I eventually want to take this document and pass it along to others once the answers have been given. I'm doing this for myself, but I know several people that I talk to frequently who have a lot of the same concerns and do not believe in Jesus. I want to be able to at least give something of an answer so I can get a foot in the door and possibly minister to them.
I've chosen to tackle these 3 questions first, and then we can move onto others after these have been answered. I'm looking for a biblical perspective from you guys, because I can get every other kind of perspective immaginable from the internet. So, if you would please, back your stuff up with verses and explain what you think those verses mean. I would also prefer that the answers be an explanation of why rather than an attempt to make me afraid to do something. Quoting a verse is great, but explain why you think it means something rather than just taking it as 100% unmistakeable (See question 1).
I understand there needs to be a balance in everything. Like you said this morning, where parts of the bible were meant to be taken as cut and dry, others were meant to be left open ended for the Holy Spirit to deal with us. I also realize that some of my questions may not have an answer as we just flat out don't know, but I would appreciate that said for that question. If you don't know, say you don't know and pass the question along to someone you think might know and if we go all the way up the chain and the answer is that none of us know, then that will be fine.
I need help as to where that balance line is drawn. On one hand I feel like I will be playing the devil's advocate, while on the other hand, I know I want these questions answered for myself as well. I don't believe that some of these questions are important for myself and my salvation, but I would contend that they are, because if an unbeliever came to me with these, and asked for answers, I would have to say I don't know - and shouldn't I have asked these questions before I got saved in the first place? I didn't know to ask them...
So, here we go.
1. Do you believe that the bible has no errors? Do you believe that it is just the original languages that are inerrant? If the bible needs to be "fixed," then why did God allow it to be broken? With the internet and a little research on my own through search programs written by myself, it is very easy to find discrepancies like these (Only 4 examples listed, but if you want more, let me know):
e.g.
3. What is considered profane or foul mouthed? I'll give a list of verses of what I consider relevant, and then give a little food for thought on this question.
Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
Matthew 5:37 - "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil."
Colosians 3:8-10 - "But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices 10 and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."
Matthew 12:34-36 - "You brood of vipers! how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Why are people offended at profanity? If someone gets upset at something and says "HOLY COW," that might offend a person who is buddist because of they believe that cows are holy. Is it not hypocritical for one to get upset when someone else says "Jesus Christ" in a derrogatory way, but that person expects other people to not be upset over something he or she said?
We use the word dog to represent some cute little animal on four legs. The sounds "duh, ahhh, guh" form dog and those sounds don't raise any bells, but the sounds "tih, its" (TI*S) might be considered too promiscuous. Why is saying the litteral two letters "BS" ok to say and not "BULL SHI*"; or PO'ed rather than PIS*ED OFF? What about the changing of times? Back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, HUMBUG (Yes, as in scrooge) was considered to be very offensive.
The only time Jesus was recorded talking was when He was trying to teach us something. When He went in the temple busting up the merchants buying and selling (Mark 11:15), He was overturning tables and such and He yelled at them. Jesus was an insanely radical individual and in order to EXPRESS His displeasure, I'm sure He said some things to get their attention - Not just in tone, but in a way that the poeple of the time would think "Wow, He means business."
If I talk to a little dog in the kindest of voices, saying "I'm going to kill you right after I talk to you like this, and you have no clue what I mean," it will still wag its tail and want to be petted by me. If, however, I yell at the dog like I would yell at someone trying to literally kill me, saying, "I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT YOU!", I'm conveying a differen't expression correct? It's a contradictory expression because the tone basically nullifies the words. Why is it that our culture puts empahsis on words alone, rather than the expression, tone, and context that they are used in?
Thanks for your help!
I've chosen to tackle these 3 questions first, and then we can move onto others after these have been answered. I'm looking for a biblical perspective from you guys, because I can get every other kind of perspective immaginable from the internet. So, if you would please, back your stuff up with verses and explain what you think those verses mean. I would also prefer that the answers be an explanation of why rather than an attempt to make me afraid to do something. Quoting a verse is great, but explain why you think it means something rather than just taking it as 100% unmistakeable (See question 1).
