I need some Bible 101

[Clay M]

I am currently reading this bible. It is a very good version with scholarly notations:

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version, Expanded Edition (Hardcover 8910A) Hardcover

[Wayne Smith]

I am currently reading this bible. It is a very good version with scholarly notations:

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version, Expanded Edition (Hardcover 8910A) Hardcover

Yup, it is one of many that I use.

[goofyoldfart]

I guess that I'll have to quey in on this discussion also. 4 tours in the University of SouthEast Asia--and severly damaged (physically as well as emotionally). On returning home I was a serious drunk---averaging a gallon of whiskey or more a day for 13 yrs. for both pains. one day I reached my "bottom" and on the side of the bed I Begged God to help me. If He would I promised that I would never willingly take another drink for as long as i lived. He Did---I won't nor have I for 34 years. Can't see starting for now. all these years I was using phylosophy (sp?) to try to hold it together. I was raised in the church (Presbyterian and Episcopal) and saw so much two faced behavior. Won't lie---- it turned me off on church. I read the Bible but honestly I didn't really understand what it was saying. about 5 years ago I met a preacher at the shooting range and we talked a little and he invited me to his church. It's a small church, but good people. Preacher packs a pistol while in the pulpit and isn't offended if the whole church packs discretely. About half do (mostly women-- just 2 men). He teaches strickly by and from the Book. I'm still a Noobie when it comes to the Bible, But I'm learning.

what really impresses me here is that of all the threads on this site---this one is seriouly the only one that I have read that there is NO "sniping". yeh, some disagrement but with courtesy and respect. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just flabbergasted that there is tolerance. see what I mean and go to the religion threads and see the heat and name calling. I only counted 2 disagreements in all six pages and they agreed to disagree---and politely. I have gained alot of understanding from listening to the different (but similar) opinions on these pages. May God Bless all of you and all of yours. Goofyoldfart aka Godfrey

[Wayne Smith]

Godfrey, I learned long ago that God is infinite. Meditating on that truth it came to me that if that is true then everything I 'know' about God is one small part of His infinity. Just because you have a different small part than do I makes neither of us wrong. As long as we pay attention to His Righteousness - that boundary between what He is and what He isn't (sin) we can agree to disagree all day long and still love each other.

[Char-Gar]

Godfrey...There are very few folks in this world who are not interested in learning about Jesus. There are however many people who are not interested in what Christians have to say because of the judgmental, conflicting and argumentative positions they hold. Christians not the devil are the worse enemies of the Gospel.

I am so glad you have found a place to explore and grow your faith. My pastor packs a pistol and encourages others to do so. He is an Episcopalian. My wife once remarked, that if somebody came into church service intent on harming someone, it would be a race to see who shot him first, me or Father Rees.

[shdwlkr]

I will jump in here and say that we are all God's children, he is a loving and very very patient parent. But if you do chose to get his anger up he will let you know in very real ways.
I find some of missing books/chapters of the bible interesting.

In my time on this earth I have learned that God is real, he will connect with us if we are willing to connect with him. He will do/allow us to sink to the bottom of life if that is what it takes for us to realize he is there.

I can tell you that he has stepped into my life a few times just to let me know he is there and cares.

Too many in this life are trying to prove he doesn't exist, the bible is fake, events are recorded wrong, written hundreds of years after the event or that the authors are not who they are attached too. Does it really matter in the whole scheme of our existence here? NO

This was once a God fearing nation, we won many wars with the mantel of Christ as our anchor. Since we have begun our walk away from him we have won no wars, have watched our nation sink into debauchery, greed, lies and liars a plenty appear. We wonder why we are sinking as a nation, look no further than our relationship to God.

[popper]

Genesis, then the Gospels, Acts & Romans. Then go back and re-read Genesis from the KJ version. The Genesis again, paying attention to the details. Then to Danial & Revelation.

[Char-Gar]

I will jump in here and say that we are all God's children, he is a loving and very very patient parent.

It may seem academic and just a matter of word choice, but it is not. We are all God's creation but we are not all God's children. A child enjoys a status and privileges not enjoyed by a mere created being. Being a child of God requires affirmative action on our behalf. We must do something to become a child of God. It is not accorded by just being born.

I refer you to John 1:12:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

This is not just a matter of word choice or order, but a real substantive difference. People should understand that if they want to be a child of God, the must do something to gain that status. I would not want folks to think otherwise.

[jmort]

Prior to Salvation, the Bible/Jesus states that people are sons/daughters of satan spiritually and we know our physical bodies are condemned to death.

[shdwlkr]

I refer you to John 1:12:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"

So if we take your bible reference a literal then women can not become anything to God and are only the servants of Satan.
But we see in John 3:16 something a little different
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV)
Seems all we need to do is believe in him no reference to sex or even anything beyond that point.

Last I checked even small children are able to believe in God to the level of their understanding of him taught to them by parents, friends or even extended family members.

