Blog Adventures part one update

RICK:

Steven,

I agree with you that Paul and other Bible writers were NOT God.

I also believe God did NOT hold their hands while writing.

I believe Paul and others wrote relating to culture and some false thinking such as ‘Sun travels around the earth’ in Ecclesiastes 1:4-5 and “…hail is made and stored…for war” in Job 38:22-23.

Sometimes Paul wrote with ‘human reasoning’:
“I never let women teach men…let them be silent in your church meetings. Why?
[Here’s the human reasoning] Because God made Adam first…and it was not Adam who was fooled by Satan, but Eve, and sin was the result.” (1 Timothy 2:12-14)

Paul wrote from memory.
“I am so thankful now that I didn’t baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius.” (1 Corinthians 1: 14)

And sometimes his memory was bad - verse 16:
“Oh yes, and I baptized the family of Stephanas. I don’t remember ever baptizing anyone else.”

Paul even says some of his writing is NOT from God but his own thinking:
“Here I want to add some suggestions of my own. These are NOT direct commands from the Lord, but they SEEM right to me;” (1 Corinthians 7: 12)

Even Jesus did not know everything. More than once he said only his Father knew. He even expressed a false believe that his Father would be with him on the cross:

“But the time is coming…when you will be scattered…leaving me alone. Yet I will not be alone, for the Father is with me.” (John 16:32)

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

Steven, you said, “We’ll have to hope and pray that God is better than that.”

Better than WHAT? Better than executing his Son on the Cross? (“It is written in the Scriptures that God will smite the Shepherd…” Matthew 26:31)

Better than sending Jesus to hell? (“You will not leave my soul in hell…” Acts 2:27)

Steven, do you think God would not be perfect if he sent a person to where He sent his Son after that person spit in his Son’s face by rejecting Jesus as his Saviour?

I strongly disagree with your thinking that ‘reasoning’ and ‘fear’ ideas “are at odds.”

It’s through reasoning we fear snakes, lions etc. and GOD.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

I hope we’re not disobeying (2 Timothy 2:16):
“Steer clear of foolish discussions which lead people into the sin of anger with each other.”

STEVEN:

REX RAY wrote - "Steven, you said, “We’ll have to hope and pray that God is better than that.”

Better than WHAT? Better than executing his Son on the Cross? (“It is written in the Scriptures that God will smite the Shepherd…” Matthew 26:31) "

I think that the idea of Jesus as God's sacrificial lamb is an invention that can be beautiful and can be horrible. But without getting in to that - No, I don't believe that God requires human sacrifice. Once again, I think the Bible is man-made and can point us to the divine only through understanding the human lens through which the Biblical authors saw the world.

"Steven, do you think God would not be perfect if he sent a person to where He sent his Son after that person spit in his Son’s face by rejecting Jesus as his Saviour? "

I don't think a person who doesn't believe in a literal resurrection is "rejecting Jesus". They don't believe it is factually true. An atheist, for instance, is not rejecting God. He/she is rejecting the concept of God. For instance, I am not "spitting in the face" of a unicorn, because I don't believe unicorns exist. (I don't claim atheism BTW, but it's a good example)

"I strongly disagree with your thinking that ‘reasoning’ and ‘fear’ ideas “are at odds.”

It’s through reasoning we fear snakes, lions etc. and GOD."

Our fear of snakes and lions is based on observation. Your earlier statements suggest that we ignore any observation that contradicts a certain view of Scripture. I think this is "at odds"

thanks again, good discussion. I enjoyed reading your biblical references and interpretation,

Steven