Our Glorious Gospel -miles Stanford

Thanks Major for your input and if you can find time to look at Stanford's materials I post, I'm sure you'll find it interesting and usefull.
 
Net.......
I have read most of Stanford's productions going back to my undergraduate studies in '77. One of the worlds great Christian writers, Dr. John Wolvrod at DTS made him required reading.

I would reccomend his teachings to everyone.

Keep up the good work. It is encouraging and enlightening!
 
G'day all, On the matter of pre-eminence, it seems to me that Paul was trying to defuse any thoughts of superiority. please consider 1 Cor 15:9,10,11
For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Seems to me that Paul wants the people of the Churches to focus on the gospel and of course Christian growth.
Notice how Paul constantly defers to God's Grace whenever he is talking of personal achievement?
But as Misty offered, Paul was more of a jail bird than most others.......(free breakfasts :rolleyes::p) Point is Paul never encouraged that he be given 'star billing'. And anybody influenced by Paul's ministry would surely embrace that sentiment also, wouldn't they? For consideration; I think it relevant to the thread so far.
1 Cor 3:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11
1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
calvin
 
G'day all, On the matter of pre-eminence, it seems to me that Paul was trying to defuse any thoughts of superiority. please consider 1 Cor 15:9,10,11

Seems to me that Paul wants the people of the Churches to focus on the gospel and of course Christian growth.
Notice how Paul constantly defers to God's Grace whenever he is talking of personal achievement?
But as Misty offered, Paul was more of a jail bird than most others.......(free breakfasts :rolleyes::p) Point is Paul never encouraged that he be given 'star billing'. And anybody influenced by Paul's ministry would surely embrace that sentiment also, wouldn't they? For consideration; I think it relevant to the thread so far.
1 Cor 3:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11

Blessings,
calvin

Well said Calvin. Of particular importance your observation that if we ARE to believe those things Paul wrote it is impossible to come to the conclusion he preached a different or better Gospel than the 12 because Paul himself adamantly denies it time and time again.
 
There's only on Gospel they all preached, which was the truth that Christ is the Son of God and that salvation in this life is only through His atonement. I can only post this once more, that Paul taught this and beyond the salvation stage. He was used to major on growth in this salvation!
 
There's only on Gospel they all preached, which was the truth that Christ is the Son of God and that salvation in this life is only through His atonement. I can only post this once more, that Paul taught this and beyond the salvation stage. He was used to major on growth in this salvation!

NC I merely pointed out that this is not what Stanford or your original posts were declaring as demonstrated by the quotes. You are allowed to change your mind and opinion as these matters are discussed.. Otherwise what is the point in discussing them?
 
I love you Mist, but not sure what you mean by, "You are allowed to change your mind and opinion as these matters are discussed". But this is ok if the love is with you too!
 
I love you Mist, but not sure what you mean by, "You are allowed to change your mind and opinion as these matters are discussed". But this is ok if the love is with you too!

It is just that the things you said in your first two posts, such as the examples I quoted in comment #19 are quite contrary to your more recent comments which seem to be backing away from those earlier strong claims. As the earlier claims are somewhat incompatible with the more recent comments you made the logical conclusion was that you had changed your mind and moved away from Standford's strong declarations because they have now been amply demonstrated to be not in accordance with the word of God OR the words of Paul himself. That was all.
 
G'day all, On the matter of pre-eminence, it seems to me that Paul was trying to defuse any thoughts of superiority. please consider 1 Cor 15:9,10,11

Seems to me that Paul wants the people of the Churches to focus on the gospel and of course Christian growth.
Notice how Paul constantly defers to God's Grace whenever he is talking of personal achievement?
But as Misty offered, Paul was more of a jail bird than most others.......(free breakfasts :rolleyes::p) Point is Paul never encouraged that he be given 'star billing'. And anybody influenced by Paul's ministry would surely embrace that sentiment also, wouldn't they? For consideration; I think it relevant to the thread so far.
1 Cor 3:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11

Blessings,
calvin

Hello Calvin.............I find that I am in agreement with you. I never felt like Paul was saying anything to make himself better than anyone else, in fact just the opposite.