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Seems here all are included as being God's

[Char-Gar]

So if we take your bible reference a literal then women can not become anything to God and are only the servants of Satan.
But we see in John 3:16 something a little different
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV)
Seems all we need to do is believe in him no reference to sex or even anything beyond that point.

There is no difference between John 1:12 and John 3:16. Both require an affirmative act which is receiving Christ through belief. That was the thrust of my post. We are not born children of God, we must appropriate that status for ourselves through faith/belief in Jesus as the Christ. That is the principal message of John in those verses.

As to children, there are lots of different church traditions on that subject and there is quite a difference on the spiritual condition of children. I happen to agree with you, but it should be noted that others do not. It is hard to make an argument for any position because scripture is largely silent. Most of our thinking comes from connecting the dots, theology and assumptions. I have a full set of those, but I have no issue with folks who connect the dots another way.

As to the prophet Joel, that needs to be understand in the light of his time and circumstances, something outside the scope of this type of thread.

[shdwlkr]

Char-gar
to really open a can a beans
IF we are not born children of God then were did we come from before we gained our mortal bodies? Are we just the product of a man and woman having a sexual encounter and we are the product of this encounter.

So did we exist before being born here on this earth that God created in 6 days I believe? If not what is our purpose to being here on this earth if it is not the next step in our spiritual development?

[Char-Gar]

Char-gar
to really open a can a beans
IF we are not born children of God then were did we come from before we gained our mortal bodies? Are we just the product of a man and woman having a sexual encounter and we are the product of this encounter.

So did we exist before being born here on this earth that God created in 6 days I believe? If not what is our purpose to being here on this earth if it is not the next step in our spiritual development?

I have spend many years in the study of theology and banding about such questions with other who felt like probing cosmic mysteries. I am weary to the bone of such useless discussion, so I won't play. There are to many good things to do and people to help to spend much time pondering these questions without answers. At the end of the day, all you have left is somebody's opinion and everybody has one as the saying goes.

I know what scripture has to say about the subject at hand and that is where I will leave it.

[AlaskanGuy]

We have been doing a heavy study on end times.... Very very good stuff... Wish I could share so all would understand... I have been recording the teachings for many weeks now, from the beginning of the teachings, and I have learned a LOT about end times.... There are about 28 recordings so far in the series... Maybe when we are all done, i will condense to a dvd or 2...

AG

[jmort]

There Bible makes it clear that we reach an age of accountability. A point where we become accountable for knowing right from wrong. I have seen people with Down's Syndrome that I do not believe will ever be held accountable even if they live to be 100. They have no guile and are child like. There is no date/age certain, but children get to a point of accountability, each at his/her own point in time.

"We have been doing a heavy study on end times

Eschatology seems so arcane to me. I'm a mid-tribulation guy, but whether "pre" or "mid" or "post" tribulation, it has nothing to do with Salvation but is interesting.

[Multigunner]

The Schofield Reference Bible comes in handy, plenty of footnotes that give a good picture of what life was like back then.

Main lesson about humanity is that we are deeply flawed, thats not going to change.
What I figure is that the reason we are flawed is that we are both organic and intelligent.
We have an immaterial soul that is not organic and is not ours to keep, it belongs to God one way or another. When you die the soul goes back to God. You are responsible for that soul and its health and well being.
Besmirch that soul and you'll pay the piper in this world and the next.

If not for the possibility that all sins may be forgiven we'd all be out of luck. Theres a balance and on judgement day you best hope you are not found wanting, but no matter how bad you've been theres still a possibility that God will forgive.

[AlaskanGuy]

Well, i hope to be a bride kinda guy myself, part of the 144k.... But I would rather be cleaning toilets in Heaven, then burning in the lake of fire... And if I am part of the unwise Virgin's, i will hop on the first guillotine that you know who wants to put me on for not taking the mark.

[pmer]

I'm just finishing up my second bible study group. It is on the new testament. Two things that suprised me are that the 4 Gospels are wrote to reflect Jesus in different ways.

Servant
Man
King
Deity

And the other is the word catholic means "universal". That helps explain the word catholic in the Nicene Creed.

Oh, I wanted to lift up goofyoldfart, Godfrey, and thank him for telling his story. Bless you for telling a demon like that to get behind you.

[pmer]

There is none better than the love of Jesus. His understanding and forgiveness. His ultimate scarfice creating a new covenant for us all.

If there is something missing or if you're thinking is this all there is to life, there is help here. You can find help locally too, dust off that bible and let His word come alive.

[Boaz]

I have enjoyed keeping up with this thread , the civility exhibited here is a testimonial to how all Christians should join and share their thoughts . Our GOD has provided a different path for each of us to follow , the different denominations are a blessing to those who truly believe the great commandments of Christ . Our faith is the same , beware of the devil who only try's to confuse us with the details but he can not alter the truth we all know . May the Lord bless and keep you all and I personally thank you .