What to Say? "You study too much...Jesus is Simple..."

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...This person also stated that " people are being pushed away from the gospel because christians talk about sin too much."
If Jesus is so simple and they have Him figured out, did they conveniently ignore how He addressed sin? "Brood of vipers, sons of the devil, hypocrites, whitewashed tombs?" Apparently He is not so simple as they might think. Might want to read the Scriptures more and find some good theological works on Jesus, His identity and his work, etc :)
 
...This person also stated that " people are being pushed away from the gospel because christians talk about sin too much."
If Jesus is so simple and they have Him figured out, did they conveniently ignore how He addressed sin? "Brood of vipers, sons of the devil, hypocrites, whitewashed tombs?" Apparently He is not so simple as they might think. Might want to read the Scriptures more and find some good theological works on Jesus, His identity and his work, etc :)

Oh yes. Jesus did not exactly tell them what they want to hear:

Matt. 23: 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
 
...This person also stated that " people are being pushed away from the gospel because christians talk about sin too much."
If Jesus is so simple and they have Him figured out, did they conveniently ignore how He addressed sin? "Brood of vipers, sons of the devil, hypocrites, whitewashed tombs?" Apparently He is not so simple as they might think. Might want to read the Scriptures more and find some good theological works on Jesus, His identity and his work, etc :)

Oh yes. Jesus did not exactly tell them what they want to hear:

Matt. 23: 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Yessir! And I don't say that just to get people's goats. I mean, another brother earlier pointed out that study can become and idol and we should flee it as much as sexual temptation, greed, anger, or any other thing if it begins taking the preeminence that Jehovah deserves. But, honestly, this non-judgmental hippy philosopher/social justice figure that modern evangelicalism created is the worst thing we could have. We MUST have the preaching of repentance else there is no reason to TURN from Satan's darkness to Jesus light.
 
2 Peter 3:14-18
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand , which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. NKJV

The things of Jesus simple? Peter didn't seem to think so.
 
2 Peter 3:14-18
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand , which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. NKJV

The things of Jesus simple? Peter didn't seem to think so.

It's not that the Gospel in and of itself is complicated, what makes it complicated for us is our own erroneous minds and unbelieving hearts. Actually, the reason why we are commanded to be like little children in regards to entering the Kingdom of God is that we would abandon our own reasoning against the Word of God and instead be totally dependent on the Word of God as our guide to holiness. The problem is never that the Word of God is too difficult by nature, rather it is our sin that makes us stumble in our pursuit of understanding. As a matter of fact, we can see this truth right in the passages you cited above:

"as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction"

The reason some people don't grasp the Gospel, as simple as it is, is their own lack of acquaintance in the Word of God.
 
Yes, I came from a twisted fundamentalist, non-denominational church controlled by an absolute monarchy. They(or he) never wanted you to "read books by men" but they wanted you to listen to their stories and prophecies and the little booklets they wrote.

Very scary! This sounds more like a cult than a church!

My main thought has already been expressed: I want to know my God better, and the "writings of men" can increase my heart-felt knowledge of Him, though I usually have a Bible open to make sure what's written squares with scripture.
 
2 Peter 3:14-18
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand , which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. NKJV

The things of Jesus simple? Peter didn't seem to think so.

It's not that the Gospel in and of itself is complicated, what makes it complicated for us is our own erroneous minds and unbelieving hearts. Actually, the reason why we are commanded to be like little children in regards to entering the Kingdom of God is that we would abandon our own reasoning against the Word of God and instead be totally dependent on the Word of God as our guide to holiness. The problem is never that the Word of God is too difficult by nature, rather it is our sin that makes us stumble in our pursuit of understanding. As a matter of fact, we can see this truth right in the passages you cited above:

"as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction"

The reason some people don't grasp the Gospel, as simple as it is, is their own lack of acquaintance in the Word of God.

I'll not challenge your conclusions regarding the lack of acquaintance many - too many- have with God's Word, but we are not necessarily speaking of grasping the simple truth of the gospel of salvation.

There are indeed aspects of our faith that are simple - well within the grasp of a child. However, there are also aspects of Scriptural truth over which godly and brilliant men have spent a lifetime laboring without exhausting its riches.
 
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