Morals and the Bible

[Garland-Green]

Statement: How you feel about the Bible often correlates with how you feel about God. Some Christians will say the Bible has been edited and changed so many times through the ages that it is unrecognizable, leaving us with no definitive standards to follow. It naturally follows that God was unable/unwilling to give us His ideas and standards. These very same people are very lax in their dealings with sin, personal and in society in general, and often unwilling to point sins out if they personally feel something is immoral. Could this be because they have no moral foundation having abandoned the morals of the Bible? Do you think there is a correlation between the two? Am I generalizing?

 

[Aquatic_blue]

It's possible that how you feel about the Bible is how you feel about God because it mentions that the Word is God and God is the Word in John 1:1. So if you don't love God's word, it's would seem impossible to love God.

I see that there are a lot of versions of the Bible that have a bias because of the writer, but that doesn't mean we can't go out and get a hold of a King James Bible, a Strong's Concordance, Hebrew/Greek Dictionaries, etc. and strive to understand it. Sometimes understanding the Bible I have found to be challenging sometimes because some verses I just don't understand, others I have heard twisted and need to be sure of the true meaning, etc. If we have the faith and the determination - God's word will not be impossible to understand. On top of that, if there's something we don't understand, we can consult God in prayer.

There is no reason to give up understanding the Bible because of the excuse of, "The Bible can't ever be understood, we should give up because we just odn't know." If one doesn't try to understand then how will they know what is sin and what is truth? How will they understand how to deal with certain tough issues in a manner in which God would appreciate. How are we to know about the gifts? How are we to know what The Holy Spirit can do in our lives? The excuse that the Bible has been edited so much it's beyond recognition is sad because to me, it sounds like ignorance. They make an excuse to not try to understand.

If these type of people are lax in their dealings with sin then that would make sense to me as well because they may not take the time to read about certain sins. Maybe some of these people will not see taking God's name in vain as a sin, or lying as a sin. They may be lax because they don't understand how important it is to live a life in God and follow His word. I can see how this excuse could affect the lifestyle of any Christian if they chose to pursue this ideal. If they believe that God is unwilling to make his ideas clear, then they won't have enough faith in Him and perhaps see understanding God's word as an impossible endeavor, which goes against Philippians 4:13.

I have seen churches that do not follow God's word, or don't even read all of the Bible and choose the parts they enjoy and use it to hurt peoples feelings and make themselves feel superior. It's sickening, it makes one who knows the truth feel spiritually ill around those people and incredibly sad for their souls because they are in a state of mind where they think they are right no matter what and they don't have a moral foundation because they are uncomfortable with answering questions. They ignore some questions about things because they don't feel it's "worth mentioning" and often times it's because they know the answer and don't want to accept it as truth or don't know the answer. Also, the Bible tells us that answering questions and being able to answer them when it comes to His word is important!

1 Peter 3:15

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

*Some of these people are unwilling to point out sins in their life, tell someone about it and get help with it, and some of these people are unwilling to point out sins if it is about someone that has a higher authority in the church, or it is someone they feel is close to them like a friend, just a fellow church member, etc. Although, some of these people may have no problem pointing out sin in someone they are unfamiliar with in order to make themselves feel superior. However, this is a definite Unbiblical and uneducated approach to a situation involving sin.

In a sense, there are some correlations here and there involving this topic, and in a sense there may be some generalizations depending on the people involved - like they are lax on sins accordng to themselves and people they know, but aren't lax on it when it comes to those they don't know. In other circumstances, it may be the same towards people they do and don't know.

Hope I answered your question. Sorry if some of it was rambling. I also apologize for not posting for a while (life has been busy).  

[Garland-Green]

Aquatic_blue

It's possible that how you feel about the Bible is how you feel about God because it mentions that the Word is God and God is the Word in John 1:1. So if you don't love God's word, it's would seem impossible to love God.

I see that there are a lot of versions of the Bible that have a bias because of the writer, but that doesn't mean we can't go out and get a hold of a King James Bible, a Strong's Concordance, Hebrew/Greek Dictionaries, etc. and strive to understand it. Sometimes understanding the Bible I have found to be challenging sometimes because some verses I just don't understand, others I have heard twisted and need to be sure of the true meaning, etc. If we have the faith and the determination - God's word will not be impossible to understand. On top of that, if there's something we don't understand, we can consult God in prayer.

