How do you know if Paul was speaking gods words and not just his opinion?

[SteveB28]

I am asking a question, which will lead to the explanation you want.
I am not trying to lecture you. You do not answer the question, means you do not want the explanation.

Make the question easier: Is there evidence for Israelites conquered the Canaan?

I do not answer the question because that was not the subject under discussion. Stop running away. What evidence do you have for the Exodus?

 

[RDKirk]

Well Paul did give his own opinion in 1st Corinthians 7:12 But to the rest I, not the Lord ,say: if any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him ,let him not divorce her.) So maybe there were some issues where he felt that he could give his own personal advice.

Paul is saying there that he is not explicitly quoting Jesus, because Jesus explicitly spoke of marriage between believers in God, but Jesus never explicitly spoke about marriage between a believer in God and a pagan.

A few verses later, Paul states that everything he is saying to the Corinthians is through the Holy Spirit.

 

[juvenissun]

I do not answer the question because that was not the subject under discussion. Stop running away. What evidence do you have for the Exodus?

It is a consequence of the discussed issue. One way or another, the answer to the question WILL address the issue.
You run away, not me.

 

[Church2u2]

Paul is saying there that he is not explicitly quoting Jesus, because Jesus explicitly spoke of marriage between believers in God, but Jesus never explicitly spoke about marriage between a believer in God and a pagan.

A few verses later, Paul states that everything he is saying to the Corinthians is through the Holy Spirit.

Okay.
.

 

[Church2u2]

Well I wonder what did Paul mean in 2nd Corinth 6:14-18 about being unequally yoked together with unbelievers because I always believed that this was about marriage.As many times as I've read the entire chapter I still believe it's about marriage. Paul says that it's okay to stay married to an unbeliever but not to be unequally yoked together to unbelievers??Huh????

 

[Church2u2]

1Corinthians 7:6 But I speak this by permission,and not of commandment.
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself.But every man hath his proper gift of God,one after this manner, and another after that.
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows,It is good for them if they abide even as I .) this sounds like Paul's opinion.

 

[RDKirk]

Well I wonder what did Paul mean in 2nd Corinth 6:14-18 about being unequally yoked together with unbelievers because I always believed that this was about marriage.As many times as I've read the entire chapter I still believe it's about marriage. Paul says that it's okay to stay married to an unbeliever but not to be unequally yoked together to unbelievers??Huh????

Paul is talking both to believers who are not yet married as well as to people who were already married as pagans before one of them became a believer.

A primary question would undoubtedly arise for the person who became a believer but whose spouse remained a pagan (as well as for two married pagans who both became believers: Was their marriage while pagans still valid as Christians?

Paul is affirming here that a marriage even by pagan customs is recognized by Christ as a valid marriage. Therefore, the Christian partner with a pagan spouse and two new Christians who were originally married as pagans are all just as bound by Christ's command to honor marriage as are two Christians who marry as Christians.

But Christ cannot bind a pagan to the marriage, because the pagan is still a slave to sin and will continue to serve sin. An unbeliever is a slave to sin, so sin is merely his obedience to his own master. Therefore, if the pagan spouse decides to leave the marriage, there is nothing the Christian can do to prevent it.

 

[RDKirk]

1Corinthians 7:6 But I speak this by permission,and not of commandment.
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself.But every man hath his proper gift of God,one after this manner, and another after that.
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows,It is good for them if they abide even as I .) this sounds like Paul's opinion.

Verse 40:
In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I believe that I too have the Spirit of God.

 

[Church2u2]

I believe it

Verse 40:
In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I believe that I too have the Spirit of God.

I believe that it was Peter who said that some people may not understand Paul's ministry but that he was ministering with the gifts or wisdom that God gave him(Paul).It's funny how that works sometimes. Well verse 40 said Paul had the spirit of God when he gave those instructions well obviously what he said wouldn't cause any one to sin.I believe that was the point.

