Comments on: Backgrounds of the Restoration Movement: Gnosticism, Part 3

By: Jay Guin

Jay Guin — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:34:00 +0000

http://oneinjesus.info/2009/06/backgrounds-of-the...

By: R.J.

R.J. — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 07:40:00 +0000

What happened to part 2?

By: Jay Guin

Jay Guin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:28:54 +0000

Because some of us deny the salvation of those who haven’t read the Patristics and read them into the scriptures. That’s not the same as urging the study of the Bible.

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:43:59 +0000

The existence of a plausible alternate interpretation is not conclusive proof against the conventional interpretation.

By: Jay Guin

Jay Guin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:27:33 +0000

NT Wright argues convincingly in Surprised by Hope that "resurrection" in the ancient world referred to a physical resurrection. An article by Wright going back to the original evidence is at http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Jesus_Resurrec.... I address the thief on the cross in the Where are the Dead? posts at http://oneinjesus.info/index-under-construction/s... Regarding Samuel's appearance, "spirit" translates "elohim." The KJV says "gods." ESV and AV say "a god." It's a tough one, and hardly one to hang your hat on.

By: Larry Short

Larry Short — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:51:18 +0000

God seems to expect man to acquire and use his revelation(s). Examples are Jesus and the the Sadducees (Mk 12:18-27) who missed the power of God for resurection in "God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.." and fishermen figuring out the weather by the sky (Mt 16:1-3, maybe red sky in morning, sailor's warning, at night sailor's delight) but not seeing God's signs. Jesus expected man to find scripturesand use it.
God does accept faith and Jephthah (Judges 11) is an example of faith over knowledge. Jep kills his daughter to fulfill a vow to God, violating direct command Dt 12:31, 18:9-13 not using legal substitution Lev 27:1-8. He didn't know and what he knew, keeping a vow, he did, and God accepted it.
It seems that our era is different, Acts 17:30 ignorance of what God is was overlooked but now……
Lastly, a Gnostic was often secret, hidden knowledge not prior revelation. Every cult does this by we are the true chidren of God, since we…….. (special knowledge).
To put it in James style, Satan has better knowledge of God than us, and can quote scripture well (the temptations) but is still in rebellion to I Am.

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:14:58 +0000

How can one honestly compare the gnostics who believed the god(s) hand selected them to receive a hidden revelation with

Christians today who encourage everyone to study the "open" revelation from God (bible) that is available to all?

By: Don Wilson

Don Wilson — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:37:00 +0000

I am at that age where I go to a lot of funerals, three in the last two years of close family members. I have been struck by how restrained, even impoverished, the services were with regard to the scope of the blessed hope. Plenty of references to being in a "better place," of no sickness and no sorrows, but only passing reference to what Wright calls "life after 'life after death'", i.e. the resurrection, the new heavens and the new earth, and the restoration of creation to its original divine purpose. We may try to find hope in a sort of non-material "spiritual" future, but that is neither how we are made nor what we are told is our destiny. Our reluctance to speculate in areas that are not perfectly clear should not keep us from celebrating a promise that is so central to God's plan.

By: Alan

Alan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:24:54 +0000

However, in Greek thought, the soul survived death but not the body.

That's not unreasonable, based on passages like these. The question of a bodily resurrection is entirely separate from the question of souls in Paradise.

1Sa 28:11 Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?"
"Bring up Samuel," he said.
1Sa 28:12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"
1Sa 28:13 The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?"
The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."
1Sa 28:14 "What does he look like?" he asked.
"An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
1Sa 28:15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"
"I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."
1Sa 28:16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy?

Luk 23:43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

By: Todd Collier

Todd Collier — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:53:26 +0000

And yet also quite right.