Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
What you have dismissed is a test prescribed by the Lord Himself. The children of Israel received a New Covenant from a Galilean Man with little to no known credentials. He was up against all the leaders of His day. Many just could not decipher the teachings themselves, so He asked Israel to compare Himself to the hypocrisy of their current leadership. To say that tens of thousands out there who will claim "good fruit," therefore the test is somehow bad, did not measure up in Jesus day, neither in our own day.
They examined Jesus high and low, up and down, and they found Him blameless. The apostles were held to many of the same high standards. They pioneered a new message, hence their life had to measure up.
WL also brought a "new" message, a recovery of numerous truths, consummating in the high peaks. He condemned all of Christianity all during his life. He claimed that, since his arrival in the 1940's, not a single quality book was written by another minister. He accepted no peers, not even those who had been with WN. He claimed to be the Minister of the age and the acting God here on earth.
Should not his life and work measure up to such claims? Should not he be held to high standards? Should he at least have been able to manage his own household?
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Yes, Jesus was blameless and every word He spoke was true to the last dot.
But should the veracity of His truth proclaimed by Himself and His disciples be dismissed because a few wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume others who were not in their immediate band? One was a thief, should we dismiss His whole ministry citing Jesus' inability to select good, holy, and righteous people?
Of course not. They were not disqualified from speaking for God in spite of their impetuous attitude and spirit or that one them was a thief.
Nevertheless, if you wish to apply a tighter standard then you should do so for your own peace of mind. I would only caution you that in doing so you consider your own condition in regard to sin and failures and attitude toward other believers and thereby determine whether that disqualifies you from speaking for God here in this forum or elsewhere.