Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Rely on God’s Correction, Not Your Own Thinking

From: Ronnie Tanner
To: Adam
Sent: Sunday, June 26 1:43 PM

Hi Adam,

Welcome to the forum. We need your last name to activate your account. You can reply here and I’ll update your username then you’ll be all set.

Ronnie

From: Adam 
To: Ronnie Tanner
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2016 3:24 PM

Hello Ronnie,

My surname is XXXX. I am in great fear, because I have sinned against those I love, and as it is written, against God Almighty. I do perceive the utmost necessity to turn away from the shadows, though. I have been living there for far too long, and it is murdering me from the inside.

Thank you for receiving me.

From: Ronnie Tanner
To: Adam 
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2016 1:49 PM

Hi Adam,
 
It sounds like you know what you need to do. If you’d like to share more, you can do so here. I’m copying Paul Cohen, a brother and elder in the Lord. If you do reply, include him in your response. Some teachings you may or may not have red:
 
Confession of Sin
Repentence
Obedience
Diabolical Doctrine: Family Unity – A Hallmark of True Christianity  
 
Also, I’ve updated your username as “Adam ” and activated your account on the forum. 

Ronnie

From: Adam
To: Ronnie Tanner and Paul Cohen
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2016 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: Activate user account

Greetings Ronnie & Paul,

The things that I have stolen are rather petty, but I still feel the need to correct the wrongdoings. One problem, though, is that most of these things are smaller quantities of drugs. I know (or suspect, anyhow) that the people concerned would simply use the money to buy more drugs. What would you do in my shoes? I have the courage to go through with it, and I will soon have the money.

As an update, I must tell you that I have felt very good for a day and a half, approximately. My sins have been clearing up at a steady pace. Just today I quit my snus (a Swedish oral tobacco product) addiction successfully with no withdrawal effects after having asked God to help me see it through last night. I am now reading Paul’s [the apostle] letters and find that I understand what is actually being said much better than before. I really hope that this is true progress in my quest to meet the Lord (I must confess that I am afraid to call Him that, as I don’t know if I am worthy), and not just some diabolical delusion. Safe to say, though, I feel very good, full of purpose, and I delight in my newfound desire to do good and deal justly. Forgiveness now comes naturally to me (I used to be an awfully grievous person). I have been humbled to an extent that I could never have imagined (I used to be insufferably haughty).

Do you think this seems the work of some demon, or the real deal? I definitely don’t have the Spirit in me, but I feel that I am at least making progress.

Thank you so much for being here for me,

Adam

From: Adam
To: Ronnie and Paul
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2016 2:49 AM
Subject: Re: Activate user account

Hello again,

I would like to ask another question. As I have gathered from reading The Path of Truth with great passion, you argue against “conspiracy theorizing”, and you make a very good case–surely, God doesn’t need us to publically “expose” the most prominent villains of the world; he wants us to repent from our sins, recognizing that we ourselves, being of sinful flesh, are part of the problem, and that we cannot and should not try to “solve” it by looking to the offenses of others. Forgive me if this is idle “mental masturbation”, but I really want to hear what you have to say about it, since I am almost entirely positive that you really are men of God.

In my quest for “the truth” I had a phase when I was consuming the work of Rob Skiba, a man who argues that the end times are upon us. He claims that the “mixture” that “was in the days of Noah and so shall [it] be when the Son of Man returns” refers to transgression of the natural boundaries of creation–genetic modification, most prominently. 

He makes a fascinating (or so I thought/think) case that wicked angels “mated” somehow with man and beast (citing the Book of Enoch for evidence), leading to the production of beings that did not have an “ordained nephesh”, hence all their thoughts were “continually evil” (I can’t presume to identify God’s rightful perspective on this, but it seems to me that even the most wretchedly sinful of humans sometimes do right things for the right reason). I freely recognize that I have no idea what truly happened even a few hundred years ago, much less thousands of years ago. Perhaps there was technology (or some analogue thereof) back then that surpassed the current capabilities of human industry. The handiwork of the great pyramids, for example, sure seem to testify of such.

As far as I can tell, you suggest that the “mixture” in question refers to outwardly pious “teachers” who have “a form of godliness”, yet their hearts aren’t with God. What makes this difficult for me to reconcile, though, is that this aspect of the equation seems to have been the predominant norm throughout nominally Christian history. I used to admire “theologians” such as Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, Augustine, Tertullian, Anselm, Albertus Magnus, Boethius, the “Greek fathers”, and so on and so forth. Weren’t these people just as bad as (and probably even more influential than) modern “soul-winning” Evangelicals? The Scholastics surely sought to fit God into their neat little box of Aristotelian logic.

Again, I suppose that this must seem impertinent, idle speculation. Surely, I have not dropped my desire to persist in turning away from my sin and make right that which I made wrong (and I have come a way). At any rate, I can’t censure my curiosity in all this, and I hope that you can understand me. I would rather be honest with this than pretend that I have come so far as to be able to see everything in terms of God and what I choices I can make to make myself more presentable to Him (that is a very important matter, let it be known). 

With all due respect,

Adam

From: Adam
To: Ronnie and Paul
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2016 8:02 AM
Subject: Re: Activate user account

Hello (yet) again guys,

I apologize for flooding you with messages. I really hope I’m not being annoying, but I would rather ask those who know than delude myself. Unfortunately, I fell back into the nicotine trap as I had a spell of depression. I still have the intention to quit, but it seems that it won’t be feasible just now. As for restituting for things that I have stolen, it now is an endearing prospect to me. It is an amazing feeling, really! When before I would have been lethally afraid of so much as admitting it, I now can’t wait until I have the money to repay (fourfold), provided that you (by your godly counsel) sanction giving such money to people who are likely to spend it on drugs.

Recently I have been feeling good overall, very calm and relaxed compared to how I used to be. There are moments when I break down in tears over past transgressions, but this must be a good thing, no? I now feel disgusted with the very prospect of breaking the commandments, when before I would probably (I dislike saying it, but it’s the truth) have been capable of murdering people who bullied me in the past, if I had the opportunity to do so. I still feel utterly forgiving, and I constantly have God on my mind, trying to let him guide me (unfortunately I don’t hear His voice, but perhaps I shouldn’t expect that so soon, having only recently repented and become a changed person). 

I have a burning desire to fellowship with likeminded people, and my atheistic/nihilistic friends are (sadly, but perhaps necessarily) becoming more and more distant. Unfortunately, I constantly worry that I somehow deluded myself into believing that I repented and was changed. It really feels like it, but I still don’t dare talk to God, as I wouldn’t want to anger Him by taking His name in vain. If I do fail now, I do understand that I will be more severely punished, and I accept it. I can’t see myself ever returning to my former self regardless of the circumstances, but what if God simply doesn’t want me? What to do if that proves to be the case?

Yours truly,

Adam

From: Paul Cohen
To: Adam
Cc: Ronnie Tanner and Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Monday, July 04, 2016 8:55 AM
Subject: Your Recent Emails (July ’16)

Hi Adam, 

We have a lot going on here with many people in line before you, so if you don’t receive immediate replies to your emails or Forum posts, don’t take that to mean we aren’t receiving them or haven’t red them. There is much you’re writing to us about that we won’t take the time to comment on because we’re here to guide people to the Lord and His salvation by faith and not to the kind of knowledge you’re investing so much time and energy in.  

Regarding making restitution, that’s a legitimate concern and question you’ve posed. You’ll need to approach it one person or situation at a time. We can’t tell you specifically what to do in every case, but if you stole from people it’s not your business to withhold restitution because of what you suspect they’ll do with the money. As for how much you return, whether it be fourfold, that too is something you’ll have to discover as you do what you know you need to do. 

Salvation is the work of God, not yours. You can work only with what He gives you through faith and obedience. That’s why the Scripture says to those who believe, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God Who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV).

When Jesus preached the Good News of God’s Kingdom, He said, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News” (Mark 1:15 WEB). 

You’re trusting in yourself – your thoughts and works. Repentance means to turn away from being your own god and following the Lord Jesus Christ. 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV).

Your view of God is perverse. You write: 

Unfortunately, I constantly worry that I somehow deluded myself into believing that I repented and was changed. It really feels like it, but I still don’t dare talk to God, as I wouldn’t want to anger Him by taking His name in vain. If I do fail now, I do understand that I will be more severely punished, and I accept it. I can’t see myself ever returning to my former self regardless of the circumstances, but what if God simply doesn’t want me? What to do if that proves to be the case?

Don’t dare talk to God? Who else is going to correct and guide you? If you don’t come to Him you can’t be saved. If you refrain from talking to God because of fear of taking His Name in vain, then you’re walking in the wrong kind of fear, like the man who hid his one talent. You’re not walking by faith, which is why you say: 

Since I am almost entirely positive that you really are men of God.

Did Peter say to the Lord, “I am almost entirely positive that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God”? 

I don’t say this to compel you to declare us men of God, but to illustrate that you’re leaning on your own thoughts. 

You ask what we have to say about the “church fathers.” Read the following in The True Marks of a Cult: Reference to the “Church Fathers”

Paul

[Adam made the following posts on the Forum, which Paul referred to:]

My introduction
Paying taxes
Medical cannabis consumption–always contrary to God’s will?
The Star of David

Related posts:

基督裡成熟的果實

這裡是上帝對祂的聖徒所做的事前後的一些事,祂召喚、揀選並為榮耀預備他們。讚美歸於祂的名!榮耀是祂的!

Rushing to Destroy Israel

From: Chuck Carlson To: The Path of Truth Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 12:20 PM Subject: San Francisco Vigl for Peace with Justice for PalestiniansTo Bay Area Jewish Voice For Peace Bay area organizations and Friends We hope you will find a way to support Vigil for Peace with Justice for Palestinians in San Francisco CA,on September 14th. John Hagee followers will perform a Christians United for Israel,(CUFI) "Standing With Israel" program at: Where: Congregation Ner Tamid  When: Sunday, Sept. 14 from 1:30 PM - 4:40 pm. We have asked Rabbi Moshe Levin to cancel this event. We hope so, but we plan to be there if CUFI is, how about you? For those with a tight schedule, It's best to come at 1:30 PM for one hour to meet the attendees on their way in, and those who cannot come early should arrive about 4:30-5:30 to educate those departing. Quintana is a high traffic boulevard, so please make your signs and banners large, simple and easy to read for moving traffic. We will have extra's and hand-out literature for those who do not have signs. Jewish Voice for Peace brought a very effective banner to our Arvada Colorado Vigil.Protesting Faith Bible Chapel's support for Ariel, one of the larger West Bank settlements We add some practical detail in for those not familiar with what "Christian Zionists" believe, and why they do. We hope you will have a chance to talk to some of the attendees. One of Project Strait Gate's signs is: We rely upon expressions f...

Did Paul Ask for Handouts, Donations?

From: Tyler To: The Path of Truth Sent: Monday, January 04, 2016 2:24 PM Subject: Asking For MoneyHello,Today, I stumbled upon your website, on the page in which you claim the illegitimacy of Todd White.  I'm not here to argue that, but rather inquire why him asking for money is wrong.  The scripture that I am hung up on comes from 1 Corinthians. Paul says he has the freedom to ask for pay, but he decided not to. He claims a worker has the right to be paid for his efforts. However, he exchanges his physical payment for spiritual payment from God. Can you shed light on this scripture for me?Thank you for all consideration,Tyler From: Paul Cohen and Victor Hafichuk To: Tyler Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2016 6:58 AM Subject: Re: Asking For MoneyTyler, the Scriptures you’re referring to are:1 Corinthians 9:7-14 MKJV(7)  Who serves as a soldier at his own wages at any time? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock and does not partake of the milk of the flock? (8)  Do I say these things according to man? Or does not the Law say the same also? (9)  For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox threshing grain." Does God take care for oxen? (10)  Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? It was written for us, so that he who plows should plow in hope, and so that he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. (11)  If we have sown to you spiritual things, is it a great thi...

Provide your email if you would like to receive periodic correspondence from us.