Eat The Fish, Spit out the Bone (Part 1)

Posted on April 29, 2015 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

Eat the Fish, Spit out the Bone (Part 1)

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

As I’m learning and growing in Christ, I’m being exposed to a lot of different preaching, theological standpoints, philosophical views, professor’s assessments, individuals’ perceptions, and the like. I have adopted the concept of ‘eat the fish and spit out the bones,’ in handling all the plethora of information. The Bereans searched the truth for themselves and challenged the messages of Paul. Therefore, when I hear; be careful of the old theologians they didn’t understand grace. Like the Bereans, I search!

St Augustine had a skill to use philosophy to support his theology, changing the world of apologetics. He launched the idea that by faith, all things were created and by faith, all knowledge will be rightly applied. This faith doesn’t originate in the logical or rational realms; this faith begins with acknowledging eternal forms as found in God. For Augustine, only the God the father, God the Savior, and God the Holy Spirit, is able to answer problems of the many unanswered questions with former philosophers.

With his in depth intellectual pursuits, Thomas Aquinas, has formulated an equivalent dogmatic views that the origins of all things are created are by God. Thomas Aquinas believes that God existence can be manifested with human reasoning. The reasoning skills were not completely damage by the fall because it is important for understanding, knowledge, survival etc… Man is created in God’s image, not equally, but reflecting some of the characteristics of God, and yet higher than any other living organism.

“For there are many things that have an appearance of excellence, but the knowledge of Christ surpasses to such a degree everything else by its sublimity, that, as compared with it, there is nothing that is not contemptible. Let us, therefore, learn from this, what value we ought to set upon the knowledge of Christ alone. As to his calling Him his Lord, he does this to express the intensity of his feelings.” (John Calvin)

If we are ciphering through the scriptures like the Bereans, we can find truth form various positions. Let’s not be completely closed minded to the founders of the faith because of some modern assessments. God will use these heroes of the faith to strengthen our walk with Him. Next week we will listen for truth from unlikely sources. Juan Mendez graduated from the Colony of Mercy and now serves there as Chaplain. You can email Chaplain Juan at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Numbers 5-6; Revelation 16

Think About This: You will not stroll into Christlikeness with your hands in your pockets, shoving the door open with a careless shoulder. This is no hobby for one’s leisure moments, taken up at intervals when we have nothing much to do, and put down and forgotten when our life grows full and interesting… It takes all one’s strength, and all one’s heart, and all one’s mind, and all one’s soul, given freely and recklessly and without restraint.
A.J. Gossip

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: The righteous who walks in his integrity—  blessed are his children after him! Proverbs 20:7