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PinkDiamond
Guest
I couldn't agree more with your last sentence. Contention and division is never from God. It would be so much better if the OP's of threads (most thread titles lately read like click bait ) worded their posts in such a way to present their own views on a verse or doctrine and left out negative comparisons. It's like a politician that never sticks to discussing his own platform, but has to attack his opponent and expose his flaws to validate his own position. The introductory posts of many threads leave no room for actual discussion. It's a clear message from the get go that if you disagree with the stance presented by the OP that you are either a heretic, legalistic, sinner, wolf, etc
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Isn't this something? Several people twisted Desert Rose's post to accuse her of accusing others of teaching purposely sinning in the BDF.
Desert Rose didn't say they said it..... she said they think they can do it. And they DO think that, according to their fruit. Just go back up this page & read all the crap they said she said.
But, yes, there are those who are super-sized gracers and they think they can sin all they want. And I didn't realize there are many who adhere to that false doctrine. I only read a couple of the posts and decided not to jump in.
Now, either they are lying or really stupid.
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LaurenTM
Guest
Isn't this something? Several people twisted Desert Rose's post to accuse her of accusing others of teaching purposely sinning in the BDF.
Desert Rose didn't say they said it..... she said they think they can do it. And they DO think that, according to their fruit. Just go back up this page & read all the crap they said she said.
Now, either they are lying or really stupid.
oh my lands Stephen!
no one twisted Roses' words
further, she told us that she listened to those who were accusing
and we ALL know that alot of people were NOT banned over the inflammatory disagreement
in fact, the mods have been extremely gracious
honestly, you do like to cause an arguement
NLT Romans 7:21I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
Paul WAS NOT proclaiming he was a sinner..... He says he's a wretched man because a righteous soul lives inside a corrupt, fleshly body that always wants to sin.
Again, you take scripture & twist it for your purposes, as you usually do.
The reason you're sick of hearing you can lose your salvation is because it's true! That's nobody's fault but yours.
Hebrews 10:26Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. 27There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. 28For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. 30For we know the one who said,“I will take revenge.I will pay them back.”[SUP]h[/SUP]He also said,“The LORD will judge his own people.”[SUP]i[/SUP]31It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The author is NOT talking about the judgment on unrepentant sinners, for the church already knew where they were going. This was to christians who walked away from God & rebelled, refusing to follow the commandments of the NT.
NASB 19Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
This is context for the following verses 26-31. It is to the church, about the church, & it is plain
Christ or Judgment
26For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. 28Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” 31It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The writer is basically saying since the New Covenant is a better covenant established on better promises, then the judgement for rebelling from it will be much worse.
"after receiving the knowledge of the truth", and "by which he was sanctified" means someone already saved, not a "rejecting sinner" that some paint this. If we were guaranteed unconditional salvation, HOW would the church walk in the fear of the Lord? God wouldn't be able to do anything to us then. We'd still go to Heaven.
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Some times well intentioned people take Hebrews 10:26-29 out of context with the book of Hebrews. Anyone can take an isolated scripture out of it's context and say anything they want.
Here is an example. Anyone who has ever sinned is blotted out of the book. All scripture must be viewed through the lens of the finished work of Christ on the cross and resurrection.
Exodus 32:33 (NASB)
[SUP]33 [/SUP] The LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.
Hebrews 10:26 is talking about the willful sin of unbelief in the sacrifice of Christ for our sins.
Hebrews 10 is talking about Jewish people after hearing about Christ for the only sacrifice for sins and rejecting it to go back to the temple sacrifices for their sins. Hebrews was written a few years before the temple system came crashing down in 70AD when it was trampled by the Roman army.
Here is a short 2 minute video which will illuminate this clearly.
[video=youtube;yrc5EOpokSc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrc5EOpokSc[/video]
Here is an example. Anyone who has ever sinned is blotted out of the book. All scripture must be viewed through the lens of the finished work of Christ on the cross and resurrection.
Exodus 32:33 (NASB)
[SUP]33 [/SUP] The LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.
Hebrews 10:26 is talking about the willful sin of unbelief in the sacrifice of Christ for our sins.
Hebrews 10 is talking about Jewish people after hearing about Christ for the only sacrifice for sins and rejecting it to go back to the temple sacrifices for their sins. Hebrews was written a few years before the temple system came crashing down in 70AD when it was trampled by the Roman army.
Here is a short 2 minute video which will illuminate this clearly.
[video=youtube;yrc5EOpokSc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrc5EOpokSc[/video]
Mankind is all "sanctified/set apart" for the gospel as far as God is concerned. It's up to us to believe it to receive the gospel of the grace of Christ.
