The message or the origin of the words is divine.
Paul Yohannan said:
I believe that Sacred Scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
But do you believe there is a message of the Word of God that is perfect for our world language today?
Paul Yohannan said:
However I would reject the idea of the Bible as being deity or uncreated;
Nowhere did I state the the Bible is a deity in and of itself or that the Bible was uncreated. Who actually believes something like that?
When I say the Bible is divine, I am saying that it is divine or holy in origin in regards to it's message.
Paul Yohannan said:
it is Holy, but it represents a communication from God and is not God.
While the Bible is not God, it is a glimpse of God's character into who He is. God works in harmony with His Word to transform the hearts of men. God always abides with His Word because they are His words. God makes many promises in His Word that He cannot break. Thru God's Word we learn about God and we come to have faith in God thru it. You can no more separate God from His Word than you can separate pouring rain from being wet. But there is a difference between the Living Word and the Written Word.
For example: If I write a love letter to my wife, she could regard it with love and affection. She could be moved emotionally by my words. She would get an idea what was in my heart and thoughts towards her. However, if she were to take the letter out on a date and think it was me, then that would be strange. It is only paper and ink. But the paper and ink convey the messaage of my heart towards her. They convey my inner man to her. My love. She gets a glimpse of my love thru what is written on the page. This is what God does with his Word. But it is even more than that.
Paul Yohannan said:
Thus, John 1:1 cannot refer to the Bible.
I never said that John 1:1 did refer to the Bible. That is your wrong assumption of what you think I believe. I believe there are three types of Words of God mentioned in Scripture.
#1. The Living Word of God (Jesus)
#2. The Written Word of God (The Holy Scriptures)
#3. The Spoken Word of God (Like when God speaks)
Jason0047 said:
It has more evidences backing it up than China has got rice.
Paul Yohannan said:
http://www.christianforums.com/threads/general-list-of-biblical-evidences.7833944/
Paul Yohannan said:
Setting aside the John 1 point, what verses do you cite in support of this?
God's Word claims that it is perfect (Psalms 12:6) (Psalms 119:140) (Proverbs 30:5) and that it will be preserved for all generations (Psalms 12:7) and it will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8) (1 Peter 1:25). Therefore, seeing Scripture plainly states these facts, it then becomes an issue of a test of your faith in God's Word (See the test the devil gave to Eve in Genesis 3:1); Because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13). In other words, do you believe you hold the very words of God within your hands like the disciples did?
Paul Yohannan said:
"Hearing" and not "reading."
Not sure you get it. Most people preach from the written Word of God. So a person can hear the written Word of God from a preacher or they can read the written Word of God for themselves.
Jesus says, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4).
In other words, we can live spiritually by speaking the written Words of God. Jesus (Who is God) referenced Scripture of the written Word of God.
Here is a quote from a poster on another Christian forum.
Jesus has been proven to be not only a credible witness, but a messenger from God. In all His teachings He referred to the divine authority of the Old Testament (
Mt. 5:17-18;
8:17;
12:40-42;
Lk. 4:18-21;
10:25-28;
15:29-31;
17:32;
24:25-45;
Jn. 5:39-47). He quoted the Old Testament 78 times, the Pentateuch alone 26 times. He quoted from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Micah, and Malachi. He referred to the Old Testament as “The Scriptures,” “the word of God,” and “the wisdom of God.” The apostles quoted 209 times from the Old Testament and considered it “the oracles of God.” The Old Testament in hundreds of places predicted the events of the New Testament; and as the New Testament is the fulfillment of, and testifies to the genuineness and authenticity of the Old Testament, both Testaments must be considered together as the Word of God.
Source:
Random question, how many times did Jesus quote the OT in the gospels?
Paul Yohannan said:
I am not trying to convince you of anything, I am responding to your argument against my own church.
They may have all the answers you may want to hear, but the key question is how do you know those answers are true?
Paul Yohannan said:
This is commendable. I believe in religious freedom and in not killing people for their faith, which is something that Muslims tend to do to my coreligionists. If a Muslim threatened to end my life unless I committed apostasy, I pray that I would have the courage to refuse their request, like the Coptic martyrs depicted in the icon I use as an avatar.
In Israel, during the Old Testament times God did not believe in religious freedom. His first command was, You shalt not have any other gods before you. Granted, I believe the New Covenant is different than the Old Covenant. Today, I hold to the view that God's true believers or saints are currently pacifists. They wage a war that is spiritual or unseen.
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