Are You Satisfied?
On 8/21/02 1:17:04 am, Nate made the following statement on the Common Ground Discussion Board:
Yes, I am very Happy with my own conclusion about William Irvine the man. Therefore, I am very content with my own research and finding on William Irvine, with the help of TTT information website. Yes, I am at peace with myself. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
[Clay] This is an interesting approach to truth. I see 2x2s say this quite often - that "I'm satisfied where I am" or "I feel safest within the Fellowship", with the implication being that if he or she is satisfied that it must be "right". I consider this to be the theological equivalent to the phrase popularized during the 1960's of "if it feels good, do it".
It must be realized that just because it may feel more comfortable or safer in the 2x2 Fellowship, this is not proof enough that it is right. For example, when Jesus gave his Bread of Life discourse in John 6, many of his disciples murmured against him. Jesus did not ask them, "does this make you feel content?" No, Jesus did not; instead, he challenged them, saying "Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (Jn 6:61-63) Clearly, Jesus was telling them that sometimes discovering the truth may not always be a peaceful process, but as Scripture proves, it is a necessary thing: "For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom giveth life to them that have it...I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness" (Eccl 7:12,25).
It is certainly true that real peace is achievable when a person arrives at truth. It is also true that all one must do is trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you in understanding; however, this is predicated on the fact that a person actively seeks truth. There is a distinct difference between following the path of least resistance and actually finding peace of soul through Jesus who is the Only Way. One such professing person who claims to have both actively pursued understanding and attained peace as a result is Nathan Barker; however, I remain unconvinced of this fact. He says that he has researched the origins of the 2x2 sect, etc., but he will not actually respond to the numerous flaws in his logic, which is is clear violation of Peter's admonition to "be ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you" (1 Peter 3:15). Instead, Nate almost always offers lame answers about "agreeing to disagree". Below are just a sampling of 2 days of his posts on the Common Ground discussion board:
(8/20/02 11:31:05 pm) You are not going to convince us with your story and we are not going to change your point of view, either. *smiley face*
(8/20/02 11:31:05 pm) I have found my answer and satisfy with my finding after two years of reading about William's life and ministry.
(8/21/02 12:32:22 am) You have the choice to believe on Your side of history facts and I will believe on MY side history facts. Then both of us are happy, right.*smiley face*
(8/20/02 5:16:12 pm) Revelation is Progressive! it is matter of personal revelation from God to the individual.
(8/20/02 5:44:21 pm) Many workers and friends feel these things we believe must be revealed by the Holy Spirit and not by human wisdom and understanding.
(8/20/02 7:13:43 pm) yea, yea, I have heard that from you before about what you think. Thanks, for your opinion anyway. *smiley face*
(8/20/02 7:10:19 pm) Clay, then from now on I will ignore your posts to me because I always missed the point.
Given the behavior of many professing members, it is not clear to me that they are actually capable of giving an answer to people. Perhaps they do not feel moved by the Spirit to engage in such activities, and I don't necessarily have a problem with that. However, when Nate, who has actually created his own 2x2 website, continually refuses to respond to challenges to his statements, one begins to question the depth and impartiality of his "research".
In Voltaire's The Story of a Good Brahman the question arises whether or not one is willing to give up all knowledge to be happy. Ask yourself if you have true contentment that exists in the Lord or is it spiritual laziness? I would just encourage people not to judge the truth or falsity of something based solely upon how it makes them "feel". Human emotions and subconscious desires can cloud our judgment sometimes, such that any potential spiritual growth is hindered by some sort of irrational fear of having to reassess one's belief system. This process, of course, is a journey that people must undertake in stages, but God will be with you all the way as long as you earnestly seek Him.
Be not afraid.
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