Hebrews 10:29 is stating this fact that all man-kind has been set apart or sanctified for the gospel of Christ. Reject Christ sacrifice and there remains no more sacrifice for sins.
Remember the word "sanctified" means to be set apart for use - not sinning as we have been religiously brain-washed into thinking.. I'll prove this out in my next post.
Here Paul is taking about being the husband who is an unbeliever as being sanctified because of the wife.
1 Corinthians 7:14 (NASB)
[SUP]14 [/SUP] For the unbelieving husband is sanctifiedthrough his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
Hebrews 10:29 is stating this fact that all man-kind has been set apart or sanctified for the gospel of Christ. Reject Christ sacrifice and there remains no more sacrifice for sins.
Remember the word "sanctified" means to be set apart for use - not sinning as we have been religiously brain-washed into thinking.. I'll prove this out in my next post.
Here Paul is taking about being the husband who is an unbeliever as being sanctified because of the wife.
1 Corinthians 7:14 (NASB)
[SUP]14 [/SUP] For the unbelieving husband is sanctifiedthrough his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
Sanctification is instantaneous while Godliness is progressive.
Sanctification means separated from profane use and set apart for holy use.
That's why in the OT, people and items were sanctified once and set apart unto the Lord. while godliness is the believer's daily walk in God-likeness and manifesting the true nature of the new man in Christ - the new creation - created in righteousness and holiness.
There were garments that were holy - does that mean they were "progressively" getting holy?....No, of course not - they were "set apart" for use.
There were holy days - does that mean the were "progressively" being sanctified? The gold was sanctified in the temple. Lot's of examples of the real use of the term "set apart/sanctified".
Godliness is a better way of describing the process of "working out what already is in us in Christ in our inner man" - the new creation in Christ - created in righteousness and holiness.
Hebrews 10:14 says "we are sanctified" and it is in the present passive - which means we are being "set apart" and it is all done passively to us because we are in Christ and we are being "transformed" by the Holy Spirit as we behold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. 2 Cor 3:17-18.
We already are sanctified ( set apart ) because we are in Christ now as these scriptures clearly show. Sometimes our religious teachings are ingrained in our minds and when we hear something "different" we balk at them and of course it's heresy to us...as usual...
Christ is our sanctification:
1 Corinthians 1:30 (NASB)
[SUP]30 [/SUP] But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
Acts 20:32 ; Acts 26:18; Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor. 6:19; Heb. 10:10; Jude 1:1 - all these scriptures say that we as Christians are already sanctified/set-apart. There are either in the Greek perfect tense or the past tense and they are passive which means it is something done to us - not us doing it.
Now, I believe as we work out the sanctification and life of Christ that is in us in our new creation that is in Christ now - we are then set apart/sanctified for use by the Lord here in this earth.
This is where godliness has great gain not only in this life but in the world to come. God rewards us for the work that He does through and in us. What a great salvation and awesome Lord we belong to!
BTW.."receiving the knowledge of the truth" is vastly different then receiving the Truth which is Christ Himself.
Reject Christ after hearing the message of Him - you now have "knowledge" of His salvation - reject it and you do not "receive" Him.
However we do have this great truth that we can anchor our hope in when we believe and receive Christ's work "after" we hear the knowledge of the truth.
Ephesians 1:13 (NASB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Sanctification means separated from profane use and set apart for holy use.
That's why in the OT, people and items were sanctified once and set apart unto the Lord. while godliness is the believer's daily walk in God-likeness and manifesting the true nature of the new man in Christ - the new creation - created in righteousness and holiness.
There were garments that were holy - does that mean they were "progressively" getting holy?....No, of course not - they were "set apart" for use.
There were holy days - does that mean the were "progressively" being sanctified? The gold was sanctified in the temple. Lot's of examples of the real use of the term "set apart/sanctified".
Godliness is a better way of describing the process of "working out what already is in us in Christ in our inner man" - the new creation in Christ - created in righteousness and holiness.
Hebrews 10:14 says "we are sanctified" and it is in the present passive - which means we are being "set apart" and it is all done passively to us because we are in Christ and we are being "transformed" by the Holy Spirit as we behold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. 2 Cor 3:17-18.
We already are sanctified ( set apart ) because we are in Christ now as these scriptures clearly show. Sometimes our religious teachings are ingrained in our minds and when we hear something "different" we balk at them and of course it's heresy to us...as usual...
Christ is our sanctification:
1 Corinthians 1:30 (NASB)
[SUP]30 [/SUP] But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
Acts 20:32 ; Acts 26:18; Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor. 6:19; Heb. 10:10; Jude 1:1 - all these scriptures say that we as Christians are already sanctified/set-apart. There are either in the Greek perfect tense or the past tense and they are passive which means it is something done to us - not us doing it.