 

[Church2u2]

S

Paul is talking both to believers who are not yet married as well as to people who were already married as pagans before one of them became a believer.

A primary question would undoubtedly arise for the person who became a believer but whose spouse remained a pagan (as well as for two married pagans who both became believers: Was their marriage while pagans still valid as Christians?

Paul is affirming here that a marriage even by pagan customs is recognized by Christ as a valid marriage. Therefore, the Christian partner with a pagan spouse and two new Christians who were originally married as pagans are all just as bound by Christ's command to honor marriage as are two Christians who marry as Christians.

But Christ cannot bind a pagan to the marriage, because the pagan is still a slave to sin and will continue to serve sin. An unbeliever is a slave to sin, so sin is merely his obedience to his own master. Therefore, if the pagan spouse decides to leave the marriage, there is nothing the Christian can do to prevent it.

So Paul was telling the single believers not to marry pagans and telling the believer who had already married a pagan not to divorce them unless that spouse wanted to go.That's how my Pastor put it. Thanks for your explanation. That's why I joined this site to see how other people looked at and explained scripture.

 

[com7fy8]

Paul like most writers of the time would not really understand what modern society is about, where religion is on the decline and we live in a multi-faith society,

Well, there were at least the Christian faith and the Jewish faith. And there were Jews who could be quite hostile to Paul and who tortured and tried to kill him. And I understand there were multi-gods, not only multi-faith. But Muslims had not gotten started, yet.

In ancient times a wife was more like the chattel of the husband and equality in relationships didn't exist.

Well, have you read how the men with David reacted when the Amalekites took their wives and children? 1 Samuel 30.

And Paul is clear how we need to relate with our wives >

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her," (Ephesians 5:25)

"Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them." (Colossians 3:19)

I would say this is not how you treat chattel. But, of course, there have been the wrong ways people have used the Bible, and ones can use those people's bad examples to assume they represent what Paul believed and meant

In my opinion it was wrong for some members of her church to condemn a loving, faithful relationship on the basis of my lack of faith, when ther hadn't even met me.

Well, if she considers people in her church to be her Jesus family, I am at least curious how it is that you have not met them . . . after how much time? Paul, to me, makes it clear how we Jesus people are God's own children and each other's brothers and sisters. And here is how Paul says to relate >

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

So, if this were how she shares as family with people in her church, Dave, I would think she would want to share these people with you. And if they are this good for her, I would think you would want her to get even more with them so she can be helped to do ever better with you.

But if she doesn't trust them, and therefore has kept things away from them . . . this is not how Paul says for us to share with one another as family. And I offer how Paul and Sylvanus and Timothy say they related with the Thessalonian Christians > "as a nursing mother cherishes her own children" > in 1 Thessalonians 2:7. By the way . . . . . . from this, I can see how certain nursing Christian moms were role models for these men, of how to relate with God's children; so if they were examples for these apostolic men, I consider they were not considered to be chattel.

Now, of course, I don't know if her church has people who are an example of this; ones can know their Bible and tell people what's what, but without sharing and relating the way Paul says we are called to relate in love. But > in case she has not gotten with really Christian people - - if she does, I offer that they will advise her not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. But if she does not deeply trust and benefit from the ones she is with . . . I do not know how they really are, or how she really is; so I do not know why she has stayed with people she does not even trust, if this is the case.

I think there is more need, in your situation, than to just deal with the unequal yoke issue. And I think you could do well to get to know some people who are examples of how the Bible says to love; I mean people who might say they are first about pleasing God, and they are gentle and humble and kind and all-loving, but they do have Bible standards of right from wrong, but they are first about how we ourselves need correction > 1 Peter 4:17 with Hebrews 12:4-11. You might test someone who is dealing with you, by asking how that person has been getting personally corrected recently by God > I think a true Christian example would be glad to get into this with you

Paul, by the way, did talk about how he needed correction . . . as our example, I offer, so we also can benefit from how Jesus dealt with Paul > consider 2 Corinthians 12:7-15.

