Again in response to blog commentator.
Hello again.
First of all, I do wish to say I believe you ARE genuinely concerned for my welfare. And I do respect that. I appreciate your concern. And I do appreciate you having the courage to voice your opinion and concern, even though that courage was very much taken away from by your posting such a comment anonymously. They say one of the greatest kind of friends is one who will stand up to his/her friends for what is right (or she/he believes to be right). You stood up, yes, but again stood down by your lack of identification. It is that fact that has me disturbed and confused, not what you have said to me. We could be having such conversations privately: should you still wish to do so, my email address is quite available, and all you have to do is ask. But, in posting a comment like that on a public blog, and not including your name, though it was perhaps very courageous of you to post something like what you said publicly, you have also forced me to make it public. Which may have been your purpose; I am not sure. What I do have no doubts about is that you are a member of the RPNA(General Meeting) or have once been affiliated with them, due to the nature of your comment and the fact that somewhere I have read something you've written before, as my brain recognizes your writing style. I do not however remember or associate such writing style with your identity. Should you expose yourself somewhere along the way, I believe I can respect you more; at the moment, I can only give you the respect due to anonymous commentators.
At this point, I wish to merely make a public statement of my faith, and to state my beliefs.
I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that He came to this world as one person, both God and man, to die for the sins of those who have faith in Him, and to save them from hell and eternal damnation. I have faith in Him and pray to my Saviour daily for the forgiveness of sins I have commited each day and have the faith that He does so. I was born in sin and He is my only hope, my only purpose, the only reason I live today. He has given me the freedom to live with purpose and to the end that someday I may worship Him in everlasting glory, being perfect and without sin as He has promised.
In my faith, I have separated myself from the RPNA(General Meeting). I have found many discrepancies in their belief and practice, and many places where they have chosen to ignore things the Bible makes very clear, or to twist things that are clear into something opaque and vague to decieve those who follow them. They have created idols from the teachings of men, and this I believe to be sin, as the Bible very clearly says we are to have no other gods (Exodous 20:3, Duet. 5:7). If we believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, then we should also believe that it is our only guide to truth and light through Him (II Tim. 3:16, II Peter 1:19-22). I believe the RPNA(General Meeting) have strayed widely from these teachings.
I am assured of my salvation through Jesus Christ, by faith alone, and He has never failed me, and continues to uphold me through every step I take. I live in Christ, and am myself according to who I am in Him, not who you nor anyone else decrees me to be. I hold myself to standards I believe realistic and Biblical. Not your standards, nor what you believe to be Biblical. I have not freedom or liberty through Satan, but through my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I do not deny my sin, and there are things I have done that will permantently affect me and others. I appreciate your admonition, as I believe you thought me well-deserving and needful of it. But do not judge me, for it is God alone who will judge me; and do not make accusations nor assumptions based on false information, or without knowing the full story. You have not come to me with questions, or asked me what I believe, nor even given me your name in faith and friendship.
I have both physical and emotional scars from the years I spent associated with the RPNA(General Meeting). Many of these are scars I myself created. Perhaps, had I been led differently, many would not be there; however, I take full responsibilty for myself, my actions, and who I am today, because I am responsible for myself, and no other. I will blame no one, and continue to fight the good fight, because this fight is worth fighting.
Thank you all. If you wish to respond to this, I would be inclined to respect the inclusion of a name.
First of all, I do wish to say I believe you ARE genuinely concerned for my welfare. And I do respect that. I appreciate your concern. And I do appreciate you having the courage to voice your opinion and concern, even though that courage was very much taken away from by your posting such a comment anonymously. They say one of the greatest kind of friends is one who will stand up to his/her friends for what is right (or she/he believes to be right). You stood up, yes, but again stood down by your lack of identification. It is that fact that has me disturbed and confused, not what you have said to me. We could be having such conversations privately: should you still wish to do so, my email address is quite available, and all you have to do is ask. But, in posting a comment like that on a public blog, and not including your name, though it was perhaps very courageous of you to post something like what you said publicly, you have also forced me to make it public. Which may have been your purpose; I am not sure. What I do have no doubts about is that you are a member of the RPNA(General Meeting) or have once been affiliated with them, due to the nature of your comment and the fact that somewhere I have read something you've written before, as my brain recognizes your writing style. I do not however remember or associate such writing style with your identity. Should you expose yourself somewhere along the way, I believe I can respect you more; at the moment, I can only give you the respect due to anonymous commentators.
At this point, I wish to merely make a public statement of my faith, and to state my beliefs.
I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that He came to this world as one person, both God and man, to die for the sins of those who have faith in Him, and to save them from hell and eternal damnation. I have faith in Him and pray to my Saviour daily for the forgiveness of sins I have commited each day and have the faith that He does so. I was born in sin and He is my only hope, my only purpose, the only reason I live today. He has given me the freedom to live with purpose and to the end that someday I may worship Him in everlasting glory, being perfect and without sin as He has promised.
In my faith, I have separated myself from the RPNA(General Meeting). I have found many discrepancies in their belief and practice, and many places where they have chosen to ignore things the Bible makes very clear, or to twist things that are clear into something opaque and vague to decieve those who follow them. They have created idols from the teachings of men, and this I believe to be sin, as the Bible very clearly says we are to have no other gods (Exodous 20:3, Duet. 5:7). If we believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, then we should also believe that it is our only guide to truth and light through Him (II Tim. 3:16, II Peter 1:19-22). I believe the RPNA(General Meeting) have strayed widely from these teachings.
