IAUA End Time Ministry
Preparing for the End of Time
The Lord is Coming! Are you ready?
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IAUA End Time Ministry |
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Preparing for the End of Time | |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in
IAUA
(ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father,
A reader has responded to the last newsletter with some excellent comments. I am passing these on to you. ----- In spiritual matters, I don't feel comfortable quoting anyone but the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. The Bible is our primary source of authority and the Spirit of Prophecy secondary. Quoting other human beings as authorities for truth is pointless - unless of course someone doesn't understand the truth of the Bible themselves. That having been said, it is perfectly legitimate to quote other individuals to be able to demonstrate their position or view on a subject since it is only going to be used to show what they believe, be that truth or not. But to use their quotes as support for truth is a mistake. I would also be careful not to set up standards that close the doors to truth. It doesn't seem that you have gone that far based on what you wrote. But we are prone to create signs that this person has the truth and this person doesn't so that we know who we can listen to. The Jews did this and it led them to reject Christ. Some people believe that we should only read books, etc. from Adventist authors because they are "safe." I know others who don't listen or read anything that doesn't come from the 1888 Message Study Committee. These are all artificial standards for truth that provide only a false sense of security. We all know that not everything that comes off the Adventist press is the truth of the gospel. Not everything that come with 1888 stamped on it is gospel either. There is no group or person who we can safely say they have the truth and I will not listen to or pay attention to others because they don't believe they way I think they should. The truth is that none of us has a complete understanding of truth. We may understand, appreciate and be able to articulate one aspect of truth, while someone understands better and presents better another aspect. I have found that there are valuable pieces of truth that can be picked up from just about every source. That doesn't mean that I am going to go to Joseph Smith to find truth. But what it does mean is that I am not going to close my ears to what others are going to say just because I know there are parts of truth that they don't understand. Therefore I can and do read non-Adventist authors. Because whether they are Adventist or non-Adventist, family, friends, or even myself, the only way I know that it is the truth is by comparing it with the word of God. ----- My response: Excellent opinion. Well written. May I quote you in my newsletter? ----- Reader response: I suppose. If I qualify. :) ----- It is important to clarify that people are quoted for different reasons. It is a subtle but important disctinction whether a quote is used as a source of truth or whether only thoughts and opinions that are being quoted. This difference needs to be clarified in the comments around the quote. Unless it is verifiable, thoughts or opinions cannot be given greater weight based on the source of the quote. There is a great danger in giving weight to any thoughts or opinions which are not or cannot be backed up with scripture. Providing the reference for a quote is extremely important. Firstly, this makes the source clear to evaluate its weight. Secondly, it allows the quote to be checked and verified. Thirdly, it allows the surrounding context of the quote to be accessed. Providing the reference for a quote from the Bible is extremely important. You might be surprised how many "quote" scripture incorrectly or in a misleading fashion. I have seen many "quotes" from the Spirit of Prophecy which cannot be verified except from mysterious unknown or private sources. How can a sincere person take seriously as truth a quote that cannot be readily verified? How can a sincere person attach greater value to the thoughts or opinions of any person unless fully supported by a careful study of scripture? May you find peace in the name of Yahushua (Ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah the son of God.
Frank T. Clark
Next: 2005-02-11 False Excitement - False Humility |
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Revised 2005-02-11 |