#9
Post
by Katabole » Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:50 am
If I get Dan's drift, he is using the anaolgy of whether a meter stick is a meter stick in comparison to recent posts which claim that the Bible contains the words of God but it is not the "Word of God". The position conveyed by such an expression, just like the meter stick that is not a meter, is both illogical and impossible.
I hope you don't mind me jumping in on this topic Dan but it is an important point you brought up.
A revelation in writing must necessarily be given in "words." The separate words therefore in which it is given, must have the same importance and authority as the revelation as a whole. If we accept the Bible as a revelation from God, and receive it as inspired by God, we cannot separate the words of which that inspired revelation is made up.
The Bible is its own best proof of its inspiration. It claims to be "the Word of God"; (Mark 7:13) and if it be not what it claims to be, then it is not only not a "good book," but is unworthy of further attention. Jesus is not saying here in Mark that tradition makes Him, the living Word irrelevant; He is saying tradition makes His 'Written Word' irrelevant.
I, like Dan, cannot understand the position of those who assert and believe that many of the Bible's parts are myths, mistranslations and forgeries, while at the same time they continue to quote it, write commentaries upon it and accept endorsements and dignities for preaching or lecturing about it. The Bible simply claims to be the Word of God. It does not attempt to establish its claim, or seek to prove it. It merely assumes it and asserts it. It is for us to believe it or to leave it. But, by believing it, our aim then is to seek to understand what God has thus written for our learning.
There are a number of concepts that arise because of this claim, that set Christianity in opposition to the very spirit of our age.
Objectivity
True Christianity starts from the premise that there is a source of truth outside of us. God’s Word is truth (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). It is objectively true—meaning it is true whether it speaks subjectively to any given individual or not; it is true regardless of how anyone feels about it; it is true in an absolute sense. But authentic Christianity regards Scripture as the objective revelation of God’s truth. It is God’s Word to humanity, and its true meaning is determined by God; it is not something that can be shaped according to the preferences of individual hearers. (2Pet 1:21) and (Rev 19:10).
Rationality
Biblical Christianity is also based on the conviction that the objective revelation of Scripture is rational. The Bible makes good sense. It contains no contradictions, no errors, and no unsound principles. Anything that does contradict Scripture is untrue. As Christians, we know that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). He does not contradict Himself. His truth is perfectly self-consistent. That sort of black-and-white rationality is one of the main reasons biblical Christianity is intolerable in a generation that rejects reason and why many Christians are turned off because church to them is anything but a place where they go to learn about the Bible. They sing songs and pray and listen to a pastor give a nice sermon about whatever the pastor feels inclined about speaking of that day, many times, having nothing to do with Biblical literacy or concepts and they become pew potatoes. My usual question to these Christians is, "What did you learn from the Bible at Church today, if your church in fact taught the Bible?" Compare churches today to what was taught in (Acts 17:11)
Veracity
Authentic Christianity is based on the conviction that God’s objective revelation (the Bible) approached rationally yields divine truth in perfectly sufficient measure. Everything we need to know for life and godliness is there for us in Scripture. We don’t need to seek principles for godly or successful living through any other source. Scripture is not only wholly truth; it is also the highest standard of all truth—the rule by which all truth-claims must be measured.
Authority
Because Christians believe Scripture is true, they teach its precepts with authority and without apology. The Bible makes bold claims, and faithful Christians affirm it boldly and without compromise.
Incompatibility
Scripture says, “No lie is of the truth” (1John 2:21). As Christians, we know that whatever contradicts truth is by definition false. In other words, truth is incompatible with error. Jesus Himself affirmed the utter exclusivity of Christianity. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Moreover, as Christians we understand that whatever opposes God’s Word or departs from it in any way is a danger to the very cause of truth.
Integrity
Since all of the above is true, genuine Christianity sees integrity as an essential virtue and hypocrisy as a horrible vice.
Unfortunately, the church in our generation is drifting from these fundamental convictions and has already begun to embrace postmodern ideas uncritically. Many churches do not teach the Bible anymore and so the sheep, starve. Evangelicalism is quickly losing its footing, and the church is becoming more and more like the world. Fewer and fewer Christians are willing to stand against the trends, and the effects have been disastrous. Subjectivity, irrationality, worldliness, uncertainty, compromise, and hypocrisy have already become commonplace among churches and organizations that once constituted the evangelical mainstream.
Well it may be the devil or it may be the Lord but you know you gotta serve somebody. Bob Dylan
Every one that is of the truth hears my voice. Jesus from John 18:37
