Can you be a Christian and reject certain parts of the Bible?

[marineimaging]

If I rejected parts of God's Word I personally wouldn't call myself a Christian. Please also bear in mind that God spoke to using both literal language and metaphoric. Ten Commandments : literal. Good Samaritan: metaphoric.

Also, Leviticus contains three types of laws, moral, ceremonial, and civil. Moral laws are binding on all of us. Civil laws regulated how the Israelites were to interract with each other and pagans (ex: lending money, slaves etc.). Ceremonial laws dealt with clean and unclean things, sacrifices, festivals etc. These were also for the Israelites (we don't have to sacrifice animals to atone for our sins).

When a parable is a parable, Jesus said it was. When it was figurative, God said it was. When they author meant something like Americans joking around about something, well, we American didn't exist and God didn't joke so take it on faith that God said it, I believe it, that settles it.

 

[Thedictator]

My mind will try to assign probability to certain passages instead of claim to know with absolute certainty. I think Christ may have walked on water and did miracles.

I do not believe God created the world within six days. I believe God has guided the development of species.

It is not how you interpret the Bible but that it is true,

1. God created the...........
2. In 6 days and rested on the seventh. ( The length of time is not important, but is was 6 days to God.) So it happened in 6 day by God's time.

 

[marineimaging]

Everyone rejects parts of the Bible. Since the Bible is self contradictory, it's impossible to accept the entire thing, at least literally.

Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Everyone rejects? No, my congregation holds up the KJV and says that this is the infallible, true, unmistaken Word of God. There are no mistakes, no miswritten words, not one is said in jest. No, not everyone...

 

[Phil 1:21]

When a parable is a parable, Jesus said it was. When it was figurative, God said it was.

Not all metaphors are parables.

 

[Armoured]

Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Everyone rejects? No, my congregation holds up the KJV and says that this is the infallible, true, unmistaken Word of God. There are no mistakes, no miswritten words, not one is said in jest. No, not everyone...

Really? So you believe Jesus was a sheep? Feel free to take a crack at the question about Biblical hair length, too.

 

[Thedictator]

Everyone rejects parts of the Bible. Since the Bible is self contradictory, it's impossible to accept the entire thing, at least literally.

Sorry but your just wrong. Plenty of people except God's word as perfect and without error.

 

[GEORGE ABRAHAM ALADEMERIN]

Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible? For example, can you reject a global Noah's Flood, a six-day creation, a literal exodus, etc.? Could you reject other parts as well, like Christ walking on water? Discuss.

 

[KWCrazy]

The Genesis Flood: Why the Bible Says It Must be Local

The Genesis Flood
Why the Bible Says It Must be Local

Your source is insane.
Psalm 104: You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at Your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of Your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place You assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

That references the Great flood, NOT the creation as the source is trying to cite. Could there have been a local flood that covered the mountain.... in a land with an average elevation of 500 feet above sea level with easy run-off to the sea? In a word, no. Not possible.

 

[Jack Terrence]

No you can't reject anything in the bible, but you can reject different interpretations. You can also choose to believe things are symbolic as opposed to literal.

There are many devout Christians who reject the canonicity of the epistle of James.

 

[Armoured]

Sorry but your just wrong. Plenty of people except God's word as perfect and without error.

Then they've never read "God's word". They are accepting it without being familiar with it.

What does the Bible say about men's hair length?

 

[stuart lawrence]

Your wrong Creation and the flood has every thing to do with salvation if you reject these things you are rejecting the very nature of God, If you do this you are creating a false idol like God, there is no salvation in false gods.

I thought getting saved was repent, ask the Son of God into your life as your Lord and saviour, believing he died for your sins

 

[Armoured]

I thought getting saved was repent, ask the Son of God into your life as your Lord and saviour, believing he died for your sins

Some people really, really like to over complicate matters, and rather than celebrating the good news, would much rather vilify and persecute others for not being the right sort of Christian and not believing in the same gnats and camels that they do.

 

[Thedictator]

I thought getting saved was repent, ask the Son of God into your life as your Lord and saviour, believing he died for your sins

That is only a small part of it. For one you must have faith in God for who he is if you don't the rest is pointless, Some teach a very watered down salvation, that is false. Your can't reject the father and get the Son, and vice versa. You also can't reject the Church ( Jesus Bride) and get Jesus, it is a package deal.

 

[Thedictator]

Some people really, really like to over complicate matters, and rather than celebrating the good news, would much rather vilify and persecute others for not being the right sort of Christian and not believing in the same gnats and camels that they do.

