I hope the title of this thread doesn't cause you to think i'm anti Christian. I've been seeking to know Christ better for over 30 years with every part of my being . During these 30 years i've not only been having what i call the born again relationship with Christ , i've also have had what could be the best teacher of Scripture in the last 400 years.
It started in 1987 when i did something someone told me to do to try and help me get out of a tough time in my life. I did what this person suggested and things began to happen. Feeling the presence of Christ , the desire to know Him always increasing , wanting to give to others in need instead of serving myself. The list goes on and on , getting into Scriptural evidence that Christ is truely indwelling my being.
This experience has of course driven me to share this truth with others , much like a watchman would. This is why i've asked if Christianity is dead .
We could talk about a million ways one could have that real true connection with Christ , but i think most of us would agree it boils down to "Faith."
In and around the 1500's the Greek texts were being translated into the English language. The Greek language has a noun "pistis" and is where we get the english word "Faith". Faith is a person , place or thing . Pistis is used around 250 times in the NT.
The Greek texts also have a verb "pisteuo" , also used around 250 times . A problem arose for the translators when the English language had no word to translate the Greek verb for Faith . The words the English language should have had are faithe , faither , and faithing. Being a verb this Greek word pisteuo is and act , based upon a belief , sustained by confidense.
What is the specific act , based upon what specific belief , and sustained by what kind of confidense , that could start a one on one relationship with Christ by receiving His Spirit ?
We find the answer in the Vines Greek dictionary and reads , "A personal surrender to Him , and a life inspired by such surrender."
Now with this ground work laid , what really happened when the translators did not have a word in the English to correctly communicate "pisteuo" ?
In retrospect , the translators would have been better off to cease translating the Greek texts into english , because the damage their decision would create causes not only the "wide path" but could also destroy the only way to have a one on one relationship with Christ.
The translators chose to use the words believe , believer , and believing . Now if you go back and see the definition of what a verb is , these words only communicate that true "pisteuo" is part of a verb. It doesn't communicate what the specific act of faithing is to start , maintain , and complete a relationship with Christ here on earth.
As the result of this "mistranslation" most of the church world understands that the true path to receiving the Spirit of Christ is by believing in Gods Word which couldn't be farther from the truth. True pisteuo is a continual surrendering of our lives to Christ , "and" making all the little a big daily decisions supporting that surrender. It's not our life any more , but His .
What we have in todays church world is a pisteuo that doesn't require a continual surrendering of our lives to Him. So in accually one could have a relationship with Christ and still keep their own life serving themselves . This is the wide path and will never result in recieving the Spirit of Christ.
As Rom 8:9 tells us , if we don't have the Spirit of Christ in us , and we in Him , Christ is none of ours . If Christ is none of ours , His Word can't be ours either. That means that anyone who has not been continually surrendering their lives to Christ can never recieve His Spirit , making Christ and His Word and the promises there-in none of theirs.
Yet todays church world knows the Scriptures inside and out and it not theirs yet because of the above facts.
Is Christianity lost to time ?
It started in 1987 when i did something someone told me to do to try and help me get out of a tough time in my life. I did what this person suggested and things began to happen. Feeling the presence of Christ , the desire to know Him always increasing , wanting to give to others in need instead of serving myself. The list goes on and on , getting into Scriptural evidence that Christ is truely indwelling my being.
This experience has of course driven me to share this truth with others , much like a watchman would. This is why i've asked if Christianity is dead .
We could talk about a million ways one could have that real true connection with Christ , but i think most of us would agree it boils down to "Faith."
In and around the 1500's the Greek texts were being translated into the English language. The Greek language has a noun "pistis" and is where we get the english word "Faith". Faith is a person , place or thing . Pistis is used around 250 times in the NT.
The Greek texts also have a verb "pisteuo" , also used around 250 times . A problem arose for the translators when the English language had no word to translate the Greek verb for Faith . The words the English language should have had are faithe , faither , and faithing. Being a verb this Greek word pisteuo is and act , based upon a belief , sustained by confidense.
What is the specific act , based upon what specific belief , and sustained by what kind of confidense , that could start a one on one relationship with Christ by receiving His Spirit ?
We find the answer in the Vines Greek dictionary and reads , "A personal surrender to Him , and a life inspired by such surrender."
Now with this ground work laid , what really happened when the translators did not have a word in the English to correctly communicate "pisteuo" ?
In retrospect , the translators would have been better off to cease translating the Greek texts into english , because the damage their decision would create causes not only the "wide path" but could also destroy the only way to have a one on one relationship with Christ.
The translators chose to use the words believe , believer , and believing . Now if you go back and see the definition of what a verb is , these words only communicate that true "pisteuo" is part of a verb. It doesn't communicate what the specific act of faithing is to start , maintain , and complete a relationship with Christ here on earth.
As the result of this "mistranslation" most of the church world understands that the true path to receiving the Spirit of Christ is by believing in Gods Word which couldn't be farther from the truth. True pisteuo is a continual surrendering of our lives to Christ , "and" making all the little a big daily decisions supporting that surrender. It's not our life any more , but His .
What we have in todays church world is a pisteuo that doesn't require a continual surrendering of our lives to Him. So in accually one could have a relationship with Christ and still keep their own life serving themselves . This is the wide path and will never result in recieving the Spirit of Christ.
As Rom 8:9 tells us , if we don't have the Spirit of Christ in us , and we in Him , Christ is none of ours . If Christ is none of ours , His Word can't be ours either. That means that anyone who has not been continually surrendering their lives to Christ can never recieve His Spirit , making Christ and His Word and the promises there-in none of theirs.
Yet todays church world knows the Scriptures inside and out and it not theirs yet because of the above facts.
Is Christianity lost to time ?