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Misunderstood Bible Verses With Clark Bates (Part 3): Proverbs and Promises—The Alisa Childers Podcast #33

9/18/2018

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How should we understand the book of Proverbs? Are the proverbs promises of God for all people of all times? What are some commonly misunderstood proverbs? Clark and I discuss these questions on today's podcast.

2 Comments

Selma Higginbotham

9/22/2018 01:34:44 pm

I am ninety years old and the Lord opened my eyes and ears some forty years ago and this morning I turned on to a radio program on American Family Radio Station and Cross Fire was on the air. I was introduced to you and could not wait to open your web-sight to know more about Progressive Christianity. In doing so you had a link to mis-understood Bible Verses in Proverbs.

My ministry is making greeting cards and bookmarks for family, friends and anyone that will except one from me. One of my favorite verses to put on cards especially for my Grandchildren is Proverbs 3:5,6 and some years ago a Bible teacher told me that was not a promise which upset me. I could not understand for it is written, “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching...” His word is truth and if His word says, “ I will direct your path then He would surely direct ones path.”

I have long pondered over it all and I was so pleased to find your teaching this morning and it has helped me to a degree I understand a little better. I still read His words as truth for me and yet as you said, “there are some scriptures that I am not sure I want to apply. I am anxious to listen to your teaching on the Progressive Christian. I am so excited to have your web or blog whatever it is for time is running out on me and I have so much yet to understand.

In God’s mercy and grace,
Selma Higginbotham

Ben

9/22/2018 05:19:52 pm

It seems to me that Mr. Bates, when he says that Proverbs are only "generally" true, he's conceding that there are exceptions and that they are not universally true. So, for instance, in Pr 22:6, when it says, "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it," what it's *really* saying is that if you do this then, *usually* they will not turn from it.

But even that doesn't seem to be true in real life. I think the best we can say is that if we start children off the way they should go, then they will be *more likely than otherwise* not to turn from it.

But, of course, that's not at all what Pr 22:6 actually says. It doesn't say "usually." It doesn't say "more likely than otherwise." It makes no such qualifications.

So, it seems to me that Pr 22:6 is just false. It is not true that if you raise a child a certain way, the child will continue that way into adulthood. It's sorta like if I said, people who watch Family Guy are very vulgar. Well, that's just not true. They may be more likely to be vulgar than non-FG watchers. It may even be the case that, sometimes, watching FG even *causes* people to be vulgar. But it would be just plain false for me to naively assert that people who watch it are very vulgar.

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Misunderstood Bible Verses With Clark Bates (Part 3): Proverbs and Promises—The Alisa Childers Podcast #33

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