So, the Bible is a document, that is a witness testimony of God’s interaction with the Hebrew People. Every chapter has some historical provenance—like artefacts that are talked about in Joshua or Kings, can be dug up in Israel. Same thing with the Gospel, it’s a corroborated Witness account. We know that through first century Church Fathers who accounted the chain of witness.
Is it inspired? Well, to put it bluntly, the Law in the Old Testament was given by God, to Moses. It was developed by Abraham, in Mesopotamia, went to Egypt, where from Egypt, they left and went into Canaan. And they established a Kingdom, called Israel. So, the Law is given, and it prophesied the Fall of Jerusalem, the Atonement of Christ—in Abraham, the Passover and also the Corban Law—and it told you the reason for this, was sin. If Israel sinned, these things would happen. So, the Prophets, knowing the Law, interpreted it, and made poetry, based on the punishments of the Law, and its interpretations as they witnessed Jerusalem being besieged by their enemies. Sometimes taking inspiration from the surrounding religions, sort of as an ancient apologetics. So, that’s really what the Bible is, is it takes the Law, and sees people are sinning, and interprets the punishments for those sins, in order to cause people to repent, and therefore not be punished.
So, the Bible is divinely inspired, it’s the rewards and punishments for living either Godly or Ungodly.
Stenographer. That’s true. A stenographer will account everything in a courtroom. Not just what people say. But, I’d say it’s not God’s voice they’re audibly hearing. Prophet means “Interpreter.” But, when Nebuchadnezzar was besieging Jerusalem, the Prophets wrote what they witnessed. And some of those prophecies, will come true in the Eschaton. Some of those prophecies were fulfilled by Alexander the Great and Cambyses II. God establishes the Word of His servant. Because the prophecy is a declaration of God’s Wrath on the world.
Well, -2 and 2 can both be answers for x. If there’s multiple dimensions to a problem, it can have multiple correct answers. “I say, and not God”, Paul also says “Let each be fully convinced.” Meaning, there’s multiple dimensions to the truth, what’s true for one person, isn’t always true for another. So long as it’s not sinful.
Actually, scripture is not incorrect. I’ve done a lot of research on this… every claim in the Bible is backed up by some archeology. The gospels are either directly from witnesses, or one person removed. So, you know… I wouldn’t believe if that weren’t true.
Biblical interpretation is easy. Once you know the story of the Prophets, it becomes very clear. It’s not hard to interpret, it’s just a lot of people use some form of bibliomancy to interpret it. And that’s just ignoring the very real thing it’s actually saying. It’s the same interpretation I’ve heard Catholics use, as Baptists and Presbyterians.
The Old Testament is God’s casebook. It’s the sentence, and the ordinance. The New Testament, is Jesus paying the price to get us off that punishment. So, they’re both divinely inspired. The one, is to reveal sin, and to tell you why and how it’s punished. The second is to tell you how you’re saved, and what to do now that you are.
The bible came from Christianity, and Christianity came from Christ. Therefore, the Bible came from Christ. Astute point of view. That’s actually why the Bible is so compelling, is it’s like a riddle. Buddha, Confucius, Pythagoras, Muhammad, they’re pretty straight forward. Jesus, and the Bible, it’s very dense, and you have to turn it in your mind and keep turning it. It never yields easy answers. That’s why I believe it. It’s just very tough, to get a straight, one dimensional answer on anything. Unlike everything else. If used right, it produces better understanding of how the world works and how to endure suffering, and be at peace.
I don’t think that’s the argument, though, for General Revelation. It’s something more along the lines, of we know right from wrong inherently, and we know when we study physics or algebra or something, there’s some design to the universe. I’ve had very in depth discussions with some very smart men about this… I have no idea how sine and cosine could work, if there wasn’t a God to make it work. Like, why does that work? You just see the interconnection of that—that’s the foundation of all higher math—and then how intricately everything else weaves together. It’s hard for me to say there’s no design. When I study the elements, by Euclid, I just see winks in there. That’s general revelation. Or, in the moral ground, how we all know we’d rather have joy, love and peace rather than sadness, hate and strife. It’s just how we’re wired. And God’s Being provides love, joy and peace, in His followers. It just follows them. That’s really the evidence in a nutshell. It’s obvious, and it makes atheism look foolish, when you look at what it presents as evidence, when its own philosophers debase reason, even nullifying all first principles. It’s so obvious that God is real, and the Moral Law of the Bible makes sense, when you understand why it is.
