Wednesday, January 02, 2008

A "Not Knowing" Writer

Neil over at Eternity Matters has done a wonderful analysis of a blog post called "The Importance of Not Knowing."

Just to give readers some insight about the author of "The Importance of Not Knowing," here is the blog's title and description:





Mined Splatterings
Socio-Historico-Ridiculo-Theological slag from the delved cranium of a biophile


Whew! That's certainly a mind-boggling description! Perhaps it's meant to be humorous? Who knows...

Anyway, if this "Not Knowing" writer is expressing his testimony, it is unlike any genuine conversion testimony that I have ever heard or read! I'm not claiming that all testimonies should be alike.

They aren't!

However, most (IMHO) have at least some element of certainty (as far as humanly possible) about one's faith and walk with Jesus Christ.

For instance. I am not reading that this author believes that our triumph, as believers, is certain in the end because Christ has already won the ultimate victory on our behalf.

When I hear the testimony of a born-again individual in Christ, true believers are always ultimately secure in the faith because we are "kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5).

Jesus' own words give us all the assurance (if we truly believe in Him!) we need:

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:27-29).

The author sounds more like Deepak Chopra; a person who openly admits that he "embraces his uncertainty." All that tells me is that he is in the midst of spiritual oblivion!

When I originally typed the word "life," in the above Bible verse, I noticed that I inadvertently left the "f" out of the word. Thus, it ended up spelling the word "lie." The first word that came to mind regarding that missing "f" was the word "faith." Without the "f" [faith - representing faith in Jesus Christ], we don't have life in the Savior. Without Christ, we are then susceptible to believing the "lie."

I wholeheartedly agree with Neil when he states in the comment section that part of our duty as Christian believers is exposing false teachings. Jude's epistle stresses this need. I applaud Neil for writing this great analysis. It shows that damning lies collapse under the power of the truth (See 2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

One of my favorite Bible verses is Colossians 2:8!

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8

That verse tells us that we are to fight for the truth. We are to "contend earnestly for the faith" (see Jude 3).

Perhaps that author's postmodernist thinking (at the "Mined Splatterings" blog) makes him think that "embracing uncertainty" helps him appear more "tolerant," "intellectual," "respecting of 'diversity'," and thus "above" those who are secure and supremely confident in Jesus Christ. Postmodernists often have the attitude that Christians are "arrogant" when we express that Christ is perfectly sufficient to dispel any doubt or uncertainty.

Despite the fact that we, as believers, may feel inadequate about some things, and, - if the truth be told - we are completely inadequate in and of ourselves (see 2 Corinthians 3:5-6); but being united to Christ by faith enables us to have the confidence we need on this earth to press on in sharing the truth.

The "Mined Splatterings" (MS) author does, as Neil pointed out, sound more agnostic rather than Christian in his belief system.

Another thing that I noticed about the (MS) author was that he showed no indication of total self-sacrifice or surrender to Christ; which is what every true Christian renders to Jesus at salvation (see Luke 9:23-25).

I don't think that a person can see Christ's triumph without it! Once we DO see that the glory belongs to Christ alone, there is no need for dread or apprehension in this life. Our final triumph (through what Christ did for us) is guaranteed because we are "preserved in Jesus Christ." Once a Christian reaches this point, it doesn't make sense to continue "embracing uncertainty" or remaining in "spiritual oblivion."

John MacArthur writes:




"Apostasy is present in the church, and is probably going to get worse. But we who believe in Jesus Christ have nothing to fear. We are called and loved and kept secure in Him, so we can be supremely confident, even in this era of doubt and uncertainty. Because the One who is truth incarnate - the One whose honor and glory are therefore on the line- is both our Commander and our Protector. And His Word is a formidable weapon."


During the discussion at (MS), one person wrote:




All knowledge is shaky and uncertain.


But the Bible tells us:




Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.


HT: Eternity Matters

2 comments:

Timothy said...

Christine,
Good post. I think the key is John 10. They who are known by Him, truly know Him. Out of all these discussions, the most clarity always comes from Scripture.
Blessings

Christinewjc said...

Hi Timothy,

Welcome, thank you, and good pointS!

Let's see what John 10 (NKJV)says:

Jhn 10:1 "MOST assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Jhn 10:2 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
Jhn 10:3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Jhn 10:4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
Jhn 10:5 "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
Jhn 10:6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
Jhn 10:7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
Jhn 10:8 "All who ever came before Me[fn1] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
Jhn 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jhn 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jhn 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
Jhn 10:12 "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
Jhn 10:13 "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
Jhn 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
Jhn 10:15 "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Jhn 10:16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Jhn 10:17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
Jhn 10:18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
Jhn 10:19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.
Jhn 10:20 And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?"
Jhn 10:21 Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"
Jhn 10:22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.
Jhn 10:23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.
Jhn 10:24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jhn 10:25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.
Jhn 10:26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.[fn2]
Jhn 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Jhn 10:28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Jhn 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
Jhn 10:30 "I and My Father are one."
Jhn 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
Jhn 10:32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?"
Jhn 10:33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
Jhn 10:34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?[fn3]
Jhn 10:35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
Jhn 10:36 "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
Jhn 10:37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
Jhn 10:38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe[fn4] that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
Jhn 10:39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.
Jhn 10:40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.
Jhn 10:41 Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."
Jhn 10:42 And many believed in Him there.

Footnotes:
10:8 M-Text omits before Me.
10:26 NU-Text omits as I said to you.
10:34 Psalm 82:6
10:38 NU-Text reads understand.