05/19/18 KNOWING THE TRUTH
Our Beliefs (doctrines) should be shaped by God's word. God's word should not be bound by Theological methods.
BE CAREFUL IN YOUR STUDY
Satan's twisting of God's word has been taking place since the Garden of Eden. In order for us to know and understand God's word we must pass through a labyrinth of deceit and misinformation designed to keep us from the truth of God.
Theology is the study of God, but unlike the Holy Bible, which is God's unchanging revelation, theology is a system of human tools designed to understand the nature, person and work of God through human methods, based on human understanding.
This is not to say that all theology is wrong or bad. When it is guided by the Holy Bible and submits to Divine revelation it can be a valuable tool. When it replaces Divine revelation it becomes an errant guide.
False doctrines have been formed and honed for the express purpose of leading people away from God. Today the religious landscape is a jungle of entanglements and false guides.
The only hope for anyone escaping the snares of Satan is the fact that God's Holy Bible is true, faithful, authoritative, unchanging and God's Holy Spirit still leads people into the way and life of truth.
A person needs to come humbly to the Holy Bible, seeking Divine leading from the Holy Spirit and choosing teachers that live lives that are consistent with the nature and revelation of God, as seen in the Holy Bible.
(added comment)
This is why I seldom base my position on the words of men. Obviously we need the expertise concerning language and history, but even in those areas we judge the findings of the experts as it agrees with the weight of Scriptural evidence.
To build our beliefs on the beliefs of other men, regardless of Scriptural proclamation is to deny God in favor of mere men. Even the best of men can make mistakes. We too can make mistakes, therefore we must be humble and teachable, but totally committed to the revelation of God.