Maybe Paul was in jail the most because he was so active in preaching the gospel and planting churches???? Any thoughts???
 
Well said Calvin. Of particular importance your observation that if we ARE to believe those things Paul wrote it is impossible to come to the conclusion he preached a different or better Gospel than the 12 because Paul himself adamantly denies it time and time again.

Agreed......

Galatians 1:8
"But though we (1 Cor. 16:22) or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed".
 
Having more knowledge and wisdom doesn't increase one's worth above another. It was well said that "love doesn't function according to the quality of its object but according to its nature". It's just that God uses those who are His in different ways.

For exmaple, the Lord revealed in detail, to Paul, what He showed Peter in passing (Mat 16:18, Acts 11:4-18); that the Church, who is His Body and Bride, will be comprised of believing Jews and believing Gentiles. The "mystery of Christ and the Church" (Eph 5:32) was ministered by Paul more than the rest, in that Christ revealed most of the details to him, as the Pauline epistles show. Having more to be forgiven of Paul made him more grateful.

My postings concerning Pauline Dispensationalism is quickly coming to an end (glad for many I'm sure) because only a certain amount of time should be used sharing it. I've learned much more during this time about P.D. that I may share later, but I don't want these type of postings to continue, until I see enough interst from others concerning it.
 
Having more knowledge and wisdom doesn't increase one's worth above another. It was well said that "love doesn't function according to the quality of its object but according to its nature". It's just that God uses those who are His in different ways.

For exmaple, the Lord revealed in detail, to Paul, what He showed Peter in passing (Mat 16:18, Acts 11:4-18); that the Church, who is His Body and Bride, will be comprised of believing Jews and believing Gentiles. The "mystery of Christ and the Church" (Eph 5:32) was ministered by Paul more than the rest, in that Christ revealed most of the details to him, as the Pauline epistles show. Having more to be forgiven of Paul made him more grateful.

My postings concerning Pauline Dispensationalism is quickly coming to an end (glad for many I'm sure) because only a certain amount of time should be used sharing it. I've learned much more during this time about P.D. that I may share later, but I don't want these type of postings to continue, until I see enough interst from others concerning it.


I think that is a wise decision. It seems to me that at present they have become a bone of contention. Just my opinion.
 
Having more knowledge and wisdom doesn't increase one's worth above another. It was well said that "love doesn't function according to the quality of its object but according to its nature". It's just that God uses those who are His in different ways.

For exmaple, the Lord revealed in detail, to Paul, what He showed Peter in passing (Mat 16:18, Acts 11:4-18); that the Church, who is His Body and Bride, will be comprised of believing Jews and believing Gentiles. The "mystery of Christ and the Church" (Eph 5:32) was ministered by Paul more than the rest, in that Christ revealed most of the details to him, as the Pauline epistles show. Having more to be forgiven of Paul made him more grateful.

My postings concerning Pauline Dispensationalism is quickly coming to an end (glad for many I'm sure) because only a certain amount of time should be used sharing it. I've learned much more during this time about P.D. that I may share later, but I don't want these type of postings to continue, until I see enough interst from others concerning it.

That was the point of my observation. It is NOT that more was revealed to Paul or that he had greater divine revelation from Jesus than the other 12 apostles (a thing he himself also denies). ONLY that he had more opportunity and more necessity to put pen to paper about them and hence by that very necessity have more of his writings preserved. Not that he had a better or different gospel or revelation, merely that God used him as the one who committed more of it to paper than the others and hence in a form that could be preserved and distributed long after all the Apostles themselves were no longer among us to teach us these things face to face.

Paul would never have it that he had any greater or different revelation than the 12 and chided those who harboured or preached that thought. I am sure he would have a word or two with Stanford for doing the same thing now also.
 
Having more knowledge and wisdom doesn't increase one's worth above another. It was well said that "love doesn't function according to the quality of its object but according to its nature". It's just that God uses those who are His in different ways.