 

[SteveB28]

It is a consequence of the discussed issue. One way or another, the answer to the question WILL address the issue.
You run away, not me.

I'm still here. What evidence do you have for the claimed Exodus, other than the claims made in the Bible?
(Hint: the book of Joshua is still in the Bible!)

 

[juvenissun]

I'm still here. What evidence do you have for the claimed Exodus, other than the claims made in the Bible?
(Hint: the book of Joshua is still in the Bible!)

The existence of Jews in the land of ancient Canaan.

 

[SteveB28]

The existence of Jews in the land of ancient Canaan.

There were Jews in Israel!? Amazing........who would have thought!

Now, what evidence do you have that those Jews were enslaved in Egypt and subsequently exited?

 

[juvenissun]

There were Jews in Israel!? Amazing........who would have thought!

Now, what evidence do you have that those Jews were enslaved in Egypt and subsequently exited?

You still don't get it.
BECAUSE Jews were in Canaan. This is a SOLID evidence.

 

[SteveB28]

You still don't get it.
BECAUSE Jews were in Canaan. This is a SOLID evidence.

.???? That Jews were in Israel is evidence that Jews were in Israel.

As they are now.

It is NOT evidence that they were once enslaved in Egypt.

Keep trying................but you'll keep failing.

Because there is no evidence.

 

[Serving Zion]

Sorry, I started this one, and as a non believer I couldn't understand why his writings could be considered the "word of God". It has been explained to me, but I still am of the opinion that he was stating his personal view to the church of the day, and whilst he believed much of what he said was divinely inspired and so did those receiving it, that still didn't mean that it was. As I said in an earlier post, Joseph Smith passed those tests but you're not all Mormons.

Hi Dave, are you satisfied with your understanding yet?

If you are still seeking to know more, I would like to suggest that you read 1 Kings 13 to see how The Word of God was interacting with those particular prophets, apparently without the scriptures. Also, you might consider that St. Paul was recognised by his recipients as a representative of God, so for them to receive his words with that regard, they will have recognised whatever God was saying to them through the words St. Paul has crafted. The same goes for us today, when we read St. Paul with that regard, because God is alive and whatever He says is therefore relevant to whomever He says it. St. Paul is useful to God and able to speak to us in an effective way, because his words are written in a Holy Spirit (so that there is no pride, jealousy, wrath etc). This gives God a perfect medium in order to communicate to us without tarnishing His character with sin (as unfortunately, not a great number of people these days can offer).

However, for people who have insufficient faith to regard him as a representative of God, they will of course not be willing to yield their full trust toward any idea they might get, that God is speaking to them through his words. Perhaps they will dismiss it as some uncanny human mental condition, some pattern-seeking tendency, or self-referential ego disorder, based on paranoia or fear, etc.

Anyway, here are some more writings by others who are not demonstrating any selfishness, sin, deceit, etc, and they also pertain to the way in which The Word of God can speak to us:

Luke 8:8
Hebrews 3:15
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Mark 13:31
Revelation 3:20
Proverbs 1:20-Proverbs 2:6

 

[juvenissun]

.???? That Jews were in Israel is evidence that Jews were in Israel.

As they are now.

It is NOT evidence that they were once enslaved in Egypt.

Keep trying................but you'll keep failing.

Because there is no evidence.

When you have a question, I will consider to answer it.

 

[SteveB28]

When you have a question, I will consider to answer it.

No, you've shown you can't do that. I have asked for evidence, apart from the claims made in the Bible, that the Jews were enslaved and subsequently released from Egypt.

You run from that question each time.

 

[juvenissun]

No, you've shown you can't do that. I have asked for evidence, apart from the claims made in the Bible, that the Jews were enslaved and subsequently released from Egypt.

You run from that question each time.

If you do not understand my answer, you should ask.