Do You Believe the Bible is God's Word?

ebedmelech

My dog Micah in the pic
Supporter
Jul 3, 2012
8,998
678
✟187,689.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
Here's a simple test:

"A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools." (Proverbs 26:3)

Has God spoken?
Sometimes we humans need a whipping to get it right...the horse and the donkey seem to get the message...but humans...not so much.
 
Upvote 0

misput

JimD
Sep 5, 2018
1,023
382
84
Pacific, Mo.
✟152,101.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Here's a simple test:

"A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools." (Proverbs 26:3)

Has God spoken?
This is not God's way but it is the way the world of man works. This is not necessarily about beating a man with an iron rod, although it has happened but that sooner or later a fool will suffer for his foolishness. The scriptures purge them self if you have understanding and faith in God.
 
Upvote 0

LiquidCat

Active Member
Nov 14, 2019
87
35
28
Warsaw
✟10,163.00
Country
Poland
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Dont forget in the age that King Solomon wrote that it was common practice to whip your horses and slaves.

I say this because while the Bible IS God's word it was also written by man. Slavery and whatnot were allowed by God in those days (and technically still is to this day. Just because Americans dont practice slavery anymore doesnt mean that they dont have the right to keep slaves. It was more about HOW slaves were treated that was the problem. There was/is absolutely nothing wrong with owning a slave and paying them of giving them room and board...etc and treating them with respect which... was actually common in the early days of slavery.


Also we are slaves to Christ and to God. So...

Anyway, yes the bible is the word of God. Written by man and Inspired by God. There isn't a single verse in scripture that wasnt inspired by God. Otherwise why would God attack Satan with the very words of God in the desert? Why would he quote scripture? If scripture were not the word of God?

Technically we are all slaves to the top 0,01% Richest guys , what it was like 1% having 95% of the money in world atm ? It's just we are comfortable living slaves and the 5% last for us but not for everybody
 
Upvote 0

jimmyjimmy

Pardoned Rebel
Supporter
Jan 2, 2015
11,556
5,728
USA
✟234,973.00
Country
United States
Faith
Presbyterian
Marital Status
Married
Technically we are all slaves to the top 0,01% Richest guys , what it was like 1% having 95% of the money in world atm ? It's just we are comfortable living slaves and the 5% last for us but not for everybody

No.
 
Upvote 0

GenemZ

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2004
22,139
1,372
73
Atlanta
✟75,540.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Here's a simple test:

"A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools." (Proverbs 26:3)

Has God spoken?

He also spoke about the death of all first born males in Egypt.

Do Egyptians need to worry today?

Note what you have been missing...


"A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools."

That was to give them direction. Not to punish them.

A bridle does not inflict punishment. And, apparently the whip was designed for getting the horse to get where its master wanted it to go..

A fool?

How do you get an emotional idiot to head in the right direction? Besides.. a fool left on his own becomes his own worst punishment!

The rod is to get the fool away from hurting himself before its too late. So, a rod is hurting him a lot less than where he would be heading into if left to his own foolish discretion.


 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0

hedrick

Senior Veteran
Supporter
Feb 8, 2009
20,250
10,565
New Jersey
✟1,147,348.00
Faith
Presbyterian
Marital Status
Single
I understand that Scripture is God-breathed and is certainly extremely precious. But who in history came up with the belief that all Scripture is the literal word of God?
I think you're asking the question the wrong way. As far as I can tell, no Christians seriously looked at the Bible as a human work until the 18th Cent, with one 17th Cent exception. There were interpreters both ancient and during the Reformation that looked at the historical background of each book and tried to interpret it in historical context. But they still saw it as the oracles of God (a phrase from Calvin). Here's a comment summarizing Calvin's view:

"When that which professes to be the Word of God is acknowledged to be so, no person, unless devoid of common sense and the feelings of a man, will have the desperate hardihood to refuse credit to the speaker. But since no daily responses are given from heaven, and the Scriptures are the only records in which God has been pleased to consign his truth to perpetual remembrance, the full authority which they ought to possess with the faithful is not recognised, unless they are believed to have come from heaven, as directly as if God had been heard giving utterance to them. This subject well deserves to be treated more at large, and pondered more accurately. But my readers will pardon me for having more regard to what my plan admits than to what the extent of this topic requires."

