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Christian books, Christianity, church, consistency, deeds, discerning the spirits, exhortation, experience, false spirits, Karl Barth, sacraments, Satan, sin, the old self, theology, Thomas F. Torrance, thought life
Some of you might wonder why I keep publishing about the dangers of clinging to the wrong spirits. However, I believe it is important to get rid of all negative influences that might be able to pull us away from a personal and intimate relationship with Christ risen. If we want to feed on Christ by seeking His presence daily, we should stay away from reading books, blogs, or the like that pollute our minds with an abundance of theological theories. Even though we might always find some truth in theological writings, a true Christian writer can solely be someone who knows God and is known by Him also. Actually, don’t we want to be introduced to all the truth instead of to some starters only? Dear reader, what this world thinks is recommendable is usually detestable in God’s eyes. The same applies to the religious world of Christianity where the average Christian has been raised to look up to charismatic high-profile figures. The book market is flooded with a diversity of Christian books that are not always helpful to lead us into the truth as it is revealed in Christ alone. Let me give you an example here the Lord has just made me aware of.
I was not sure whether I wanted to write another article or not as Thomas F. Torrance’s name popped up in my mind. I did not know much about him, yet I remembered having seen a good quote from him in a comment thread on my blog lately. As I was browsing the internet about more information, I stumbled over the detail that Torrance would take a doctoral degree under the supervision of Karl Barth (1886-1968) at the University of Basel [that] left an indelible impression on his theological method and style. Torrance went on to edit and translate the English version of Karl Barth’s magnum opus, Church Dogmatics, with G. W. Bromiley (Barth 1956-1976. (1) Well, reading the name Karl Barth, an alarm bell began to ring in my mind. Without telling you more than necessary, I want to emphasize the importance of integrity of a Christian figure that claims to write for, or at least, about God. Karl Barth, for instance, might have written wonderful essays about God and Christ, about the Trinity, and might have been an impressive defender of faith against liberalism, yet… he did not only fail and stumble over sin as it happens to all of us, it was even maintained that he would justify living in continued sin, i.e., adultery with his secretary. He even lived with this other woman in his and his wife’s home. (2) Although I do not want to dig deeper into Karl Barth’s obvious contradiction between word and deed, I offer you an excerpt of what Thomas Torrance thought about feeding on Christ daily. If you want to read more about the consistency of thought and deed, though, see Michael Clark’s and my joint article here.
“The whole focus of his [i.e. the individual Christian’s] vision and the whole perspective of his life in Christ’s name will be directed to the unveiling of that reality of his new being at the parousia, but meantime he lives day by day out of the Word and Sacraments. As one baptized into Christ he is told by God’s Word that his sins are already forgiven and forgotten by God, that he has been justified once for all, and that he does not belong to himself but to Christ who loved him and gave Himself for him. As one summoned to the Holy Table he is commanded by the Word of God to live only in such a way that he feeds upon Christ, not in such a way that he feeds upon his own activities or lives out of his own capital of alleged spirituality. He lives from week to week, by drawing his life and strength from the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, nourished by the body and blood of Christ, and in the strength of that communion he must live and work until Christ comes again. As often as he partakes of the Eucharist he partakes of the self-consecration of Jesus Christ who sanctified Himself for our sakes that we might be sanctified in reality and be presented to the Father as those whom He has redeemed and perfected (or consecrated) together with Himself in one. Here He is called to lift up his heart to the ascended Lord, and to look forward to the day when the full reality of his new being in Christ will be unveiled, making Scripture and Sacrament no longer necessary.”
― Thomas F. Torrance, Space, Time, And Resurrection
Hmm… If we are looking for God’s real presence, church tradition like taking the Eucharist where one confuses communion with God with some sensual thing, will be a big distraction if not an occult opening for other spirits to enter one’s very being. Dear brothers and sisters, we must be very cautious as to whom or what we let dwell in our minds. Whether it is about reading or listening to other people or, even worse, about the pictures we invite ‘into us’ as we watch what our old nature longs to dwell upon, I believe it is our job to choose wisely here.
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Cor 1:26-29 ESV)
Don’t we believe that we can master our own mind with our soul’s innate self-control. That only works on a superficial level as we might realize when we mull over our sometimes bizarre dreams, for example. Did we choose to have such dreams? 🙄 I guess rarely. Furthermore, I am inclined to believe that every picture we perceive is automatically saved in the subconscious mind and thus able to influence us on a subliminal level continually UNLESS we submit to God who alone can give us the victory over sin and death in all their hidden forms through which they approach us every day. We may not wonder when negativity befalls us at a progressive rate as we are drawn to delve into those subjects this world/TV/news have to offer us.
Indeed, if it’s not Jesus Christ on whom we feed, we are going to have many a need, and finally we eat the evil seed. Godspeed!
