Hey Cameron,
Hope all is well. You mentioned that you were having trouble with certain passages and the “dangerous” implications that you saw. I understand exactly what you are saying and that is absolutely normal. There are a great number of passages that are not really dangerous as much as they simply challenge our preconceived notions on certain issues. It would be better if you questioned the validity and source of the notions that are being challenged.
When you respond by saying, “It cant be saying what I think it’s saying because Jesus wouldn’t do that?” Ask yourself where you arrive at the conclusion that ‘Jesus wouldn’t do that?’ When you come across a passage that causes you to say, “That’s against God’s nature?” Ask yourself ‘What do I really know about God’s nature and how did I ascertain it?’ ‘Am I concluding something about the nature of God from His Word or from my perspective?’ When Jesus says to the Syrophoenecian woman, ‘ Its not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dog’s,’ do you have preconceived notions about what Jesus can or can’t be saying? When Jesus says, ‘Unto you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God but unto them that are without all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them,’ what are you convinced that Jesus must not be saying? When Paul writes to Timothy saying, ‘notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety,’ do you have any thoughts that you cant help but start filtering this verse through? The Book of Hebrews says… ‘For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.’ Is there anything that you are afraid this verse might or might not be saying? Might there be something you believe this verse is saying rather that letting it say what it seems to be saying because you’re not sure if the rest of the Bible will agree with it?These are not insignificant passages. Each one and many more either challenge our understanding of biblical things or simply propose to challenge the things we have invested years believing in. The wonderful thing is that the Bible isn’t running from us, nor is the Lord. One of the healthiest things we can do is question the walls of preconceptions that we put up so that they can be brought down if they have no foundation. That’s the real issue: Are you willing, am I willing to hand our theology over to God?
Stay blessed.