If I didn't think better of you, I'd believe you had some patent objection to the Bible, SS. All of these look like basically the same question to me. ... What if God's ways, which are not our ways, make it impossible to express His will in human language without sometimes posing some very difficult questions that only seem like contradictions?
Many Christians have made the Bible a holy cow, Holy cows make the best hamburger. IMHO
You're right. It's easy to get the wrong idea about how I view the Bible. (given my frequent attacks)
And contrary to popular belief, I think the contradictions are real. BECAUSE we did in fact find it...
"impossible to express His will in human language". (the source of said contradictions)
How would you know to look to Him in the way that you do today without the Bible, SS?
Another great question. Thanks.
What comes to mind is Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.
He had a Bible. (so to speak) Did he have the right idea about God? (and his Son Jesus Christ) ???
Nope.
He had a VERY extrabiblical encounter with the living God, the true SOURCE,
something WAY beyond the RESOURCE he already had.
But what about me? (you might counter)
I too had a personal encounter with the living God. Something that informed me BEYOND what the
Bible and being raised in a Christian home had provided. (I can post my testimony if need be)
And I know that some have had an encounter with the living God through the Bible.
But I would say that they encountered the SOURCE through a biblical RESOURCE.
Oh wait, you asked how
I would "know to look to Him in the way that you do today without the Bible... ?"
The Bible is certainly PART of the picture of how I look at God. But again, it is only a resource.
The SOURCE (god) enlightens the RESOURCE (the Bible) in my mind through the Spirit.
I had to do my part be reading and studying the whole book. (resource) For the Spirit to have something to
activate in my mind. But, without the SOURCE, the RESOURCE would be just another dead book.
Does that make sense?
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cc: @Hillsage