Now, I believe as we work out the sanctification and life of Christ that is in us in our new creation that is in Christ now - we are then set apart/sanctified for use by the Lord here in this earth.
This is where godliness has great gain not only in this life but in the world to come. God rewards us for the work that He does through and in us. What a great salvation and awesome Lord we belong to!
BTW.."receiving the knowledge of the truth" is vastly different then receiving the Truth which is Christ Himself.
Reject Christ after hearing the message of Him - you now have "knowledge" of His salvation - reject it and you do not "receive" Him.
However we do have this great truth that we can anchor our hope in when we believe and receive Christ's work "after" we hear the knowledge of the truth.
Ephesians 1:13 (NASB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
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FreeNChrist
Guest
"Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!" Luke 12:51
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Depleted
Guest
I disagree with the bolded sentence. God told Abraham why he wasn't getting the Promise Land yet. "Because their sin is not complete." 430 years later, it was. And God made it clear to the Israelites what he wanted. He wanted them to kill every man, woman, child, and herd in that land. That's about as contentious and divisive as it gets.
With the Israelites constantly screwing up in the wilderness, God divided often enough and had the evil ones killed or killed them himself. Contentious and divisive.
Jesus told us we have to be willing to hate our families. Contentious and divisive. He told the ones who were going to righteously stone the adulteress to only pick up that stone, if they were sinless. Contentious and divisive.
There was a couple in the newly formed NT church who sold their land and kept the profit, instead of handing it into the communal fund. God killed them. Contentious and divisive.
He obviously wants a people set apart from all others. That truly cannot be one that accepts all beliefs. Unity at all cost isn't unity. It's anarchy.
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PinkDiamond
Guest
Agreed. I have very strong personal opinions on most views and I don't agree with many views and posts from members in the BDF. I know that Christianity divides us and often brings a sword between us and many in our lives. I've experienced this many times in my personal life. It's painful, but I consider that the cost for following Christ. I'm not advocating unity at all cost. I think debates are good. Most of these threads fail at being real and logical debates. There will be division ( we can't escape the reality that many promote heresy or false teachings ) and sometimes the division is a form of protection from heresy creeping into the church and destroying the faith of many. That being said, a contentious spirit is never from God. We can be strong in our defence of truth, but we should never be antagonistic or try to goad others or misrepresent their beliefs. I believe those actions are the fruit of a contentious spirit. I seem to be alone in this mindset though, so I'll bow out of this thread peacefully
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Depleted
Guest
Ooo, oo, oo!Agreed. I have very strong personal opinions on most views and I don't agree with many views and posts from members in the BDF. I know that Christianity divides us and often brings a sword between us and many in our lives. I've experienced this many times in my personal life. It's painful, but I consider that the cost for following Christ. I'm not advocating unity at all cost. I think debates are good. Most of these threads fail at being real and logical debates. There will be division ( we can't escape the reality that many promote heresy or false teachings ) and sometimes the division is a form of protection from heresy creeping into the church and destroying the faith of many. That being said, a contentious spirit is never from God. We can be strong in our defence of truth, but we should never be antagonistic or try to goad others or misrepresent their beliefs. I believe those actions are the fruit of a contentious spirit. I seem to be alone in this mindset though, so I'll bow out of this thread peacefully
[video=youtube;aebyzyrfxK0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aebyzyrfxK0[/video]
Thank you! I've been trying to think of a word to describe something I am, but don't want to be for days now! You just nailed it for me. "Continuous spirit!" Cool! Now I can ask what I've been wanting to ask, but didn't have the words to ask it.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Yeah, it must have been unbelief, because mister no-name on the INTERNET said it..... & the internet doesn't lie, does it?
Yep, it must have been unbelief, for after all it WASN'T MENTIONED.
Any GOD FEARING christian could go to Biblehub.com & check the commentaries & match them up for confirmation.
But, as usual, IT WASN'T DONE. I wonder why mister no-name was chosen over well respected commentaries?
I believe good, God fearing readers can find that answer quite easily.
Commentaries.
I personally love to read from commentaries and have about 1/2 dozen or so that I regularly view on some subject.
There is an inherent problem with going by commentaries alone to determine truth - they can be giving out what their denomination has taught them in the past and so we "could be" in another church tradition type of situation be perpetuated.
So, we could have multiple commentaries saying basically the same thing which in itself doesn't mean it's a bad thing or for that matter necessarily the right thing too.