I understand there needs to be a balance in everything. Like you said this morning, where parts of the bible were meant to be taken as cut and dry, others were meant to be left open ended for the Holy Spirit to deal with us. I also realize that some of my questions may not have an answer as we just flat out don't know, but I would appreciate that said for that question. If you don't know, say you don't know and pass the question along to someone you think might know and if we go all the way up the chain and the answer is that none of us know, then that will be fine.
I need help as to where that balance line is drawn. On one hand I feel like I will be playing the devil's advocate, while on the other hand, I know I want these questions answered for myself as well. I don't believe that some of these questions are important for myself and my salvation, but I would contend that they are, because if an unbeliever came to me with these, and asked for answers, I would have to say I don't know - and shouldn't I have asked these questions before I got saved in the first place? I didn't know to ask them...
So, here we go.
1. Do you believe that the bible has no errors? Do you believe that it is just the original languages that are inerrant? If the bible needs to be "fixed," then why did God allow it to be broken? With the internet and a little research on my own through search programs written by myself, it is very easy to find discrepancies like these (Only 4 examples listed, but if you want more, let me know):
e.g.
- 2nd samuel 10:18 - "And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there."
- 1st Chronicles 19:18 - "And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand foot soldiers, and killed also Shophach the commander of their army."
- Genesis 15:13 - "Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know of a surety that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will be slaves there, and they will be oppressed for four hundred years;"
- Exodus 12:41 - "And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt."
- Deuteronomy 10 - "6 (The people of Israel journeyed from Be-er'oth Bene-ja'akan to Mose'rah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; and his son Elea'zar ministered as priest in his stead. 7 From there they journeyed to Gud'godah, and from Gud'godah to Jot'bathah..." (Aaron died BEFORE Jot'Bathah)
- Numbers 33 - "32 And they set out from Bene-ja'akan, and encamped at Hor-haggid'gad. 33 And they set out from Hor-haggid'gad, and encamped at Jot'bathah... 33-37... 38 And Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there..." (Aaron died AFTER Jot'Bathah)
- Ephesians 2:13-15 - "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end."
- Matthew 5:17-19 - "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
3. What is considered profane or foul mouthed? I'll give a list of verses of what I consider relevant, and then give a little food for thought on this question.
Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."
Matthew 5:37 - "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil."
Colosians 3:8-10 - "But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices 10 and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."
Matthew 12:34-36 - "You brood of vipers! how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Why are people offended at profanity? If someone gets upset at something and says "HOLY COW," that might offend a person who is buddist because of they believe that cows are holy. Is it not hypocritical for one to get upset when someone else says "Jesus Christ" in a derrogatory way, but that person expects other people to not be upset over something he or she said?
We use the word dog to represent some cute little animal on four legs. The sounds "duh, ahhh, guh" form dog and those sounds don't raise any bells, but the sounds "tih, its" (TI*S) might be considered too promiscuous. Why is saying the litteral two letters "BS" ok to say and not "BULL SHI*"; or PO'ed rather than PIS*ED OFF? What about the changing of times? Back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, HUMBUG (Yes, as in scrooge) was considered to be very offensive.
The only time Jesus was recorded talking was when He was trying to teach us something. When He went in the temple busting up the merchants buying and selling (Mark 11:15), He was overturning tables and such and He yelled at them. Jesus was an insanely radical individual and in order to EXPRESS His displeasure, I'm sure He said some things to get their attention - Not just in tone, but in a way that the poeple of the time would think "Wow, He means business."
If I talk to a little dog in the kindest of voices, saying "I'm going to kill you right after I talk to you like this, and you have no clue what I mean," it will still wag its tail and want to be petted by me. If, however, I yell at the dog like I would yell at someone trying to literally kill me, saying, "I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT YOU!", I'm conveying a differen't expression correct? It's a contradictory expression because the tone basically nullifies the words. Why is it that our culture puts empahsis on words alone, rather than the expression, tone, and context that they are used in?
Thanks for your help!
