yes this seems to be born out of not believing what’s written though a Christian isn’t meant to have thier own independent “ views and opinions” of God were simply meant to hear the word and believe and let that be our view
Totally agree, we should read scripture and let scripture influence us and it should form our views and we all we need to change how we think and what we think as our understanding of Gods word should be increasing as we mature on to the meat of the Word.
do you see this part
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
1 Peter 5:8-9
What I do when I have two views presented to me in scripture that appear to be contradictory is to apply this rule, for one will have a literal understanding and one a metaphoric so they will line up and compliment each other, the rule is if it appears to be literal in sense apply a literal understanding and if it appears metaphoric in sense apply a metaphoric understanding, anyway the verse you quoted is an obvious metaphor I dont even have to present the literal verse, but I will anyway.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
It cant appear any more straight forward than that, and as you said we have to let scripture form our views not press our views into scripture. And its not surprising at all God communicates to us in this way and there are hundreds of examples of where we do this in our communication with each other, however God is the creator of relationships and communication and he talks to us in the same way or I could say that’s where we get this ability from.
Hos 12:10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
The lord has spoken the word through the prophets, and uses similitudes which means compared things to, or likened things to.
Yes he uses metaphors, similes, symbols, types, parables, allegories, antitypes, emblems etc
Take baptism it’s a literal dunking in water, and the similtude of being saved is in this act, yet most of professing Christendom, ignore the picture or all the counsel of the bible and apply the literal water baptism as necessary for salvation.
Take the I am the bread of heaven, whoever eats of My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, most of professing Christendom takes this is literal (I know its absurd) and performs rites to turn the bread into flesh and blood of Christ (yes cannibalism)
If 1 Pet 5:8 is Literal then it becomes an absurdity, Yes absurd which means wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate. synonyms: preposterous, ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical, laughable, if I apply a literal translation then in my head I have Satan as an actual Lion sneaking around in the Savannah, waiting for a person to come along and actually literally devouring or eating them.
Yet we apply a spiritual application to this verse, and make Satan like sin (since he is an example of sin) so when we lust or desire after worldly affections sin can indeed devour us. Peter would be absolutely horrified at a literal interpretation of this, as the Lord would be horrified of a literal translation of being eaten.
Yet, at the end of the day I wonder if its to let us know who has spiritual maturity, and who takes the whole counsel of God into consideration and who rests upon their own understanding?
The other way to prove my point is I could give an actual real life example of someone Satan has devoured and you could give me an actual real life example, and we will probably see that we see it the same way, we will be talking about someone who has given into temptation/sin. Not Actually Satan and we both actually will see 1Pet 5:8 as a metaphor with good practical application.
the point I was making is the Bible isn’t making excuses for us it is informing us of the truth of the spiritual things we can’t see and don’t understand
see above there until we come to this truth , we will never take up our armor and begin to fight the fight not because we’re lazy or don’t care but it’s simply because we aren’t accepting the truths the Bible is meant to make known to a believer
that’s why we need the Bible we’re supposed to learn from it out the truth of God and ourselves
there’s a spiritual war happening on earth it has been since this day
“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”
Mark 16:19 KJV
That day when Jesus was taken from earth into heaven , this occurred
“And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. ….
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 12:5, 7-10, 12, 17 KJV
Thanks an interesting take, I guess I see that the war occured a couple of decades earlier, just because in rev 12:2 Then being in child she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth, then the dragon appeared in heaven, then His tail cast a third of the stars to earth and the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth.
To me when the war in heaven happened the Lord was not there, thats why it was Michael and his angels who fought.
I’m not at all making any excuses what I’m saying is the Bible tells us of a spiritual war happening in this world there is much evil here and it is constantly trying to control and deceive and corrupt people to get them to deny Gods Will and accept satans Will
but the gospel is what gives us the power to overcome in this war against spiritual wickedness we have to accept the gospel that is what informs us of what’s happening in THe unseen realms my only point is that we are in a spiritual war Satan can’t force us to do anything but he’s always trying to influence us it’s our place to get th the plan of defense and attack the gospel prepares us to overcome but only not if we reject what it’s teaching us
things like this are revelations of immense value to a Christian believer
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
Ephesians 6:11-18 KJV
in scripture like this a believer sees a valuable battle plan meant to keep us safe , but others find no value or any sense in sections of scripture like this they see it as irrelevant
until we acknolwedge this battle happening for our everlasting soul and accept our part in it we can’t even know it’s happening is my point of we come to acknolwedge those things the Bible’s explaining we’re going to understand those things d begin applying them to life which leads to freedom and victory over the evil spiritual powers in this world seeking to devour our soul and keep us from the inheritance Jesus Christ has offered believers
Fair enough I understand your stance. Well at least from the point of view I view myself in the same spiritual battlefield, just because I dont see the enemy as demons, does not mean I dont think the world is not in a spiritual battle for the very souls of men, we have the world and its trappings of money and greed, power and world dominion, its not a flesh and blood battle, its new age theologies, its political propaganda to make it alright to kill babies, I have to put on the full armor of God, I have to gird my waist with truth, put on the helmet of salvation, weild the sword and the shield etc, its madness out there bro, And people are choosing the world over God, we have to make them see the truth, Yet the fiery darts of the wicked one like evolution are taking their toll