For him, Moses was the author of the Pentateuch, and he was a prophet, which means everything came from God, though it was Moses' wording. Similarly direct inspiration applied to all of Scripture.

Now in practice he didn't quite hold an extreme form of inerrancy. He understood that OT books differed in a few details (e.g. differences in counts of people) and thought that didn't matter. He understood that the Sermon on the Mount probably was actually a summary of things Jesus had said at different times. But still, he mostly understood the Bible as the Word in a fairly direct form.

In the next generation after the Reformers, some people moved even further in a literalist direction, as a response to Catholic attacks that pointed out that no one could agree on the meaning of Scripture. The hope was that a sufficiently literal approach could avoid disagreements.

But I think the modern view that both of us hold depends upon a kind of critical approach that didn't start until after the Enlightenment. It's hard to look at the Bible and see how anyone could avoid seeing it as literature produced by different authors with different and sometimes conflicting viewpoints. But as far as I know this kind of understanding didn't exist among Christians until fairly recently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andrewn
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

GenemZ

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2004
22,139
1,372
73
Atlanta
✟75,540.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
I understand that Scripture is God-breathed and is certainly extremely precious. But who in history came up with the belief that all Scripture is the literal word of God?

When a witness shows up to testify in a courtroom. When he repeats the words he heard spoken by a criminal? He is speaking the words of the criminal. Yet? Its his word going on record about what the criminal said.

Likewise... When the Bible states Satan's words? Its God's testimony about what Satan said. Therefore.. even if it was the words of Satan? Its still God's word letting us know what Satan said.

All Scripture is God's Word. Its His testimony put into writing.
 
Upvote 0

Andrewn

Well-Known Member
CF Ambassadors
Supporter
Jul 4, 2019
5,801
4,309
-
✟678,702.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Married
Whipping an ass and a fool are prescribed by God. If you have an issue with Him, tell Him.
The book of Proverbs is full of word pictures and allegories that should be understood only as figures of speech. I've seen people come up with all kinds of weird ideas by understanding proverbs literally. As far as humane treatment of animals in the Bible, these 2 verses come to mind.

Deu 22:10 Don’t plow with an ox and a donkey together.
Deu 25:4 Don’t muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Tom 1
Upvote 0

jimmyjimmy

Pardoned Rebel
Supporter
Jan 2, 2015
11,556
5,728
USA
✟234,973.00
Country
United States
Faith
Presbyterian
Marital Status
Married
The book of Proverbs is full of word pictures and allegories that should be understood only as figures of speech. I've seen people come up with all kinds of weird ideas by understanding proverbs literally. As far as humane treatment of animals in the Bible, these 2 verses come to mind.

Deu 22:10 Don’t plow with an ox and a donkey together.
Deu 25:4 Don’t muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain.

You read it like a Protestant Liberal. I don't.

It's human to whip a fool, spank a disobedient child, and execute a rapist.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

GenemZ

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2004
22,139
1,372
73
Atlanta
✟75,540.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Private
Whipping an ass and a fool are prescribed by God. If you have an issue with Him, tell Him.


The horse, not ass, gets the whip. The ass gets a bridle.

It is even used today in much horse racing.

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass,
and a rod for the backs of fools!
Proverbs 26:3​

And, like those animals have a need, a fool is someone who lacks a sense of good direction and true purpose.

Its not to make the fool to simply hurt for doing wrong. But, by using the only thing he understands (pain, not reason) its using pain to direct him hopefully away from what may actually harm himself and others badly.

grace and peace
 
  • Agree
Reactions: jimmyjimmy
Upvote 0

Andrewn

Well-Known Member
CF Ambassadors
Supporter
Jul 4, 2019
5,801
4,309
-
✟678,702.00
Country
Canada
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Married
You read it like a Protestant Liberal. I don't. It's human to whip a fool, spank a disobedient child, and execute a rapist.

And, like those animals have a need, a fool is someone who lacks a sense of good direction and true purpose. Its not to make the fool to simply hurt for doing wrong. But, by using the only thing he understands (pain, not reason) its using pain to direct him hopefully away from what may actually harm himself and others badly. grace and peace
So, in your universe, you're gonna get a whip and abuse all teenagers? Oh, maybe I'm a fool in your universe, also. Who gets to decide the criteria of foolishness?
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums