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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman Roaming
The Roman Roads The
lives of people throughout the first-century Greco-Roman world were
significantly enhanced because of the network of roads intertwined
throughout the empire. These
roads formed a communication network that made it possible for further
growth of the empire's social, economic, and political environment.
Like all cultural advancements, these roads were travelled by
both the evil and the good. Despite
this presence of evil, these roads provided the means by which the
gospel of Jesus could be preached far and wide.
Like
the Roman roads, the internet has provided us with a communication
network that has significantly enhanced our lives.
The ease of communication has given rise to further advancements
in our social, economic, and political environment.
It has made the spread of the gospel of Christ easier and faster
than ever, and that despite wickedness winding its way through the World
Wide Web. Hidden within this
confusing mess of ungodliness is a pandemic of false doctrine and false
prophecies claiming to be Biblical.
This makes Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 14:29 more important
today than it was in his day.
"Two or three
prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is
said." The
Greek word "diakrino" is translated as "weigh
carefully" in the NIV that I have just quoted.
The KJV translates diakrino as judge, while other versions of the
Bible translate it as evaluate in this verse.
Diakrino suggests the process whereby we separate and dissect
something in order to draw an informative, credible, conclusive
judgment. Paul
taught that we must judge, and judge is an appropriate word, whatever is
espoused in the name of the Lord. We
are to critically dissect and analyze what is espoused, and with
diligent and thoughtful investigative study of the Biblical facts, we
make a credible, Biblical judgment.
In our day when the word "judging" is a negative and
nasty word, Jesus told us both to judge and how to judge, as seen in
John 7:24. "Stop
judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to
righteous judgment." The
process of righteous judging is a necessity in today's online
marketplace of infectious heresies posing as Biblical truth.
These heretical viral infections must not sicken our minds and
souls, so we judge. Our
judgment is not based on feelings, emotions, presuppositions, or
traditions. Our judgment is not based on feelings, emotions,
presuppositions, or traditions, but rather on righteous judgment that is
a product of a well thought out investigative dissecting of what is
espoused in comparison to the Biblical facts. From this process we formulate a credible Biblical judgment by which we live.
For
further details on how I understand the Bible's concept of righteous
judging, you can read my book entitled, Clarifying Biblical Judging,
subtitled, does do not judge mean do not judge?
It can be purchased on all Amazon sites.
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