I've been struggling/wrestling with the validity/inspiredness of today's Bible.Stuff like who got to decide what should/shouldn't be included, how did "church politics" influence Bible translations, etc.
As the "rule book", yardstick, tool we use to help decide how to prayer, speak in tongues, meditate/not mediate, right/wrong... I've been "thinking" about this for the past 6 months or so. I'm still working on it .... I was led to this site on the timeline of how we got the English Bible and the pre-reformations history of the Bible which were interesting.
Why do you believe in the Bible? How have you reconciled it's current validility/inspiredness?
4 comments:
I've found myself asking those questions from time to time also... And I have, perhaps, what may be considered to be a simpleton approach.... During all those Daniel and Revelation classes and seminars over the years, I was convinced that prophecy in the Bible is accurate and real when compared with the history books. Figured if those are true, the rest of the Bible is true. And so I just accept it. Also, Found that different parts of the Bible usually shed light on other parts and it's all complimentary.
I like cross-referencing different translations and occasionally have found a Bible commentary helpful in getting back to words in the original language etc. Sometimes it even gives cultural context of the texts.
I've also sat through some seminars where support is shown for the validity of the Bible from books other than the Bible. And I've encountered some sites that question the accuracy of some things in the Bible. I always leave confused with my mind going in circles. And I never remember any of the quotes for or against.
When I look to my own experience with the Bible, it's always been an integral part of my back and forth with God and it's been a source of comfort and guidance through my life. Haven't ever had an experience that I can look back on and say that the Bible didn't come through or that it lead me down a wrong track.
If someone asked me to prove that the Bible was accurate or valid or inspired...I'm not sure I could in a convincing manner.... All I can do is explain me...
I believe in the Bible because I choose to. I've found it valid to my personal life and experiences and it inspires me to get closer to God.
The one suggestion I have as you grapple with the questions is to... ask God!=) Make it a matter of prayer and He'll give you some answers.
Ever so often I start studying this topic. In theory it's VERY interesting to me. Then inevitably (after about 5 minutes) my eyes start glazing over! There's a lot out there though. Bruce Metzger + Josh McDowell come to mind.
Recently, I've found it much more rewarding to ask critical questions -Who said this? In what context? Do I believe it? Is it still applicable?- while examining a specific biblical passage or set of passages. For me, studying the bible itself feels like a more direct way to tackle issues of meaning, consistency, relevance etc.
[BIG PLUG FOR BSF INTERNATIONAL HERE]
It's slow going but so far, this approach has made me appreciate the bible a whole lot more. For the first time, I'm experiencing it as active, in-the-moment communication from God. Take the grace message of Romans, for example. Um, how powerful is that? And where else would we have encountered it? For me, the bible has become a critical reference because the Holy Spirit is using it to point me to these "big" ideas.
Spice said
Like Posh one of the strongest arguments for me has been the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
However there have been other things that have encouraged my belief.
Consistency – the fact these book books written over thousands of years by different people of different backgrounds and that they still agree is pretty amazing. I have read some of the Gnostic gospels and other books left out of the cannon and have noticed some differences such as views on the state of the dead, and witchcraft and magic. The tone of some them sounded different to me as well. (That may just be a personal thing). However I’m not just talking doctrinally. It’s about the message of the book. Even when someone or Israel is being punished I consistently see a God who loves me. This love is just not any kind of love. It’s a love that fights for me, that’s gentle with me, a love that embraces me when my ways are ugly, a love that forgives me when I am disloyal and traitorous, a love that will have the guts to be tough on me even when I am begging and screaming no I don’t want this because He knows in the end it is the path to happiness. This message frees me, gives me hope for the future and leaves me feeling safe. I have found this message to be very compelling.
Another thing that really amazed me is how the content of the book has survived without any real change. This book for thousands of years has been reproduced by written hand by hundreds of different people. The Dead Sea scrolls (found in the 1940s) have been dated back to over 2000years. When then are compared to contemporary texts only minor errors that do not affect meaning are found.
I believe that an absolute truth does exist. And it makes sense to me that a God who is trying to communicate to his creation his intense love for them would see to it that his message to them would remain intact. Thus I believe that the Holy Spirit would have felt it to be an imperative act to guide the council that made the decision of which books should be canonized and which should be left out.
A lot of archeological finds support the Bible. I’ve enjoyed reading archeological books.
Any way one may still find ways of explaining those evidences away.
I think its great you are asking these questions. I don’t believe that God creates us to mindlessly accept things. I think you should place the ball in his court and ask him to prove it too you. I believe he will honor the sincere heart.
WOW thank you all for those heartfelt and thorough responses. I felt your faith. Very helpful for me. I will comment/post at a later time as I prayerfully solidy my thoughts.
I have to say the GOD is Awesome and worthy to be praised. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end... our book ends for the span of time. Magnify his name!
Post a Comment