fredlott63

God appeals to intellect, satan appeals to emotion
In this block of instruction we will cover Matthew 16:13 – 17 and 21 – 23. Because we are discussing divinities we will cover scripture chapter by chapter and verse by verse. First read the scripture and then read my comments.
Matthew 16th chapter
Verse 13
Jesus asks His disciples a question that makes them think. We should all use our higher intellect before committing any action based on emotion.
Verse 14
What people say is always wrong. Shared emotional ideas don’t make any sense. Truth is not determined by popular vote and reality exists outside of human cognition.
Verse 15
What do you know about God? Who is Jesus? Is your knowledge of Him based on what you have read or what you heard? Is your logic based on the bible or traditions of men? Does it matter what people say?
Verse 16
Peter saw the miraculous deeds of Jesus and believed. We can know there must be something about Jesus because the events in the New Testament happened 2,000 years ago, yet we still talk about them. We can know there must be something about the bible because since 1456 it has been the bestselling book in print every year, even today.
Verse 17
Peter saw Christ feed 5,000 people with a meal meant for a small boy. He was the only person other than Jesus who actually walked on water. When Peter thought about it, there was no doubt in his mind that Jesus was the one spoken of in scripture. God appeals to intellect.
Verse 21-23
Peter loves Jesus and doesn’t want Jesus to be hurt. His response seems to be natural. Jesus does not even talk to Peter. He speaks to satan calling him out by name. God is in control and you will only find out what His will is by reading the bible. Everybody else is wrong. Desired outcomes are really unimportant. Satan tried to sway Jesus using Peter’s emotional response.
P.S.
While we all know Jesus died and rose again, how many of us know that Jesus said for His disciples to follow Him? In the coming tribulation true followers of Christ will once again be persecuted and executed. Also the concept that you are either saved or lost divides us. It makes us think that some of us are closer to God than others. It makes us think that this life can be used as a barometer to show how close we are to Christ, that a successful life is an indicator of salvation. This doesn’t make sense. Do you think Flava Flav is saved or that God blessed Lebron James with basketball skills because he paid tithes?