Bible Study: 101
Jesus, born of Mary, is proclaimed throughout the bible as "The Son of
God"
In Galatians 3 it is proclaimed that "we are all the sons of God
through faith in Jesus Christ".
In 1 Everyone
who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone
who loves the father loves his child as well."
Grace,
mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the
Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love."
This draws a continuous and clear distinction between the two entities; God and his son. Jesus was a mortal, who walked among us, died on the cross, just like all the other sons of God proclaimed in Galatians 3.
In Exodus 20:3 and it proclaims that God has made it clear that "You shall have no
other gods before me."
In 1 Kings 14:9 it states "You have done more evil than all who
lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal;
you have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back."
Is the Bible not an idol made of paper? Is Jesus not presented as another god before GOD?
Lets assume for the purposes of this exploration that the Bible is indeed the word of God even though there exist no known manuscripts or passage that were actually penned by Jesus, let alone GOD himself. The Bible, as the "Word of God" should be followed and obeyed, especially by the Christians who proclaim it as the truth.
In Leviticus 20:27 it states that "A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads." Was Jesus not a spiritist? If he returns as is often proclaimed must we stone him to death? Are the authors of the bible, who wrote the word of god after hearing it not all spiritists and therefore must be put to death? Is a preacher standing before you proclaiming to feel the power of god not a spiritist and must he not be put to death?
In Exodus 31:15 it states "For six days, work is to be done, but
the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD . Whoever does any work
on the Sabbath day must be put to death."
In Exodus 21:12 it states that "Anyone who strikes a man and kills
him shall surely be put to death."
In Exodus 21:14 it states that "But if a man schemes and kills
another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to
death."
In Leviticus 24:17 it states that "If anyone takes the life of a
human being, he must be put to death."
In Numbers 35 it repeatedly states things like "'If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death."
Most of my family works on the Sabbath. Is it my responsibility to stone them and put them to death or can I just call the police? If I stone them who will then put me to death?
Employees of Wal-Mart, most nurses, doctors, waitresses, cooks, airline pilots, gas station attendants, etc work on the Sabbath. Who will put all these people to death? If I see someone work on the Sabbath, is it my responsibility to put them to death? Must I do it right then or can I wait until a later day when I'm not dressed up in my Sunday suit? Is it the responsibility of their bosses, the government? Who will stone the bosses or the government officers?
What about the soldiers who take a human life in the battlefield? Numbers 35 makes it clear that they are all murderers. Must they be put to death by their generals in the battle field or can they come home to see their wives and children one last time before being executed? Who will stone their executioners?
If such a literal interpretation of the bible is not acceptable and we start to be selective about the passages that we wish to obey or believe in, does the bible not become just another book that can be re-written, evaluated, judged for its appropriateness and relevance and be put aside when inconvenient? If the bible is the word of God how can we ask anyone to worship and live by the word of God selectively? If it is the word of God must we not obey its every statement? If not who will be appointed by what authority to interpret the bible in the context of modern society? If he is appointed by god is he not a spiritist and therefore must be put to death?
Maybe here lies the answer to the population explosion. Or maybe the word of GOD is imbedded not in a book that has caused millions to die throughout history, but in the very structure of existence. Maybe the word of God is proclaimed in the physics of gravity and the speed of light. Maybe GOD has given us guidance in the grand design of death and re-birth that each season brings. Maybe the miracle of a cherry blossom bringing forth nourishing fruit is God's demonstration of Love for us humans. Maybe the glory of God's power and grand design is demonstrated in the pinwheel of a galaxy or the miracle of combining two gasses at just the right temperature to form a scarce but vital commodity; water.
Life is God's gift to us. Maybe the ultimate sin, true blasphemy, is the disrespect we show so often for this precious gift of Life on Earth that has been offered to us to care for and protect. Think about this gift next time you drive your SUV to Walmart on a Sunday.