The Bible is Not a Textbook

[Christodoulos]

Anytime you can teach religion out of a textbook to a cl***room of students ,you are basically teaching a dead religion.

The Christian Faith cannot be taught as it were out of a manual.

The Gospel message can only do one thing and that is to inspire the reader.

And the Gospel message of salvation can only be received by way of inspiration of the life and burial and death of the founder of the Christian Faith.

First believe from the inspiration and the doctrines will follow.

If reading the Gospel narratives doesn't impress you then no amount of sunday school will ever be of any use.

[alanmolstad]

The example we are given in the Text is found in the life of Christ.

When Jesus faced a time of temptation he responded with a quotation of scripture.
This shows us the High importance Jesus placed to the study of the Bible and how we are to rely on the Bible whenever we have a question as to what we should do or think.

I believe that of all the things we do to help our children grow up in the Christian faith, the TOP thing we need to do is raise our child with a firm grasp of the scripture.

[Christodoulos]

Originally Posted by alanmolstad

The example we are given in the Text is found in the life of Christ.

When Jesus faced a time of temptation he responded with a quotation of scripture.
This shows us the High importance Jesus placed to the study of the Bible and how we are to rely on the Bible whenever we have a question as to what we should do or think.

I believe that of all the things we do to help our children grow up in the Christian faith, the TOP thing we need to do is raise our child with a firm grasp of the scripture.

those who quote scripture the most ,know it the least.

[RealFakeHair]

Originally Posted by Christodoulos

those who quote scripture the most ,know it the least.

Can I quote you on that?

[alanmolstad]

The Scriptures testify about Christ....rejecting them is rejecting Christ.

[Christodoulos]

Originally Posted by alanmolstad

The Scriptures testify about Christ....rejecting them is rejecting Christ.

There is one language, however, that is common to each missionary—the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart.

In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul the Apostle urges that we turn from the narrow confinement of the letter of the law and seek the open vista of opportunity that the Spirit provides. I love and cherish his statement: “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor. 3:6).

see, you don't know what in the world you are even talking about. you need to study more....

[alanmolstad]

2 Corinthians 3 New International Version (NIV)

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.


The writer here is upset at the p***ing around of "letters of recommendation" by some preachers that he did not have.
These are the "letters" we are dealing with, the "letters" that kill

So we are not talking about the bible, but rather of the common practice of basing a ministry and basing a reputation of a ministry on only supposed letters of recommendation from the Jewish authority that the writer simply did not have nor cared to get for himself.

These letters of recommendation were achieving their goal of undercutting the message of the Good News that the Christian church was spreading to the world.


This same topic comes up a few other places in the New Testament, mostly within the writings of Saint Paul where he was always on the defensive due to the way he came into the ministry, his speaking style compared to his writing style, etc.



To get a better idea as to the place that Saint Paul had for the Scriptures, we need only turn to the story we find at Acts 17:11, where both his good preaching and personal experience is put to the test of Scripture.

So it does not really matter what type of personal "spiritual experience" a person might have or claim to have had.
The rubber meets the road for us with the Scriptures.....
The faith of the christian starts and ends only with the scriptures.

[Christodoulos]

Originally Posted by alanmolstad

2 Corinthians 3 New International Version (NIV)

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.


The writer here is upset at the p***ing around of "letters of recommendation" by some preachers that he did not have.
These are the "letters" we are dealing with, the "letters" that kill

So we are not talking about the bible, but rather of the common practice of basing a ministry and basing a reputation of a ministry on only supposed letters of recommendation from the Jewish authority that the writer simply did not have nor cared to get for himself.

These letters of recommendation were achieving their goal of undercutting the message of the Good News that the Christian church was spreading to the world.


This same topic comes up a few other places in the New Testament, mostly within the writings of Saint Paul where he was always on the defensive due to the way he came into the ministry, his speaking style compared to his writing style, etc.



To get a better idea as to the place that Saint Paul had for the Scriptures, we need only turn to the story we find at Acts 17:11, where both his good preaching and personal experience is put to the test of Scripture.

So it does not really matter what type of personal "spiritual experience" a person might have or claim to have had.
The rubber meets the road for us with the Scriptures.....
The faith of the christian starts and ends only with the scriptures.

irrelevant .....pure deflection.

[MacG]

Originally Posted by Christodoulos

There is one language, however, that is common to each missionary—the language of the Spirit. It is not learned from textbooks written by men of letters, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. The language of the Spirit comes to him who seeks with all his heart to know God and keep His divine commandments. Proficiency in this language permits one to breach barriers, overcome obstacles, and touch the human heart.

In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul the Apostle urges that we turn from the narrow confinement of the letter of the law and seek the open vista of opportunity that the Spirit provides. I love and cherish his statement: “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor. 3:6).

see, you don't know what in the world you are even talking about. you need to study more....

It is interesting that you resorted to quoting scripture to make your point...Yes the letter of the LAW kills. The last I checked, the Gospels are not the Law though some may make it so.

So Jesus says to his disciples: "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

The Disciples whom heard Jesus first hand, would need a reminder, the Spirit. We who were not present to spend three and a half years hearing the words of Jesus must settle for reading His words. Paul whom you quote says to study the scripture to show one's self approved having the effect pf hiding them in our hearts so that in time of need the Spirit can re-mind us (implying we have lost our mind? ) of His words. This may be for the purpose of building one;s self in the Lord or to encourage another. The Spirit is active for sure but even the Spirit will at times draw from the fragmented database of our mind. To be reminded one must first be 'minded'.

Elsewhere He said as they were going about their business make disciples teaching them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all that I have commanded you. Commanded you. Sounds kinds legalistic - teach them the commands. Why not rely solely on the Spirit's teaching and forget about what Jesus taught? Ludicrous, right? How can they teach the commands He taught without quoting Him when the Spirit reminds them of His words? How can we do any less?

Now it is true that memorizing scripture and getting into sword of the Lord fights proof-texting apriori suppositions won't get one saved. I have found quoting scripture in certain settings can be pretentious and off putting to a non-believer, heck even to believers at times. In those times, when the Spirit prompts scripture I find it maybe just for me to know how to handle the situation or maybe find a way to convey the meaning without directly quoting verse for verse. Maybe that is what you are saying but your comment to Alan seems to me to border on ad hominem or raca, I could be wrong about that though - it would not be the first time...

MacG

[alanmolstad]

the law brings death due to not the problems with the law...so we dare not blame the law....for the Law is God's will for us...

But the law brings death as it points out the failed heart of man....

[Christodoulos]

Originally Posted by alanmolstad

the law brings death due to not the problems with the law...so we dare not blame the law....for the Law is God's will for us...

But the law brings death as it points out the failed heart of man....

Anything ever written forms an abstract idea. The letters which spell T-R-E-E are not the tree.

A picture of something is the same idea.

The written word of God ,and I believe it is, can only inspire ;it can inspire for good if the spirit is there ,evil if not.

The fact that we have 20.000 different christian denominations ,each one in compe***ion with each other speaks to
the inability of ordinary people to see the same thing in the written word. And this is not only a disgrace but a major existential threat to the Gospel.

this doesn't mean you cannot believe in and accept what you read.