Comments on: No Condemnation Or Judgment

By: Don Rogers

Don Rogers — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:57:44 +0000

I am NOT wise. I am simply on a journey trying to make it through this incarnation. How do you know that the Bible, OT & NT is all God’s word. You do not SHAME me by quoting verses from a letter Paul wrote to brothers and sisters in the church at Corinth. Your world is so small (the Bible) and God is so, so large. It is a SHAME that you are missing so much by limiting God to a book. I would never call you foolish. I wish only for you to see the limitless boundaries of the Source of all there is and to sense the unbounded love our Source has for the whole of creation. As my old church friends used to say, “God don’t make junk”. I wish they really comprehended what that statement really meant. Blessings to you.

By: Linda

Linda — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:48:36 +0000

Don, you believe I worship the Bible. I will agree with you that I am foolish enough to believe God. He uses foolish people like me to shame the wise (I Cor. 1:27). Isn’t that amazing?

By: Don Rogers

Don Rogers — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:58:33 +0000

Linda- Maybe we are not literalists and understand that even the gospel writers had an agenda. There is also the mistranslation of Jesus’ words since none of the gospel writers were there to hear the exact words. The gospels are the words of the community of early followers, not the actual spoken words of Jesus. Each of the gospels is slanted toward the community it was written for. That is why there are significant differences in themes, the importance given to certain themes and issues. Yes, there is a core similarity, but enough differences for us to see the agenda involved. Since Luke and Matthew based their gospels on Mark, the oldest gospel, we would expect to find similarities. And John, well, John the mystical gospel, was a questionable addition to the canon because it was so different. There is no way to know exactly what Jesus said. Subtle differences in the texts can change meanings tremendously, since the gospels were not even written down until probably 40-50 years after his crucifixion. “Scripture” to Peter was the Pentatuch, Psalms and Prophets, not the letters of the NT. The verse you quoted is past tense (for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men MOVED by the Holy Spirit SPOKE from God).This verse is speaking of the past, the OT “scripture”. Once again, you have shown your worship of a book instead of the spirit of the one mentioned there. Paul, IMHO, would be shocked to find what we have done with letters intended for a specific group, dealing with specific problems which may or may not have value for any other group. The scripture, again, mentioned in II Tim. 3:16 was NOT the NT, since Paul’s writings are the earliest found in the NT. The rest of what we call the NT hadn’t even been written yet . Paul believed the “scripture to be the same ones as I mentioned above. These authors of the NT, whoever they might have been, NEVER felt they were writing “scripture” to be used for “teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness”. No one is crossing verses off. Ernie has already stated that some remain a part of the mystery. Your assumed correct interpretation of “scripture” is only one of several different interpretations. What if there is another way of reading the Biblical story; one that doesnâ€™t end with the destruction of the planet as a way to get a great big “do-over” for God, who “obviously” made a mistake the first time he created the universe. I would recommend “Reading the Bible Again for the First Time”, by Marcus Borg, a prominent theologian.

By: jbf

jbf — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:15:55 +0000

What if Scripture is still being written through our own wonderful human experiences? What if the contradictions in the Text are nothing more than representations of the duplicitous lives we lead while under the direction of the ego, which presumes to have all of the answers? Paul’s statement seems to affirm that our human existence is a work in progress-subject to the teaching, reproof, correction and training of my I AM presence-and totally validated by Grace.

If all scripture is inspired by God, and I AM Scripture, then I have a new reason to rejoice today!

By: Ernie

Ernie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:14:06 +0000

Since we have differing views on what the Bible IS (for me sacred but not inerrant), but yet both still follow Jesus, we lovingly agree to disagree.

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:41:45 +0000

Picking and choosing which scriptures to embrace is a spiritually dangerous practice, which leads to CONFUSION of what’s true or not true. Paul had the understanding that all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (II Tim. 3:16). Likewise, Peter stated that “no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20,21). Paul exhorted Timothy to rightly divide or accurately handle the word of God (2 Tim. 2:15). It’s wiser to put scriptures on hold that we don’t understand rather than toss them out, declaring they’re not of God.

By: Ernie

Ernie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:47:40 +0000

My answers CHOOSE to accept those Scriptures where ALL are SAVED, where GRACE triumphs over JUDGMENT, etc. We get to CHOOSE. Do we see GRACE for ALL or SOME? Do we want to embrace the Scriptures that speak of judgment or those that speak of mercy. I CHOOSE the GOOD NEWS and express it to ALL. Unless one sees the "contradictions" in the Scriptures, one cannot choose. But once you see the contradictions, then one can choose what they desire to embrace and believe. Most importantly and above all though are the ACTIONS (and life) of Jesus, which I pray are mine.

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:57:35 +0000

Your answers negate Jesus’ own words. He told Nicodemus in John 3:18 that “he who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” In John 5:40, Jesus declared the religious leaders were unwilling to come to Him to have life. It was Jesus who told the people whoever spoke against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven in this life or the age to come (Matthew 12:31). He was making an offer of eternal life and giving everyone a choice. No one understands this spiritual truth better than the One who gives it to us!

By: Ernie

Ernie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:36:10 +0000

The oxymoron of much of Christianity (but certainly not all of it) is that GRACE is preached as a FREE GIFT of God and then “requirements” are added. Grace is SCANDALOUS and not understood to religious leaders who want to CONTROL (from the Pharisees to now) and worst of all SEPARATE. IF you do so and so you are IN, but if you don’t do so and so, you’re OUT and headed to hell. Many missed it 2,000 years ago and many are still following their lack of understanding or living grace- AMAZING GRACE!

By: Don Rogers

Don Rogers — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:22:42 +0000

There is no requirement before we “receive” else it would NOT be grace.

Humankind is such a constant contradiction, right, Ernie? We demand the to right to choose whether or not we end a pregnancy. And in the same breath we call for “holy war” to end the life on an “infidel”.