What is the Bible?

[Brakelite]

What it is not... Is a dissertation on theology. It wasn't written by a group of PhDs sitting in a communal classroom writing a doctorate/thesis on doctrine and dogma.
The Bible is essentially a story...a narrative. Rather than written by scholars, it was more the result of a band of hippies with guitars. Does this offend you?
So what is it that we are to get from reading the Bible... Considering it's largely a book of songs, poems, and literary masterpieces such as Revelation? Theology? Yes, we can extract from the Bible different points of theology. But that isn't the main intent as far as I'm concerned anyway. I think what we are to receive from scripture is a picture of God, through the story or narrative of how He presents Himself to man. A story of redemption...a story of love...a story of infinite and merciful faithfulness. And once we behold that picture... Then we are changed into His image. But if you get the picture wrong, then the image being created is not... The picture your mind is focused on... Is one of your own making, and your future may never rise higher than your own limited imagination.
So what to you is the Bible, and it's purpose?

 

[Willie T]

What an astute description of His followers when compared to the Religiosity of the world. Thank you.

 

[MattMooradian]

First and foremost, the Bible is my guide to understanding the will character and will of God. Secondarily, the Bible is many things: (1) stories containing relics of real, historical events (mostly, the Old Testament); (2) stories with witness testimony of real, historic events (mostly, the New Testament); (3) a general guideline for understanding human history and human identity; (4) a description of the differences between God-fearing humans and non-believers; (5) the Bible is an inspiration for why we should live a godly life in spite of the apparent irrationality of the Christian message. I'm sure there are many other descriptors of the Bible, but these are personally relevant to me.

 

[Marymog]

What it is not... Is a dissertation on theology. It wasn't written by a group of PhDs sitting in a communal classroom writing a doctorate/thesis on doctrine and dogma.
The Bible is essentially a story...a narrative. Rather than written by scholars, it was more the result of a band of hippies with guitars. Does this offend you?
So what is it that we are to get from reading the Bible... Considering it's largely a book of songs, poems, and literary masterpieces such as Revelation? Theology? Yes, we can extract from the Bible different points of theology. But that isn't the main intent as far as I'm concerned anyway. I think what we are to receive from scripture is a picture of God, through the story or narrative of how He presents Himself to man. A story of redemption...a story of love...a story of infinite and merciful faithfulness. And once we behold that picture... Then we are changed into His image. But if you get the picture wrong, then the image being created is not... The picture your mind is focused on... Is one of your own making, and your future may never rise higher than your own limited imagination.
So what to you is the Bible, and it's purpose?

A band of hippies with guitars are IMO generally considered unemployed, dope smoking homeless shabbily dressed bums soooo I think the writers of scripture would be offended by your description .....just sayin.

 

[Enoch111]

So what to you is the Bible, and it's purpose?

The apostle Paul summed up the purpose and sufficiency of the Bible in 2 Timothy 3:15-17.

1. BRINGS SINNERS TO SALVATION
And that from a child thou [Timothy] hast known the Holy Scriptures [the Hebrew Tanakh], which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2. SINCE THE WHOLE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD
All Scripture [the whole Bible] is given by inspiration of God...

3. FIRSTLY FOR DOCTRINE (DIVINE INSTRUCTION OR TEACHING)
...and is profitable for doctrine...

4. THEN FOR DIVINE REBUKE
...for reproof...

5. THEN FOR DIVINE SETTING STRAIGHT
...for correction...

6. THEN FOR LIVING SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, GODLY
...for instruction in righteousness...

7. SCRIPTURE COMPLETES AND MATURES CHRISTIANS
...That the man of God may be perfect..

8. SCRIPTURE IS SUFFICIENT FOR PRACTICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS
...throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

[Pearl]

What it is not... Is a dissertation on theology. It wasn't written by a group of PhDs sitting in a communal classroom writing a doctorate/thesis on doctrine and dogma.
The Bible is essentially a story...a narrative. Rather than written by scholars, it was more the result of a band of hippies with guitars. Does this offend you?
So what is it that we are to get from reading the Bible... Considering it's largely a book of songs, poems, and literary masterpieces such as Revelation? Theology? Yes, we can extract from the Bible different points of theology. But that isn't the main intent as far as I'm concerned anyway. I think what we are to receive from scripture is a picture of God, through the story or narrative of how He presents Himself to man. A story of redemption...a story of love...a story of infinite and merciful faithfulness. And once we behold that picture... Then we are changed into His image. But if you get the picture wrong, then the image being created is not... The picture your mind is focused on... Is one of your own making, and your future may never rise higher than your own limited imagination.
So what to you is the Bible, and it's purpose?

