I'm thankful that you are able to see something you disagree with, and instead of getting personally offended you address the concept that you found faulty. And I said that on purpose and will not retract it as if it were flattery. (and I'll explain why in a little bit). But back to the doctrinal issue:
Perhaps what you described is what is meant by some... But those I've ran into claim that "nobody can say that Jesus is Lord unless they have the Holy Ghost" then they say "Jesus is Lord. See, that proves I have the Holy Ghost". <--THAT is a false belief; a false confidence; an errant doctrine.
Nope. I STAND on what I said.
Thank God that Jesus was that straightforward... speaking what he knew was true... risking being stoned as a heretic... to show them the TRUTH about a situation... not willing to allow the people to be subtily deceived by a wrong perception about calling Him "Lord". He probably saved a lot of people from destruction by speaking that truth. He too was FEISTY, bold, unwavering in his commitment to speak CLEARLY no matter who didn't like it. I'm actually surprised that you don't cheer him on in that respect. I'm not rejoicing in those that will die (on the wrong side of what he said), I'm rejoicing for those who will escape destruction because they heard what Jesus said.
Let me give you yet another compliment before I dismantle that perception.
Praise God that you are critical of praise from the mouth of men!... that you question the motives behind the words!... that you question whether the intent is to encourage or to deceive!... To me that implies humility and wisdom. NOW I'll explain some of why I am unrepentant of my positive words towards you and/or others in the forum.
Flattery... is the flip-side of the "
unnecessary inflammatory wording" I was discrediting in my Post #396.
Flattery... (like those over-the-top accusations) is "
geared toward provoking the flesh, not conveying truth. People do it because it can be persuasive to an audience of men"
Flattery... is insincere; comes from the lips, not the heart.
Flattery... is not clearly explained. ...does not clearly show how/why those words are applicable.
Flattery... should be eschewed, shunned, disdained, declined, avoided, refused, rejected, etc. (Yes, I used a thesaurus, lol)
Flattery... is not what I was giving you.
I was COMPLIMENTING you (and others).
Compliments... are geared toward encouragement BY conveying truth. People SHOULD do it because it can provoke the hearer towards additional praiseworthy behavior.
Compliments... are sincere... must come from deep within.
Compliments... are backed by examples proving the relevance of the words.
Compliments... should be accepted, examined, proven to be true, pondered, treasured, recalled in times of weakness, remembered as a source of strength, etc. (No need of a thesaurus on this one.
)
Complements.. ARE what I was giving you (and others).
I try to remember to give compliments
generally because it's too easy for people to interpret "Your doctrine may be incomplete" as "You're stupid". (Tell me you haven't seen that happen?) A well-timed, sincere compliment can help the person regain a more positive view of themself and return their focus to the actual topic at hand.
Please notice that one of my compliments to you was to the fact that you DIDN'T get offended but instead remained focused on the doctrine. That's rare and deserved to be mentioned positively.
SUMMARY: Flattery is bad... Compliments are awesome!
Are you ready to receive your next batch of compliments now?
Plus, I think you really should reconsider those compliments that were already given.
Love in Jesus,
Kelby