Hello there,
since about half a year, my reading of the bible has been changing a lot. This also comes together with my plan to convert to a more universalistic christianity depending on whether I can formulate a reasonable and solidly founded universalistic theology. It used to be a simple thing to believe that God loves all and saves all, but lately I have the bible virus again and want to prove things by this book. I don't want to say anymore, this is a book I can't use for thought because it is evil.
So now I am reading the bible prayerfully and switch on speaking in tongues and interpreting them. What came out is that there have been other reasons for the writers of the bible to write as they did, and that much of what they wrote they took out of context and did not seem to allow Jesus to speak the truth. I mean, if you read the bible you're not made aware anymore that most of what is written on it came from oral traditions first. This includes the NT as well. I am actually somewhat upset about the bible authors that they did not write down more of what Jesus did and said. John makes this remark at the end of his gospel that if they were to write down more of what Jesus said and did the world could not contain the books having to be written. I find this really lazy. Many of our current conflicts with and in religion and with the world and with life could be resolved if they had just given us more words of Jesus to think about.
Anyway, Abba seems to be resolved towards me to teach me truth from bible reading. And the surprising thing is, what Abba is teaching me often goes a normal first glance reading of a text. Sometimes I went to reading more about the greek and found out a few things that changed something. But sometimes it was also just the translated text that with Abba contained more than I was thinking.
For example, take the well-known passage of Christ speaking about the little ones who believe in him who may not be offended lest you want to get a millstone bound around your neck and be thrown into the sea. This is really less of a judgment than you think. The little ones in Christ are those who believe in love and it happens often that they get offended by those who ignore the commandment to love. Basically everyone who does not believe in love has a life with a millstone around their neck. They become sufferers who need love and not judgment. The small ones can take it, they believe in love. We are told to help people into Christ's yoke that is better than the millstone of loveless thought and deed. Because, love gives strength and does not burden us. But the millstones of hatred and fear do that much.
At first you read passages like this and say, God, another judgment verse, how can I bear to read another of them. Then you read it through with God and he tells us its different. The bible is really not a perfect book, it is jaded and bitter at places, it is incomplete, it is deceiving, it is written awkwardly, it is not philosophical, it is not clear in many ways. It can serve as material for thought but not as proof text. You think you might be able to find something that could serve as real word of God, but I am not sure this is true. The true word of God is so very hidden in the text, it makes me upset that I am supposed to trust this book that does not help me.
How do you see the bible? How do you read it together with God?
since about half a year, my reading of the bible has been changing a lot. This also comes together with my plan to convert to a more universalistic christianity depending on whether I can formulate a reasonable and solidly founded universalistic theology. It used to be a simple thing to believe that God loves all and saves all, but lately I have the bible virus again and want to prove things by this book. I don't want to say anymore, this is a book I can't use for thought because it is evil.
So now I am reading the bible prayerfully and switch on speaking in tongues and interpreting them. What came out is that there have been other reasons for the writers of the bible to write as they did, and that much of what they wrote they took out of context and did not seem to allow Jesus to speak the truth. I mean, if you read the bible you're not made aware anymore that most of what is written on it came from oral traditions first. This includes the NT as well. I am actually somewhat upset about the bible authors that they did not write down more of what Jesus did and said. John makes this remark at the end of his gospel that if they were to write down more of what Jesus said and did the world could not contain the books having to be written. I find this really lazy. Many of our current conflicts with and in religion and with the world and with life could be resolved if they had just given us more words of Jesus to think about.
Anyway, Abba seems to be resolved towards me to teach me truth from bible reading. And the surprising thing is, what Abba is teaching me often goes a normal first glance reading of a text. Sometimes I went to reading more about the greek and found out a few things that changed something. But sometimes it was also just the translated text that with Abba contained more than I was thinking.
For example, take the well-known passage of Christ speaking about the little ones who believe in him who may not be offended lest you want to get a millstone bound around your neck and be thrown into the sea. This is really less of a judgment than you think. The little ones in Christ are those who believe in love and it happens often that they get offended by those who ignore the commandment to love. Basically everyone who does not believe in love has a life with a millstone around their neck. They become sufferers who need love and not judgment. The small ones can take it, they believe in love. We are told to help people into Christ's yoke that is better than the millstone of loveless thought and deed. Because, love gives strength and does not burden us. But the millstones of hatred and fear do that much.
At first you read passages like this and say, God, another judgment verse, how can I bear to read another of them. Then you read it through with God and he tells us its different. The bible is really not a perfect book, it is jaded and bitter at places, it is incomplete, it is deceiving, it is written awkwardly, it is not philosophical, it is not clear in many ways. It can serve as material for thought but not as proof text. You think you might be able to find something that could serve as real word of God, but I am not sure this is true. The true word of God is so very hidden in the text, it makes me upset that I am supposed to trust this book that does not help me.
How do you see the bible? How do you read it together with God?