Ignored Bible Passages | Page 2 | Jesus Was a Liberal | Guild Forums

Violet_Abyss
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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:33 am

Kuroi Kokoro no Mendori

Colossians 2:13-17 deals with the sabbath specifically, and the entire old laws indirectly. ^-

Oh, thanks very much!

... post 301! Yay.

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:43 pm

Violet_Abyss

Anarya

Yes, the Bible is God's revealed Word to us, but it is also an historical document. Almost the entirety of the Old Testament and New Testament is history as viewed through the eyes of the Jews, God's Chosen people. In order to understand their viewpoint, we need to examine the culture in which they lived. We must try to understand to the best of our ability why they thought the way they did in order to understand the majority of the verses in the Bible.

God guided the hands of men to write the Bible and preserve it. Through the words in the Bible God gives us a glimpse of His plan and hopes for us, but we have to dig for the Bible is trapped in time - in a time radically different from our own.

This important fact is something many people forget, and it is why I cannot agree with taking the Bible literally just as I cannot agree with sola scriptura, for God did not just reveal Himself through the Bible. I of course have a long, descriptive essay on sola scriptura, but that's not really relevant with this topic, so let's save that for another day.

So in essence, I agree that the Bible simply cannot be taken literally and that the ignored verses need to be taken in their historical and cultural context in order to be fully understood.

I also think that it's important to take into context that the Bible is not by any means all there is, and that it's basically what the Catholics picked and chose and decided what the "best scriptures" were.

My friend, I must disagree with the last part of your statement. The scriptures used by the apostles is what the Church uses. Most of the New Testament documents were completed by 100 AD, and those that were used were adopted as the official canon in 400 AD. If you would like I can go into a more detailed take into the history of the Bible, and the exact process used to determine the scriptures, but as of right now, I am tired and not up to what will become quite a long post.

Also, I hope you do not misunderstand my words - for I am not saying that the Bible is all there is when it comes to God. For it is not. But it is one of the pieces that God gave us, and so it is important. The Bible is one of the means through which God revealed pieces of His Will and Plan to us. But it is certainly not the only means.

Much of the Old Testament laws are no longer needed, for they are of the Old Covenant. Christ instituted a New Covenant, one in which frees us from the laws of the Old Testament. The Commandments is the main laws that binds both Covenants, which is summed up in the following (Matthew 22:37-40): Love God and Love your Neighbor. Therefore, some of the "ignored" verses of the Old Testament isn't exactly ignored, for the rules there were fulfilled in Christ. I speak mostly of the rules in Deutronomy and Leviticus. However, Christ, himself, stated that the Commandments are still in effect, for they explain how to Love God and love one's neighbor. I also notice that certain sects of Christianity ignore verses that may contradict the theology they are using. Not all sects do this however, but one must take into account the few that do, which is sad in a way, for such an approach limits access to the entirety of Christ's Truth.

Anarya

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Violet_Abyss
Vice Captain

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Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 9:52 pm

Anarya

Violet_Abyss

Anarya

Yes, the Bible is God's revealed Word to us, but it is also an historical document. Almost the entirety of the Old Testament and New Testament is history as viewed through the eyes of the Jews, God's Chosen people. In order to understand their viewpoint, we need to examine the culture in which they lived. We must try to understand to the best of our ability why they thought the way they did in order to understand the majority of the verses in the Bible.

God guided the hands of men to write the Bible and preserve it. Through the words in the Bible God gives us a glimpse of His plan and hopes for us, but we have to dig for the Bible is trapped in time - in a time radically different from our own.

This important fact is something many people forget, and it is why I cannot agree with taking the Bible literally just as I cannot agree with sola scriptura, for God did not just reveal Himself through the Bible. I of course have a long, descriptive essay on sola scriptura, but that's not really relevant with this topic, so let's save that for another day.

So in essence, I agree that the Bible simply cannot be taken literally and that the ignored verses need to be taken in their historical and cultural context in order to be fully understood.

I also think that it's important to take into context that the Bible is not by any means all there is, and that it's basically what the Catholics picked and chose and decided what the "best scriptures" were.

My friend, I must disagree with the last part of your statement. The scriptures used by the apostles is what the Church uses. Most of the New Testament documents were completed by 100 AD, and those that were used were adopted as the official canon in 400 AD. If you would like I can go into a more detailed take into the history of the Bible, and the exact process used to determine the scriptures, but as of right now, I am tired and not up to what will become quite a long post.

Also, I hope you do not misunderstand my words - for I am not saying that the Bible is all there is when it comes to God. For it is not. But it is one of the pieces that God gave us, and so it is important. The Bible is one of the means through which God revealed pieces of His Will and Plan to us. But it is certainly not the only means.

Much of the Old Testament laws are no longer needed, for they are of the Old Covenant. Christ instituted a New Covenant, one in which frees us from the laws of the Old Testament. The Commandments is the main laws that binds both Covenants, which is summed up in the following (Matthew 22:37-40): Love God and Love your Neighbor. Therefore, some of the "ignored" verses of the Old Testament isn't exactly ignored, for the rules there were fulfilled in Christ. I speak mostly of the rules in Deutronomy and Leviticus. However, Christ, himself, stated that the Commandments are still in effect, for they explain how to Love God and love one's neighbor. I also notice that certain sects of Christianity ignore verses that may contradict the theology they are using. Not all sects do this however, but one must take into account the few that do, which is sad in a way, for such an approach limits access to the entirety of Christ's Truth.

Sorry, I phrased it badly, what I meant was that there are more writings about Jesus and God than what's just in the Bible.