All of the Catholic "commentaries" for over 1,100 years would have been saying the same thing and would have been used to refute Martin Luther when he said "The just shall live by faith".
Commentaries are basically what the author himself thinks about a passage or certain doctrine which is absolutely fine. I find that I get a part from one and a part from a different commentary and the Spirit of God uses them all in some aspect to reveal what He is speaking to me about.
The other one is Greek/Hebrew dictionaries. I find that they too can "sometimes add" their comments to what the actual meaning of the Greek words are which may or may not be entirely true.
They "add" their "application" of the meaning of the words - which is fine. But I believe we need to be aware of such things too.
I absolutely love to read the meanings of words in the Greek/Hebrew dictionaries and glean many things that have helped me to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Personally I believe all Christians should be reading the original words as technology has been made available the tools needed to do this - and you don't need to go to seminary to do this elementary study. If you don't use these tools you are "in serious error" ( just kidding - using the play on the term being in error... )
In my opinion - Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit revealing the things of God to us - we can easily create our own religion that displaces the work of Christ in our lives and thus nullify the grace of God that is available for us for life and living.
I personally love to read from commentaries and have about 1/2 dozen or so that I regularly view on some subject.
There is an inherent problem with going by commentaries alone to determine truth - they can be giving out what their denomination has taught them in the past and so we "could be" in another church tradition type of situation be perpetuated.
So, we could have multiple commentaries saying basically the same thing which in itself doesn't mean it's a bad thing or for that matter necessarily the right thing too.
All of the Catholic "commentaries" for over 1,100 years would have been saying the same thing and would have been used to refute Martin Luther when he said "The just shall live by faith".
Commentaries are basically what the author himself thinks about a passage or certain doctrine which is absolutely fine. I find that I get a part from one and a part from a different commentary and the Spirit of God uses them all in some aspect to reveal what He is speaking to me about.
The other one is Greek/Hebrew dictionaries. I find that they too can "sometimes add" their comments to what the actual meaning of the Greek words are which may or may not be entirely true.
They "add" their "application" of the meaning of the words - which is fine. But I believe we need to be aware of such things too.
I absolutely love to read the meanings of words in the Greek/Hebrew dictionaries and glean many things that have helped me to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Personally I believe all Christians should be reading the original words as technology has been made available the tools needed to do this - and you don't need to go to seminary to do this elementary study. If you don't use these tools you are "in serious error" ( just kidding - using the play on the term being in error...
)In my opinion - Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit revealing the things of God to us - we can easily create our own religion that displaces the work of Christ in our lives and thus nullify the grace of God that is available for us for life and living.
Yeah, especially when you follow mister no-name around on the internet, instead of using your own commentaries. Which is why I think you have done exactly that.
Personally I believe all Christians should be reading the original words as technology has been made available the tools needed to do this - and you don't need to go to seminary to do this elementary study. If you don't use these tools you are "in serious error" ( just kidding - using the play on the term being in error...
In my opinion - Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit revealing the things of God to us - we can easily create our own religion that displaces the work of Christ in our lives and thus nullify the grace of God that is available for us for life and living.
Did mister no-name tell you how he came up with his "concoction"? Perhaps he is HG, & that's why you follow him instead?
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eternally-gratefull
Guest
So tell us, What do you think Paul used as the guide to determine if he was a sinner or not?
Paul said I do not do the things I want to do (good deeds) I do the things I do not want to do (sin)
If paul still sins, He must admit, he is still a SINNER..
But hey, If you want to DENY you have sin in your life.. go right ahead..
But wait, I know You do not deny there is sin in your life (you never claimed to be sinless)
newsflash,, If you sin, YOUR A SINNER!!
You do not like the term? THATS TO BAD!!
There are lot's of commentaries that will say that we have eternal security as a believer when we receive Christ. People that don't believe that Christ saves them and keeps them safe in His hand but that they need to do things to "keep their own righteousness for going to heaven" will not agree with these commentaries and thus - these commentaries will be all wrong to them.
It's the nature of the beast.......That''s why we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal the things of Christ to us - just like Jesus said.
Jesus also said that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever. John 14:16 - I'm a believer in what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit and believe that He will be with us forever just like He said - we are sealed in Him because we are in Christ and we are in Christ because of Jesus' finished work on the cross and resurrection.
We have a great salvation in Him and we can trust Him.
It's the nature of the beast....
...That''s why we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal the things of Christ to us - just like Jesus said. Jesus also said that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever. John 14:16 - I'm a believer in what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit and believe that He will be with us forever just like He said - we are sealed in Him because we are in Christ and we are in Christ because of Jesus' finished work on the cross and resurrection.