I agree with you Brakelite2. It took quite a while for me to realise that this set of books we call the bible actually show us what our wonderful Creator God is like and who he is. And very clearly shows that he is not the fierce, judgmental and finger-pointing old man with a beard that so many seem wrongly to think of him.

 

[Base12]

So what to you is the Bible, and it's purpose?

Eugenics.

Does this offend you?

 

[Pearl]

Eugenics.

Does this offend you?

What's 'eugenics'?

 

[farouk]

The Bible is so diverse, time-wise and dispensationally.

It also has a wonderful, remarkable unity, across the many centuries when the Spirit of God used the various writers.

The Person of Christ and His Work at the Cross lies at the heart.

 

[Nancy]

What's 'eugenics'?

"Eugenics is a movement that is aimed at improving the genetic composition of the human race. Historically, eugenicists advocated selective breeding to achieve these goals. Today we have technologies that make it possible to more directly alter the genetic composition of an individual."

Maybe Base was speaking to our new "DNA" in Christ?? Other than that, I have no idea. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Pearl]

"Eugenics is a movement that is aimed at improving the genetic composition of the human race. Historically, eugenicists advocated selective breeding to achieve these goals. Today we have technologies that make it possible to more directly alter the genetic composition of an individual."

Maybe Base was speaking to our new "DNA" in Christ?? Other than that, I have no idea. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks Nancy. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the discussion.

 

[Nancy]

Thanks Nancy. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the discussion.

Oh well, they all seem to go off topic at some point lol.

 

[Joseph77]

Eugenics.

Does this offend you?

It is a complete stench in God's Nostrils... an abomination of abominations.

(Exposed totally as such long ago, it was and is in origin demonic, completely accursed by God)

 

[marks]

The Bible is essentially a story...a narrative. Rather than written by scholars, it was more the result of a band of hippies with guitars. Does this offend you?

Personally, I hold to Divine Plenary Inspiration, and don't think this is much like the musing of the Greatful Dead.

 

[Joseph77]

the writers of scripture

just sayin? Let's see what God Says thru the writers of Scripture (God's Word Breathed from Him thru them written in Scripture) >>>

"I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself."

"Much of the time we don’t have enough to eat,

we wear patched and threadbare clothes,

we get doors slammed in our faces,

and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living.

When they call us names, we say, “God bless you.”

When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them.

We’re treated like garbage, potato peelings from the culture’s kitchen. And it’s not getting any better."

"
Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them.

The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge.

It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion.

I don’t even rank myself.

Comparisons in these matters are pointless.

I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.

5 So don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in.

When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. //

6 All I’m doing right now, friends, is showing how these things pertain to Apollos and me

so that
you will learn restraint and not rush into making judgments without knowing all the facts.


It’s important to look at things from God’s point of view."

 

[Episkopos]

The Old Testament is a narrative...a prophetic narrative. The New Testament is different in that it is the fulfillment of that narrative with a testimonial and explanations (but always in a testimonial way). Even Revelation is a testimonial.

And the subject? God creates and intervenes in His creation. (that would be us)

 

[farouk]

Thanks Nancy. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the discussion.

These forums have a flair for tangents sometimes...

 

[farouk]

Personally, I hold to Divine Plenary Inspiration...

Indeed...

 

[Brakelite]

Personally, I hold to Divine Plenary Inspiration, and don't think this is much like the musing of the Greatful Dead.

You don't think God sings? Read Isaiah 42. First He's singing to us about His Son, then He sings directly to His Son. The entire Bible of chock full of songs and poems and metaphor and hyperbole... Even atheists who don't believe the supernatural testimony of scripture but do study the Bible in universities admit that it is a literary masterpiece. Yes, it is inspired, but you would have to explain what you mean by plenary. There could be several variations and nuances within that word... Complete in that every word is like it was dictated... It complete in that the ideas and principles are directly inspired but the words belong to the writers? Or something in between?

 

[Brakelite]

Take Revelation for example. Have you studied the chiasm form John wrote in? He didn't just scribble out a whole lot of words and phrases like a monologue secretarial letter from the boss. It has structure, beauty, design... It's poetic, not a dissertation on theology. I think the Bible structure and form and beauty is far closer to the writings of one like Bob Dylan rather than Augustine or Kant.