There is no reason to give up understanding the Bible because of the excuse of, "The Bible can't ever be understood, we should give up because we just odn't know." If one doesn't try to understand then how will they know what is sin and what is truth? How will they understand how to deal with certain tough issues in a manner in which God would appreciate. How are we to know about the gifts? How are we to know what The Holy Spirit can do in our lives? The excuse that the Bible has been edited so much it's beyond recognition is sad because to me, it sounds like ignorance. They make an excuse to not try to understand.

If these type of people are lax in their dealings with sin then that would make sense to me as well because they may not take the time to read about certain sins. Maybe some of these people will not see taking God's name in vain as a sin, or lying as a sin. They may be lax because they don't understand how important it is to live a life in God and follow His word. I can see how this excuse could affect the lifestyle of any Christian if they chose to pursue this ideal. If they believe that God is unwilling to make his ideas clear, then they won't have enough faith in Him and perhaps see understanding God's word as an impossible endeavor, which goes against Philippians 4:13.

I have seen churches that do not follow God's word, or don't even read all of the Bible and choose the parts they enjoy and use it to hurt peoples feelings and make themselves feel superior. It's sickening, it makes one who knows the truth feel spiritually ill around those people and incredibly sad for their souls because they are in a state of mind where they think they are right no matter what and they don't have a moral foundation because they are uncomfortable with answering questions. They ignore some questions about things because they don't feel it's "worth mentioning" and often times it's because they know the answer and don't want to accept it as truth or don't know the answer. Also, the Bible tells us that answering questions and being able to answer them when it comes to His word is important!

1 Peter 3:15

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

*Some of these people are unwilling to point out sins in their life, tell someone about it and get help with it, and some of these people are unwilling to point out sins if it is about someone that has a higher authority in the church, or it is someone they feel is close to them like a friend, just a fellow church member, etc. Although, some of these people may have no problem pointing out sin in someone they are unfamiliar with in order to make themselves feel superior. However, this is a definite Unbiblical and uneducated approach to a situation involving sin.

In a sense, there are some correlations here and there involving this topic, and in a sense there may be some generalizations depending on the people involved - like they are lax on sins accordng to themselves and people they know, but aren't lax on it when it comes to those they don't know. In other circumstances, it may be the same towards people they do and don't know.

Hope I answered your question. Sorry if some of it was rambling. I also apologize for not posting for a while (life has been busy).

It is no problem at all. I know just how it is. =) and you are not at all rambling. What you say does make perfect sense. Thank you!

Quote:

If we have the faith and the determination - God's word will not be impossible to understand.

I am glad you said this! Why would he communicate with us, but make his communication unintelligible? God knowing our limitations wouldn't express himself in a way where our limitations get in the way. If we don't understand something it doesn't mean it can't be understood. It just mean we have to apply ourselves to understand.

Quote:

The excuse that the Bible has been edited so much it's beyond recognition is sad because to me, it sounds like ignorance. They make an excuse to not try to understand.

They trust more those who hold a bias against Christianity, and against there being a God. It is trusting fallen man more then God. It is a pretty strange choice for a Christian...  

[Aquatic_blue]

Quote:

It is no problem at all. I know just how it is. =) and you are not at all rambling. What you say does make perfect sense. Thank you!

I'm glad it makes sense, and no problem =D

Quote:

I am glad you said this! Why would he communicate with us, but make his communication unintelligible? God knowing our limitations wouldn't express himself in a way where our limitations get in the way. If we don't understand something it doesn't mean it can't be understood. It just mean we have to apply ourselves to understand.

Exactly! God made us, so he knows what we each are capable of understanding, and that we will be able to understand if we do our best and consult Him in prayer. God isn't going to say, "Okay, I'll give you a book you can never understand and stories you can never understand just so I can sit back and hope you make it to Heaven." That's not God - he's not lax on sin, laziness, etc. so we shouldn't be, either. We need to do our best! God is always there for us whether we feel we need him or not, and is willing to listen to us and help us understand through The Holy Spirit =)

Quote:

They trust more those who hold a bias against Christianity, and against there being a God. It is trusting fallen man more then God. It is a pretty strange choice for a Christian...