We have a great salvation in Him and we can trust Him.
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Depleted
Guest
How I choose commentaries:Commentaries.
I personally love to read from commentaries and have about 1/2 dozen or so that I regularly view on some subject.
There is an inherent problem with going by commentaries alone to determine truth - they can be giving out what their denomination has taught them in the past and so we "could be" in another church tradition type of situation be perpetuated.
So, we could have multiple commentaries saying basically the same thing which in itself doesn't mean it's a bad thing or for that matter necessarily the right thing too.
All of the Catholic "commentaries" for over 1,100 years would have been saying the same thing and would have been used to refute Martin Luther when he said "The just shall live by faith".
Commentaries are basically what the author himself thinks about a passage or certain doctrine which is absolutely fine. I find that I get a part from one and a part from a different commentary and the Spirit of God uses them all in some aspect to reveal what He is speaking to me about.
The other one is Greek/Hebrew dictionaries. I find that they too can "sometimes add" their comments to what the actual meaning of the Greek words are which may or may not be entirely true.
They "add" their "application" of the meaning of the words - which is fine. But I believe we need to be aware of such things too.
I absolutely love to read the meanings of words in the Greek/Hebrew dictionaries and glean many things that have helped me to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Personally I believe all Christians should be reading the original words as technology has been made available the tools needed to do this - and you don't need to go to seminary to do this elementary study. If you don't use these tools you are "in serious error" ( just kidding - using the play on the term being in error...
In my opinion - Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit revealing the things of God to us - we can easily create our own religion that displaces the work of Christ in our lives and thus nullify the grace of God that is available for us for life and living.
1. Dead guys, because those commentaries tend to stand the test of time. (And guys, if for no other reason then gals didn't make commentaries 50-400 years ago. And that era for how old the commentaries are simply, because any older and I'm not sure it's English anymore, not to mention how complicated it is to read books written before the printing press. lol)
2. Scholars, as in up the wazoo with both schooling and then decades devoted to studying the Bible and writing what was learned. The only person I know on this site who truly is a scholar, (not to be confused with there aren't more, but I don't know everyone, and I'm counting who is still around) is Angela. She truly studies 4-6 hours a day (when her life and body let her.) And she's had the schooling to back up the studying. Anything short of that isn't really a scholar so much as a hobbyist at best.
3. Denominational background. I realize that some nondenoms are out there with a solid foundation, but so many start because someone couldn't get along with or disagreed with anyone else, so they're out to reinvent the wheel. Without the background on the foils and foibles of wheel-making (history and knowledge of doctrine), it's just too easy to make something and call it a wheel without it ever being a wheel. And then to preach that. I want to know the background of the Dead Guy I'm studying, because, let's face it, I AM a hobbyist, not a scholar. We weren't all made to be scholars. Everyone would be dying around a bunch of rocks and a pile of wood while studying, if everyone were a scholars. (Someone had to make the fire, find the food, cook it, and pass it out, in that analogy. lol)
4. Do scholars trust this commentator? Just like I'd rather have someone who knows how to drive a car and knows how to teach me to drive a car, I want someone who others trust that that guy can teach me. Someone who can drive a car for 2-5 years on a steady basis without getting into accidents has to tell me that driving instructor taught them. THAT's who I want as a teacher. Because, again, I'm no scholar, so I'm going to need people who are to tell me who I should trust in scholarly pursuits.
Add to that, I'm not reading crap. (I mean, maybe I am, but it's fiction, so not telling me how I should do something well. lol) I spent 10% of my Christian life thinking I didn't have the Holy Spirit and wasn't saved because some bozo (who also happened to be a friend and my mentor when I was first saved, so I love the guy and hate his teaching skills), taught me if I didn't speak in tongues, I was nothing. I spent 75% of my Christian life thinking Jacob was the good guy and Esau was the bad guy, because some bozos taught me that. (And these are all teachers I'm talking about.) I've spent 100% of my Christian life with no clue what is spirit compared to soul, or is it something different? Is Man a dichotomy or a trichotomy? Does it even matter, specifically because I've had teachers teach me so many things, I have no idea how to find a good teaching about it anymore. I've spent 30-40% of my Christian life thinking I deserved salvation from my own choice to believe. It's 20-40 years later, and I'm still trying to wash out all that crap teaching, so I cannot afford to keep being taught more crap.
Sooooo, it is important to know who to trust for commentators. It's not based on feeling. It's based on learning who to trust and why. Because God really give some scholars the office of teacher through writing! Has he given them the office of teacher through YouTube or streaming? No idea, because none of those dudes or dudettess have yet to stand the test of time.