(1) Source: http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/bce/torrance.htm
(2) If you want to read more, see https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/october-web-only/what-to-make-of-karl-barths-steadfast-adultery.html
All images © 2017, 2018 Susanne Schuberth
Entering the Promised Land 
There is only ONE Mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. One, not two or three or four… We who are IN Christ are HIS BODY, not some piece of bread that some sanctimonious person has chanted and prayed over! This kind of thinking portrayed in the above quote by T.T. is NOT “rightly discerning the body of Christ.”
Thank you, Susanne. I think one has to have experienced the bondage of being under that Catholic sacramental system and being set free by Jesus from it all for one to see what bondage this kind of thinking is.
“For since in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. And of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.” (1Cor 1:21-31, KJ2000)
Michael ⭐ ❤ ⭐
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Thank you for the encouragement, Michael, and for pasting this Scripture from my article in a broader context here. At first I wanted to insert more verses as well but somehow it seemed to be too much. But now you did it!! 😊👍🏻⭐ God’s leading, huh? 😇 Thx again, my dear brother. 💓
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Yes, my God connected sister. We both hear Him telling us the same thing so often, even at the same time, that it is impossible to deny that we are “members one of another” in the body of Christ. I thank Him so much for the unity of the Spirit that He has let us experienced together. It is an answer to Jesus’ prayer and ours..
“And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them, as you have loved me.” (John 17:22-23, KJ2000)
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Amen, Michael. I do thank God, too, for this extraordinary oneness in the Spirit He has given us to share. Although we also need to wait on Him until He really shows up sometimes, yet when He does, it makes all the difference. It is the difference between life and death, I dare say. Without God’s presence, the most wonderful experiences we might have experienced in the past remain empty as we try to repeat them with all our fleshly efforts. BUT God… HE CAN…. However, apart from Him we can do nothing. Amen.
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Susanne,
It is shear folly to try and duplicate any glorious thing that our Daddy has done for us in the past. This is why movements and denominations die as they try to make former things happen in their own strength. We must pray and wait upon Him always and be free to follow Him in whatever form that is. One thing for sure is that each new change will more completely manifest His Son from glory to glory.
The other thing that is important to remember is that our God makes ALL THINGS NEW and the old things pass away. He is THE CREATOR and He is VERY creative. To presume that we can duplicate those glorious times that were had in the past by adopting a methodology and pattern of what was done, soon becomes idolatry and He withdraws just as it was with the tabernacle at Shiloh after they lost the ark… Ichabod (the glory has gone out). Yet, the priests kept offering sacrifices there as if nothing had happened. This is an example of what dead religion is. The traditions of our past are stronger in our their flesh than the hunger for the glory of God that He desires to manifest in our spirits.
Father, please set us free so we can grow into your marvelous Light together. Amen.
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Amen to your prayer, Michael! ⭐
It seems to me that dead religion lives in and through our flesh alone. No living God needed here. Pastors, priests, and Christian books can put (their preferred image of) God into a box and thus the Holy Spirit is quenched in the long run. Sad. 😦
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Amen and amen both of you and Michael’s comment. You’re right. We need to be careful as to what we read and even watch. I used to have all kinds of books which I threw out many years ago as I was seeking more and more truth. Being ever so grateful learning the truth about that Catholic religion over 20 years ago too as to have my ears sharpened to hear it trickled down to pretty much all other Christian religions. I try to keep my readings simple. The need for balance is so very important to me.
Susanne? What’s up with that one picture with the lines from the planes? That is so widespread everywhere!
God bless you both as we draw closer to home.
Love, Stacey
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Thank you, Stacey. I like how you put this,
“Being ever so grateful learning the truth about that Catholic religion over 20 years ago too as to have my ears sharpened to hear it trickled down to pretty much all other Christian religions. I try to keep my readings simple.”
So true! ⭐ It seems the simplicity of Christ got lost during those many centuries since Christian faith has become a churchly and organized system which more and more looks like a wordly company.
It is interesting that you asked about the last picture I had taken in spring 2017 as I would walk in the Alps a few times. I had a very difficult time back then, both sorrow about family and continued strong physical pains. Nonetheless, as I kept walking slowly, praying that God might show up (something He did not do often during these dark times), I felt nudged to look at the sky. ‘OOPS!’ I thought. ‘This is the symbol of the Trinity!’ 🙂 God has shown me such symbols as through three ravens sitting on a branch in a tree looking at me or through three red tulips I found in a place where they normally do not grow. I took several pictures of this triangle vapor trails, but not one picture looked exactly the way I had seen it before. It is indeed difficult to take a photo with the cellphone camera only when I need to face open sunlight or even darker dawn light. Then my pics tend to get (very) blurry, esp. when I need to zoom in on them. Even trying to edit this pic did not help much (I am no expert on Adobe Photoshop, either 😛 ).
You can find a more official symbol of the trinity here. Maybe, my pic should have been rotated through 90° to the right so that it had become clearer.
May God bless you, too, Stacey.
Love,
Susanne
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