Read Matthew 7:21-23 It talks about watered down salvation. Also Verse 15

 

[stuart lawrence]

That is only a small part of it. For one you must have faith in God for who he is if you don't the rest is pointless, Some teach a very watered down salvation, that is false. Your can't reject the father and get the Son, and vice versa. You also can't reject the Church ( Jesus Bride) and get Jesus, it is a package deal.

Well that small part as you put it, was big enough to put me in a saved state.

 

[GEORGE ABRAHAM ALADEMERIN]

In this part of the world (Africa), many are confused with the influence of USA on Bible theology, understanding, teachings and interpretations. Even today we have many Bible versions that have removed a lot of verses compared to King James Version because they believed otherwise. We have in many cases faced with embarrassments when we ask people to read scriptures in bible study, conference and seminars, and found many passages missing in other versions. One thing we rely upon now is not the issue of literal or not but the truth about the biblical statements or stories or guides, whether it happens or not in days, months and years is no longer an issue to us. The issue is that it truly happened as the word of God has proclaimed or revealed.

Secondly, many of us, most importantly myself believe that whether in opinion, belief, or whatever, not until you write another bible of your own version adding or removing from the original scripts that makes you to remove or add to the scriptures but also by our teachings, statements, preaching, etc., you can likewise do so which still in my opinion is against the warning in Rev 22:18-19.

Revelation 22:18-19 King James Version (KJV)
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

I like Raymond, Lawrence, Achilles comments and other contributions alike: Raymond says- “No you can't reject anything in the bible, but you can reject different interpretations. You can also choose to believe things are symbolic as opposed to literal”.

One thing that really scare me and I do not want to violate is any warning of God in HIS Word: Therefore error or no error has no bearing and no footing on my salvation and when I preach, I simply preach the simple statement of the bible without attaching any literal meaning to it to avoid controversy. LET US SIMPLY PREACH JESUS for salvation of souls. SHALOM.

 

[Thedictator]

Well that small part as you put it, was big enough to put me in a saved state.

Matthew 7:21-23

 

[stuart lawrence]

Matthew 7:21-23

Heb10:16&17
Rom3:20

 

[1stcenturylady]

So you don't actually literally believe every word of the Bible then. You use judgment to logically interpret meaning that is not literally stated. I agree 100% with your stream of logic that interprets what the Bible means when it says that Joseph rolled the stone. The OP seems to be under the impression that one is rejecting something if one uses one's ability to reason rather than simply accepting that every word is meant absolutely literally. It is completely unnecessary for God to be absolutely literal in every single word of the Bible in order for the bible to be inerrant. Jesus was not literally a door or a gate but for us to understand the concept of how we are saved, calling himself the door or the gate is quite helpful. I would say that one cannot reject any part of the Bible and have any moral ground to stand on when quoting another part of the Bible as authoritative, but one can accept the fact that not every word of the Bible is meant to be taken literally without thinking that one is rejecting the parts one can reasonably assume are symbolic, idiomatic, figures of speech or parables told to illustrate some literal truth.

I believe we need to be careful in saying something is an analogy or parable when God doesn't specify that it is. For instance, the Creation week was literal, the flood was literal and covered the whole world, not just parts of it, Jesus walked on water and changed water into wine were all literal. These were not analogies or parables.

 

[Aaron Rich]

Well I never think about whether if was a literal six day creation or not. That has no bearing on my salvation ( in my view)
A global Noahs flood wouldn't either.
The problem you run into over Jesus walking on water us. If you reject it, you must believe the gospels contain error in them. I don't think it is easy to then build a sure and steady faith through reading gospels you believe contain error

Just my view of course

That's a easy question to answer in my mind. No. Rejecting any piece of the Scriptures is to reject a literal piece of our savior. If we believe "the Word became flesh" we can not regard any piece of the "Word" as unimportant or errant. Period. To say otherwise, in my mind, is reflective of your personal relationship with our Savior.

Furthermore, while it may be off topic, this idea of "it has no bearing on my salvation" is really quite frustrating to me. It comes off as saying "As long as it has no bearing on the debt that I owe, that our Messiah paid, I don't care." How absurdly selfish and NOT AT ALL like a bride!! Folks you're entering into a marriage with your Messiah. Every. Word. Matters!

Imagine yourself saying something similar to your wife when she is telling you about her day at work (as an example only). Do you respond, "How does that affect my personal needs?" Seriously, as a faith group we need to quit being selfish and thinking it's all about "my own personal salvation" and realize this faith is a two way street. Salvation is only the beginning - there is so much more in the Word and there will be far more in the Kingdom.