I am assured of my salvation through Jesus Christ, by faith alone, and He has never failed me, and continues to uphold me through every step I take. I live in Christ, and am myself according to who I am in Him, not who you nor anyone else decrees me to be. I hold myself to standards I believe realistic and Biblical. Not your standards, nor what you believe to be Biblical. I have not freedom or liberty through Satan, but through my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I do not deny my sin, and there are things I have done that will permantently affect me and others. I appreciate your admonition, as I believe you thought me well-deserving and needful of it. But do not judge me, for it is God alone who will judge me; and do not make accusations nor assumptions based on false information, or without knowing the full story. You have not come to me with questions, or asked me what I believe, nor even given me your name in faith and friendship.
I have both physical and emotional scars from the years I spent associated with the RPNA(General Meeting). Many of these are scars I myself created. Perhaps, had I been led differently, many would not be there; however, I take full responsibilty for myself, my actions, and who I am today, because I am responsible for myself, and no other. I will blame no one, and continue to fight the good fight, because this fight is worth fighting.
Thank you all. If you wish to respond to this, I would be inclined to respect the inclusion of a name.
Dear Ashley Hope,
First of all, I’m not the one who sent you the comment you were here responding to. I do not have any idea who that person was, nor am I trying to speak for them in answering you. But since you have publicly responded to a comment which was concerned with your wellfare, by expressing your perceptions of the sins of testimony of the Reformed Presbytery in North America (General Meeting), I would like to make a few comments.
It has been my joy to be your friend and sister in the Lord, over the several years I have known you. I hope you know how deeply I love you. I remember telling you at one point that no matter what happens, I will always love you --- and that’s still true. I miss you and I pray for you continually. You have an indescribably precious place in my heart. As always, my ears, my arms, and my heart are open to you if you need me.
That being said, I am grieved by the assertions you have made against me and every other member of the RPNA. The accusations you made cannot be directed in some general, impersonal sense, but rather hurt specifically many brethren that you have professed to love and respect.
You said, “In my faith, I have separated myself from the RPNA(General Meeting). I have found many discrepancies in their belief and practice, and many places where they have chosen to ignore things the Bible makes very clear, or to twist things that are clear into something opaque and vague to decieve those who follow them.” I have no desire to turn this into an ongoing mud-slinging contest, but you have made these claims without giving any examples of them. Please consider that the members of the RPNA are your brethren in Christ, and thus one would wish to be very careful in bringing accusations of sin. Sister, by telling the world that the Reformed Christian faith I hold to “ignores things the Bible makes very clear”, you have implied that I am either woefully ignorant, or morally spineless and profane. If this is true then I am in a very sad condition indeed. Also consider the fact that you have not come to me to try and gently bring any sins before me. I was not under the impression that you were offended by my life and Christian testimony. I wish you had been honest in telling me so privately. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” –Galatians 6:1-2 “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” –Philippians 2:2-3
You said, “They have created idols from the teachings of men, and this I believe to be sin, as the Bible very clearly says we are to have no other gods (Exodous 20:3, Duet. 5:7). If we believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, then we should also believe that it is our only guide to truth and light through Him (II Tim. 3:16, II Peter 1:19-22).” One of the tenets of the Reformed Christian faith is “solo Scriptura”: Scripture alone. The Word of God is our only infallible rule of faith and practice—I absolutely agree with you there. And as Paul exhorted the Philippians IN the Scriptures, we must seek to “throw in our lot” with those who are faithful to the Word of God: “Brethren, I count myself not to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.”, etc –Philippians 3:13-17
You said, “I have both physical and emotional scars from the years I spent associated with the RPNA(General Meeting). Many of these are scars I myself created. Perhaps, had I been led differently, many would not be there; however, I take full responsibilty for myself, my actions, and who I am today, because I am responsible for myself, and no other.” Dear, dear sister in the Lord, I know people who have given much time and effort over the last several years, in seeking to help, aid, and build you up in the Lord. I am grieved that you would respond to these people by suggesting they should have led you differently. Please tell me where I in particular have failed you, because if I have indeed done so, I am need of falling on my face before you and before my God in repentance.
Finally, Ash, it is a great joy to see your profession of faith. May the Lord at all times give us His grace and humility, to ensure that we honestly know the state of our own souls, and that we would ever be watchful against “the enemies who so easily beset us”. Let us also remember (please know that I am speaking first of myself, here, and then of every one who professes faith in Christ) that Christianity is not just something we profess to; it is our life.
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all tresspasses” –Colossians 2:13
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” –Romans 3:23-24
“In the last day, the day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” –John 7:37-38
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” –Matthew 11:28-30
“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up your cross, and follow Me.” –Mark 10:21
“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering, with joyfulness;” –Colossians 1:10-11
“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.” 1 John 2:6
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” –1 John 3:18
I love you.
~~Rene
Posted by
Anonymous |
3:00 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Posted by
tammy |
11:01 AM
Hi Ashley, I'm glad and relieved to read your orthodox profession of faith in Christ alone. I think I did have cause for concern without "judging" you, based on your open support of Nate's blasphemous writings.
Do you think that its appropriate for a Christian gal like yourself to support Nate in what he's saying? Do you think that by doing this you are encouraging him, and even partaking in his sin?
Just some things I hope that you will consider, in light of the scripture. You know the verses about light not having fellowship with darkness, and Romans 1, Psalm 1. Anyway, you can keep this private, or feel free to post it. I do love you, and again, I am glad to read of your faith.
ps I didnt write the other comment, though I think I should have. I'm sorry I didnt say anything more challenging to you earlier. Please forgive me.
Posted by tam | 11:01 AM
Posted by
tammy |
4:41 PM