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Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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There seems to be two schools of thought out there about how to read/ apply the NT. One side believes that all the NT is inspired by the Holy Spirit and should be taken literally (as long as it's in context). Others believe that the writers of the NT sometimes wrote their own beliefs down - for example in same cases Paul says "this is my opinion, but not the law of God". Some say Paul's statement's about women not be allowed to speak in church is his opinion and is not binding.
How do you think the Bible, in particular the NT, should be read???
Many things went into the original writings such as culture and language usage - both of which can trip up interpreters. But these (imo) are minor compared to the fact that the original prophet was "under the influence" at the time he wrote the text. Led by the Spirit, they were seeing things spiritually that cannot be translated fully in text.
As to how it's to be read, scripture itself tells us: only the spirit knows the things of the spirit - the carnal mind cannot conceive these things. The one and only cure for hearing God is for Him to open our understanding.
Last edited by little elmer; 11-19-2009 at 03:27 PM..
Reason: add
Bible said the letter of the word kills. What does it kill, It kills the move of God. It stops the revelation of the Holy Spirit who is called to teach his interpretation to Christian , A promise of the Lord to send his spirit to teach his people because the teacher of the Old testament failed to teach the Lords Children through to literal word or custom. Sure the word of God has many promises of God and when you speak his word with faith of heart , his words are honored and will move God and his spirit. Sure the literal word is good for evangalising new converts to prevent missinformation, but Holy Spirit must be given to new converts to help then find Holy Spirit for their redemption and cleansing and then their growth with the Lord. If you push Holy Spirit away there is no redemption In this age or the age to come and the false prophet will come to spead lies and divisions in the body of Christ and take Jesus church away from him. Jesus said I will build my church and hades will not stand up against It.
If you push Holy Spirit away there is no redemption In this age or the age to come and the false prophet will come to spead lies and divisions in the body of Christ and take Jesus church away from him. Jesus said I will build my church and hades will not stand up against It.
There seems to be two schools of thought out there about how to read/ apply the NT. One side believes that all the NT is inspired by the Holy Spirit and should be taken literally (as long as it's in context). Others believe that the writers of the NT sometimes wrote their own beliefs down - for example in same cases Paul says "this is my opinion, but not the law of God". Some say Paul's statement's about women not be allowed to speak in church is his opinion and is not binding.
How do you think the Bible, in particular the NT, should be read???
In the case of Paul, I don't see a problem with what he did, because he let the readers know that he was giving his opinion, and the words were not coming from God.
So, yes the scriptures came from The Holy Spirit and written down by man, but we also see that people write in different styles. A perfect example of that would be to look at the Gospels. You have some of the same events being recorded by all but you notice that they describe things differently and some things one recorded and the other didn't, one might concentrate on showing the Jesus is God, and the othe will want to show the line that Christ came in, so different people, different styles.
Now, I think it would be a problem if Paul used his opinion and then tell the readers that it was God speaking when it was not.
So, we have to understand that the bible was written in a different time as we live now, and people write according to their personality.
The Holy Spirit gave the words, but the Holy Spirit didn't make the people that was writing the words, change their personality. So, we are going to find different writing styles.
So, when reading the bible, it would help if a person had basic knowledge of certain things that would help them understand the bible and not be confused.
Basic things like, the history of the book, why the person wrote the book and who they were writing it to, the personality of the person ( which will help in understanding why a person is writing a certain way) and other factors when tryng to understand the bible.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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^ It's a problem for me because the church I attend (Church of Christ) is based totally on literal interpretation of the New Testament only, with no extra canonical texts allowed. Since some things about basic church functions are vague in the NT disputes start about things in which neither side can even prove who's right or wrong.
Bible said the letter of the word kills. What does it kill, It kills the move of God. It stops the revelation of the Holy Spirit who is called to teach his interpretation to Christian , A promise of the Lord to send his spirit to teach his people because the teacher of the Old testament failed to teach the Lords Children through to literal word or custom. Sure the word of God has many promises of God and when you speak his word with faith of heart , his words are honored and will move God and his spirit. Sure the literal word is good for evangalising new converts to prevent missinformation, but Holy Spirit must be given to new converts to help then find Holy Spirit for their redemption and cleansing and then their growth with the Lord. If you push Holy Spirit away there is no redemption In this age or the age to come and the false prophet will come to spead lies and divisions in the body of Christ and take Jesus church away from him. Jesus said I will build my church and hades will not stand up against It.
"Who also makes us competent dispensers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter is killing, yet the spirit is vivifying." (Now if the dispensation of death, by letters chiseled in stone, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look intently into the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face, which was being nullified, how shall not rather the dispensation of the spirit be in glory?
(2 Corinthians 3:6-8 CLV)
The letter that was killing was the letters of the law chiseled in stone. Paul was not saying that everything he wrote was the letter that is killing.
As to the original question: even Paul's opinions are inspired because he said they were made in accord with him having the spirit.
1Co 7:40 "Yet happier is she if ever she should be remaining thus, according to my opinion. Now I presume that I also have God's spirit."
The NT, I don't know. But I do know that earth is WAY older than 6000 years. Several different types of measurements concur that the earth's age is in the billions. The Bible is part fact and part fiction all put together to teach you of God's love, mercy, truth, and the possibility of everlasting life.
So, I say, taking the Bible from cover to cover literally is a fools approach to it's understanding.
RE: the Apostle Paul's letters of instruction to the churches. Here's another example:
1 Corinthians 11:4-6
4Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
So, if we are to take this literally, then all the women should wear something on their heads. (And the men should never pray if they are wearing a hat or cap) Some churches do follow this...require the women to wear a head covering, hat, etc. All the churches I've gone to didn't have this requirement. Personally, for all the women to wear this frumpy little "doily-thingy" on their heads, or a gawdy-looking hat, etc, looks old-fashioned and unattractive to me...not beautiful for sure. That's just me though...
Maybe, just maybe, some of Paul's rules were because of localized tradition and custom of his time, that although applied to churches then and there, were not meant to be applied to all churches everywhere, for all time. Just a thought. (?)
I would guess that parts of the NT are to be taken literally, and other parts not, because they are symbolic, as an aid to teaching. For example, Jesus said "if your eye offends you, pluck it out". Ok, so how many of you are going to take that literally?
Location: Comunistafornia, and working to get out ASAP!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by censusdata
There seems to be two schools of thought out there about how to read/ apply the NT. One side believes that all the NT is inspired by the Holy Spirit and should be taken literally (as long as it's in context). Others believe that the writers of the NT sometimes wrote their own beliefs down - for example in same cases Paul says "this is my opinion, but not the law of God". Some say Paul's statement's about women not be allowed to speak in church is his opinion and is not binding.
How do you think the Bible, in particular the NT, should be read???
ALL of Scripture ALL of it is inspired by the Holy Spirit; also known as Verbal Plenary View. (which I hold to) Having said that, the correct rule and common sense is to take it literal where it's literal and figurative where it's figurative. It is inconsistent and unwise to "pick and choose" what parts of the Bible we will obey the logic is eschewed in that case.
2 Timothy 3:16
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It is inconsistent and unwise to "pick and choose" what parts of the Bible we will obey the logic is eschewed in that case.
