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Revelation from the Creator

InChrist

Free4ever
What do you believe about the Bible?”

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity? Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?
 

F1fan

Veteran Member
What do you believe about the Bible?”

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity?
No, this is a claim in Judaism and Christianity, and even in Islam. The Bible has too may errors, and unverifiable claims to be considered a direct communication from a God.

Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him?
Not at all. It appears toi be completely human in creation. The history of the New Testament indicates about 5000 edits over time, many by copying errors.

Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?
There are no facts that support any such "understanding". You are citing religious dogma, not facts.
 

Sgt. Pepper

All you need is love.
No, this is a claim in Judaism and Christianity, and even in Islam. The Bible has too may errors, and unverifiable claims to be considered a direct communication from a God.

I also believe that the Bible has many errors, and I believe that many of its stories were most likely copied from Greek mythology and other pagan religions that predate both it and Christianity. I believe the latter is especially true of the stories about Jesus in the Bible.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
I agree about the errors. But I also believe that there are a very few passages that have come to us as intended - specifically the Sermon on the Mount, the statement of the two greatest commandments and a few other bits.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
What do you believe about the Bible?”
A great many things.

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity?
No. I do not consider it to be a direct communication to humanity, bypassing the humans who wrote it.

Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him?
No. Not in the way certain sects of Christianity without support think of the Bible as a direct dictation from God. I do not understand the nature of inspiration as a type of passive channeling.

Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is
No. I do not believe that. And the Bible itself does not believe that. Check out Romans 1:20, and Psalm 19 for starters. It clearly says that without a preacher, without texts, by seeing creation itself alone, nature in other words, one can know and understand God, "even his eternal power and godhead". That's pretty intense, considering no texts or words or preachers or prophets were there to tell them. I agree with scripture here. I met God without a preacher, or any human being telling me things to believe in.

Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?
I think you seem to think it's ideas about God, and getting those ideas correct are what save you. Is that true?
 

Aštra’el

Aštara, Blade of Aštoreth
It is a compilation of sacred, holy scripture that gives me a glimpse into the hearts and minds of humans thousands of years ago, which documents the evolution of their morality and relationship with God.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
What do you believe about the Bible?”
What historians have found out about it.
It's a collection of texts from many authors, most of them written down in the third century BC and the late first and early second century AD. The collection hasn't been compiled before the fourth century. The character of the texts is mostly fictional with some mention of historical events.
 

RestlessSoul

Well-Known Member
As far as I'm aware, there's only one book in The Bible which claims to have been revealed to it's author in the sense that, for example, Muslims believe the Quran to have been revealed to Mohamed. That book being Revelation.
 

Sand Dancer

Crazy Cat Lady
What do you believe about the Bible?”

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity? Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?
It's a mixture of myth, plagiarism, and some truths but little historical fact.
 

paarsurrey

Veteran Member
What do you believe about the Bible?”

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity? Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?

NT-Bible or the Gospels are neither:
  1. written by (Jesus) Yeshua- the Israelite Messiah
  2. nor spoken by him
  3. nor authored by him
  4. nor dictated by him to any person.
  5. and, as one gets to know, "Jesus did not die a cursed death on the Cross", from many clues in the Gospels itself, please. Right?
Regards
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity? Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him?

Actually, I do. Of course I understand that through time there has encroached errors but they are inconsequential.

As an example, from the book of Isaiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The book of Isaiah was found amongst the scrolls and 'proved to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95 percent of the text. The 5 percent of variation consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling.'[18]

So there is great certainty, IMV, that we can believe that it is from Him. (within the context of my signature)

Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?

I believe that as we study, we find so much truth to what you have stated. The Bible is a history of mankind (past, present and future) and contains a love letter from Him to us. A love that offers salvation, freedom, hope and eternal life.

Thanks for asking.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
What do you believe about the Bible?”
God is omnipresent, as is wisdom. This is revealed by the appearance of wisdom in so many places. If some wisdom is available to seekers then so is all of it.

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity? Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?
Pleasure seekers want to reduce the meaning of Christ's resurrection to pleasure for themselves and their relatives in something like a heathen afterlife. This desire seems to be a blindness that bends scripture in minds. The sword in Jesus mouth is not a physical sword, just as the resurrection is not pleasure. I conclude that the books of the bible cannot possibly be a direct communication to pleasure seekers and will either bind them into daydreams or possibly to turn them away. I also conclude that while wisdom is available to all, it is not easy to accept for all.

Some passages illustrating the moral nature of Christian resurrection, that the reason it is eternal is that is not like the heathen afterlife at all. In other words it is undesirable unless what you seek is the joy of benefiting those that come behind you. Honestly. That's good exegesis.

[Mat 22:30 NIV] 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
[Rom 14:17 NIV] 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
[2Co 2:15-16 NIV] 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?
[Eph 2:16 NIV] 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
[2Co 4:10-12 NIV] 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
[2Co 4:10-12, 18 NIV] 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. ... 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
What do you believe about the Bible?”

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity? Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?
I understand that this is what you say you think.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
God is omnipresent, as is wisdom. This is revealed by the appearance of wisdom in so many places. If some wisdom is available to seekers then so is all of it.


Pleasure seekers want to reduce the meaning of Christ's resurrection to pleasure for themselves and their relatives. This desire seems to be blindness. The sword in Jesus mouth is not a physical sword, just as the resurrection is not pleasure. I conclude that the books of the bible cannot possibly be a direct communication to pleasure seekers and will either bind them into daydreams or possibly to turn them away. I also conclude that while wisdom is available to all, it is not easy to accept for all.

Some passages illustrating the moral nature of Christian resurrection, that the reason it is eternal is that is not like the heathen afterlife at all. In other words it is undesirable unless what you seek is the joy of benefiting those that come behind you. Honestly. That's good exegesis.

[Mat 22:30 NIV] 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
[Rom 14:17 NIV] 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
[2Co 2:15-16 NIV] 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?
[Eph 2:16 NIV] 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
[2Co 4:10-12 NIV] 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
[2Co 4:10-12, 18 NIV] 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. ... 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Do you actually think that I don't
believe in God because I am a
"pleasure seeker"?

If so that is weird and insulting.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
A literary masterpiece of divine revelation.
Reading it as a non believer I see little
to qualify it as a masterpiece.
Some well phrased prose here and
there, as translated into KJV.
Most of it is dull as ditch water and very
awkwardly phrased.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
Do you actually think that I don't
believe in God because I am a
"pleasure seeker"?
"Pleasure seekers want to reduce the meaning of Christ's resurrection to pleasure for themselves and their relatives in something like a heathen afterlife."
Is that you? You want to do that?
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
What do you believe about the Bible?”

Do you understand it to be God’s direct communication to humanity? Do you think that the Bible is totally of Him and from Him? Do you understand that without His divine revelation about Himself and His created beings, finite and fallen humanity is left with only opinions, guesses, and speculations about who God is, Jesus Christ and the gospel which offers salvation, freedom, hope, and eternal life?

I believe the author of Revelations believe it was a direct revelation from God but it might just have been a very vivid dream with no connection from any God.

Sometimes dreams seem very profound at least while dreaming. Yet when you try to express what the dream was about words seem inadequate. This is what The Book of Revelation seems to be. A vague religious dream that someone tried to write down.

If you want to believe this to be a communication from God, that is your prerogative but there is no guarantee. Maybe the guy just had some bad sushi for dinner. :shrug:
 
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