I would agree. There are people that even now stick to the physical ideas in society about how we should do things, including how we should be a Christian. The term "Christianity" now a days seems to have so many definitions because of those who use their beliefs to press spiritual abuse on others. It's saddening when there are people that choose to rely on their own strength, especially when they need God more than ever. Saying, "I'm Christian." and not even bothering to understand God's word doesn't click with me, either.  

[Aran of Vengerid]

I'd encourage for people to read the bible.

I'd encourage morals that they develop through life, ones that are adaptable.  

[Garland-Green]

Wyzukitan

I'd encourage for people to read the bible.

I'd encourage morals that they develop through life, ones that are adaptable.

What do you mean by adaptable?  

[Aran of Vengerid]

Garland-Green

Wyzukitan

I'd encourage for people to read the bible.

I'd encourage morals that they develop through life, ones that are adaptable.

What do you mean by adaptable?

Society has changed since 100 AD.
People change.
We have different expectations of how to behave when in company.

Because of your "Statement Of Faith," I can't really make a joke lol

It's generally not accepted by our current society to hurt people because of differing views.  

[Garland-Green]

Wyzukitan

Garland-Green

Wyzukitan

I'd encourage for people to read the bible.

I'd encourage morals that they develop through life, ones that are adaptable.

What do you mean by adaptable?

Society has changed since 100 AD.
People change.
We have different expectations of how to behave when in company.

Because of your "Statement Of Faith," I can't really make a joke lol

It's generally not accepted by our current society to hurt people because of differing views.

But what if in fifty years from now it is broadly accepted that it is ok to hurt people because of differing views? Do we determine whether it is perfectly fine to hurt people or not based on time elapsed? In my society it is still common practice with electroshock therapy, and considered by the majority to be an acceptable form of treatment. My point is that you can't base your morals on what is the popular idea of the time, or on the idea that humanity progress morally just given enough time.  

[Aran of Vengerid]

Garland-Green

Wyzukitan

Garland-Green

Wyzukitan

I'd encourage for people to read the bible.

I'd encourage morals that they develop through life, ones that are adaptable.

What do you mean by adaptable?

Society has changed since 100 AD.
People change.
We have different expectations of how to behave when in company.

Because of your "Statement Of Faith," I can't really make a joke lol

It's generally not accepted by our current society to hurt people because of differing views.

But what if in fifty years from now it is broadly accepted that it is ok to hurt people because of differing views? Do we determine whether it is perfectly fine to hurt people or not based on time elapsed? In my society it is still common practice with electroshock therapy, and considered by the majority to be an acceptable form of treatment. My point is that you can't base your morals on what is the popular idea of the time, or on the idea that humanity progress morally just given enough time.

I myself with always have views which don't fit with society's standard.

For example, if it became normal for people to bash their heads repeatedly against trees, I probably wouldn't follow it due to my personal stance/disposition.

In short, I'd like to be able to change if I were wrong.  

[Necessitarian]

An antimony for Christians and others who do not accept the inerrancy of the Christian Scriptures:

If God's revelation (e.g. the Bible) can be skepticized by human factulties, human faculties necessarily hold a higher epistemic authority than does God's revelation. If human faculties necessarily hold a higher epistemic authority than the being who supposedly defines epistemic authority, God, then human faculties are infallible or nothing is knowable.

To summarize, there has to be some ultimate indubitable authority of knowledge or else there is no ground to provide certainty, and without certainty you cannot distinguish between certainty and uncertainty and therefore cannot distinguish truth from falsity and therefore have no knowledge at all. People who doubt the modern Bible as that ultimate indubitable authority of knowledge which stands as the Christian's ground of certitude MUST do so on the grounds of some other authority, which is inherently idolatrous. Thus, the moral problem and the problem of inerrancy are most certainly related. People who don't take the Bible seriously are essentially committing idolatry.