For exmaple, the Lord revealed in detail, to Paul, what He showed Peter in passing (Mat 16:18, Acts 11:4-18); that the Church, who is His Body and Bride, will be comprised of believing Jews and believing Gentiles. The "mystery of Christ and the Church" (Eph 5:32) was ministered by Paul more than the rest, in that Christ revealed most of the details to him, as the Pauline epistles show. Having more to be forgiven of Paul made him more grateful.

My postings concerning Pauline Dispensationalism is quickly coming to an end (glad for many I'm sure) because only a certain amount of time should be used sharing it. I've learned much more during this time about P.D. that I may share later, but I don't want these type of postings to continue, until I see enough interst from others concerning it.

NC it is probably a wise decision but keep in mind that if you post theological beliefs on a Christian website the wise and prudent followers WILL test and judge it against the written word to see if it is true or not. It would be unrealistic to expect to post such things on any Christian forum and just expect people to blindly accept them as true. You will find on any Christian forum worth its salt a liberal sprinkling of those "noble" Bereans who will test even the words of the Apostles and angels in Heaven to see if what they say accords with what the Lord Himself has written.
 
I agree that nobody posting should expect readers to accept it as truth until Scriptural support is obtained in their own understanding because it's not us who's teaching, it's Christ through us teaching.

There haven't been many who can use what I post until much later. Like myself, I've been in the word for 32 years, re-reading the NT coutnless times (OT about 3 times) and this is what causes me to be able to see truth in teachings that I haven't encountered. The more Scripture we expose ourselves to, the more God teaches us.

Loving You In Christ
 
I agree that nobody posting should expect readers to accept it as truth until Scriptural support is obtained in their own understanding because it's not us who's teaching, it's Christ through us teaching.

There haven't been many who can use what I post until much later. Like myself, I've been in the word for 32 years, re-reading the NT coutnless times (OT about 3 times) and this is what causes me to be able to see truth in teachings that I haven't encountered. The more Scripture we expose ourselves to, the more God teaches us.

Loving You In Christ

God's blessings to you as well my friend.
 
I agree that nobody posting should expect readers to accept it as truth until Scriptural support is obtained in their own understanding because it's not us who's teaching, it's Christ through us teaching.

There haven't been many who can use what I post until much later. Like myself, I've been in the word for 32 years, re-reading the NT coutnless times (OT about 3 times) and this is what causes me to be able to see truth in teachings that I haven't encountered. The more Scripture we expose ourselves to, the more God teaches us.

Loving You In Christ

While your last sentence is very true we must never lose sight of the reality that no matter how long or how many times we read something if what we teach is contrary to the written word of God it is contrary to the written word of God and is not the truth. We must understand the absolutness of the truth and authority of the written word of God. It has nothing to do with whether or not we THINK we understand it better than others. Our understanding or lack of understanding does not ALTER or CHANGE what is written one iota. NO MAN is an authority on the Bible. The BIBLE has authority OVER all men EQUALLY, no matter how long they have studied it.

That people fail to grasp that point is why so much false teaching has been allowed, indeed encouraged to flourish in the wider Christian community of today. The Bereans understood it. Sadly not enough today seem to.
 
While your last sentence is very true we must never lose sight of the reality that no matter how long or how many times we read something if what we teach is contrary to the written word of God it is contrary to the written word of God and is not the truth. We must understand the absolutness of the truth and authority of the written word of God. It has nothing to do with whether or not we THINK we understand it better than others. Our understanding or lack of understanding does not ALTER or CHANGE what is written one iota. NO MAN is an authority on the Bible. The BIBLE has authority OVER all men EQUALLY, no matter how long they have studied it.

That people fail to grasp that point is why so much false teaching has been allowed, indeed encouraged to flourish in the wider Christian community of today. The Bereans understood it. Sadly not enough today seem to.

Absolutly correct. Peter says it all in 1 Peter 1:20

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation".
 
Major, you meant 2Pet 1:20. Brother, I like the companion verse to that one, because it show us that His Word is the only means for us to grow by, through the Spirit, ofcourse.

"All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works". "2Tim 3:16, 17).

If I may make a loving suggestion, I believe everyone who studies the Bible should also use a good commentary for assistance.
 
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