about himself as well.

[alan]

Phoenix

You asked a question about how the Old Testament has a lot of stuff called "laws" that are not followed today.

The answer is found in how we are remember there are many different things called "covenants" that happen within the whole Bible story.

Under the different covenants we see different laws that supersede the laws found in the past covenant.

We are not under the laws of the Old Testament covenant.
This does not mean the Old Test laws were wrong, rather it means that the Laws of the New supersede the Laws of the Old.

This is pointed out in the idea of new wine not able to be fit within Old Wineskins.
The old skins had their correct time and place to hold the old wine, but they cant be used at all for the new wine.

The laws of the Old Covenant cant rule the lives of the dead.
Once you are dead, all the laws that ruled the lives of men have no longer any reach over the dead.

This is why we are told we are 'dead in Christ" , and thus well past the reach of the Old Covenant laws to reach us.

[Phoenix]

Thanks for taking the time to give that explanation.

[alan]

if at any time you have questions?

Just ask.

[Phoenix]

Thanks for elaborating. I wonder if truth really can be knowable by all.