Sorry Craig - you’re quite right about how serious the topic is. I can think of few things worse than people standing before Jesus saying, “We did all these things in your name” and for him to reply “I never knew you”.

A great reason to keep praying that God will open the eyes of our friends so that they may come to a saving knowledge of him, something I am fairly slack about, to be honest and to my shame - what could be more important than more people knowing God?

Speaking of knowing Gordon through his words, it is funny how media like email and letters and even the dog and bone can reveal a side some people don’t show face to face.

Yet, a one minute face to face conversation can reveal so much that can’t be discovered via email, etc.

Yet, a one minute face to face conversation can reveal so much that can’t be discovered via email, etc.

Good morning David,

Is that a challenge, an invitation, a threat or a warning ? Or did you hear it in some western gun-slinger movie ? I can almost hear Clint Eastwood slowly enunciating those same words.

Cheers pardner, Kevin

I heard a great quote tonight on the radio plugging Emmaus Bible college. Roughly it said,

“Where you will learn to love Gods word, as well as loving the speaker of the word”

Do you think it possible to know and teach the Bible and not know God?

Craig Bennett - 10 August 2007 08:44 PM

Do you think it possible to know and teach the Bible and not know God?

Happens all the time, unfortunately.

Happens all the time, unfortunately.

John, how does one then know they are truly saved? And how as Christians do we know that we truly know God?

Craig Bennett - 10 August 2007 11:34 PM

John, how does one then know they are truly saved? And how as Christians do we know that we truly know God?

I suspect that I am responding to your words, but your words don’t describe what’s in your mind. I said:

Happens all the time, unfortunately.

In response to you saying:

Do you think it possible to know and teach the Bible and not know God?

For my response, I had in mind those ministers and even bishops around the world who have in the past publicly declared that they did not believe in the resurrection, amongst other things. There’s also a stereotype that TV/Movies often portray of a minister who is ‘just going through the motions’. I think that there are some ministers somewhere in the world who fit that stereotype. I’ve certainly come across more than one minister who gives the exact same sermon on the corresponding Sunday each year.

It’s ‘easy’ to teach the bible without believing in it if you have the mindset that it’s just a textbook, and you get paid to tell a bunch of people who keep turning up each Sunday a few things out of that textbook. The spirit does not enter everyone’s heart through the Word - even those who study and teach the Word as their vocation.

So, I see your last post as heading in a different direction that I didn’t touch on. I’m therefore not sure how to respond in a useful way. My immediate response to:

how does one then know they are truly saved?

is that it’s none of our business - it’s not for us to judge whether or not they are saved. That’s between them and God. But I’m not sure that’s the answer to the question that you are really asking.

David McKay - 10 August 2007 12:24 AM

Speaking of knowing Gordon through his words, it is funny how media like email and letters and even the dog and bone can reveal a side some people don’t show face to face.

Yet, a one minute face to face conversation can reveal so much that can’t be discovered via email, etc.

And that, of course, is where our comparison to relationship to God strikes the difficulty that God has no body, and we will only see him face to face on the final Day.

In the meantime, the only sure access we have is through his inerrant Word, the words of Scripture..

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