I'm a new Christian, but find parts of the Bible hard to swallow?

Question

I've been trying to read the Bible, but I've been coming across passages or verses that are hard for me to accept. For example, in Deut 22:13-21, it says to stone a woman if she is not a virgin before her marriage? And in Lev 20:13, a gay person should be put to death.

These kind of passages especially in the Old Testament doesn't really sit well with me. I believe that the central message of Jesus was to love each other unconditionally, to have compassion and not to judge. I can't believe that God would condemn people forever for their mistakes or condemn people who happen to love someone of the same sex.

I know I should ask these questions to my pastor, but he's quite fundamentalist and not really liberal like I am. Can someone help me as to how I should approach the Bible or understand it better? Thanks in advance

Answer 1

The truth is that when Adam sinned mankind was doomed, Adam lost living forever and by his sin death came about! Gen 3:15 the 1st prophecy we see that there would be a chance for man but only by means of a savior. But what about the claim that man could rule himself, that had to be answered and it has, every form of government has been tried, the Bible's symbol of this is the wild beast with 7 heads and 10 horns! The mother of harlots that rides this 7 headed 10 horned wild beast is all the false superstitious and man made beliefs that has been forced on mankind by Christendom's false clergy, traditions and made up stories by man himself!

Knowing that one day God would restore what Adam gave up man had to be managed, look what happen when man wasn't managed at Noah's time! So the book of laws was written, this is one of the reason the Jewish nation flourished while other nation struggled, they had no laws, all they had was what evolutionist call survival of the fittest. The Israelites where envied because their nation was a clean nation!

The laws may seem harsh but they actually protected them from the many diseases that other nations could not avoid, the Egyptians killed off all the newborn males 2 yeas and under to try to stop the nations growth!

That's the old T. now comes Jesus and the new T., Jesus said he didn't come to do away the law but to fulfill the law, once he did that there was a new law covenant, the one we are under now!

The false clergy have allowed paganism, tradition of men and their false stories(2 Tim 4:3-4), they have ignored the new law covenant about God's Kingdom and adopted the pagan burning hell, while the Bible says there is a lake of fire it also says what it is, it's the second death(Rev 20:14), when someone dies they can be resurrected(Acts 24:15) but when someone dies the second death they can not nor will they ever be resurrected they are confined(tormented) in death forever!

What Does the Bible Really Teach? is a free download at www.jw.org , find out for yourself what the Bible says because according to revelation false beliefs will be an empire call the mother of harlots Babylon the Great and at Revelation 18:4 we are warned to get out of her or be destroyed with her! (Eph 4:56)

Answer 2

Dear New Christian. A lot of Christians are equally confused as yourself about the Bible (Old & New Testament). Perhaps the greatest mistake the Church made when it compiled the Bible was not explaining why the Old & New Testaments exist in the same book.



The Bible is simply a cannonical collection of texts from Judaism (Old Testament) and Christianity (New Testament). As a Christian you must read both but as a general rule Christians follow only the New Testament as it exphasises Christ's teaching. So, what you see in the old Testament about violence like stoning etc. is challenged by Christ in the New Testament, ie; love your enemies and forgiveness is better. And this is the main difference. While the Old Testament teaches revenge the New Testament teaches forgiveness as its main theme. Remember what Christ said on the cross. "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". Forgiveness and the ability to adapt and move on in life is the essence of Christianity.



Most importantly you need to ask yourself, what is a Christian? The answer is simple. Those who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ are Christians and thus will follow only the New Testament while using the Old Testament as a historical guide.



As for me I'm born a Hindu, now an Athiest for many years but I enjoy studying various religions so I'm giving you an unbiased explanation. Hope this helps you understand your religion better.

Answer 3

Some things in the Bible seem to reflect the cultural mores of the day. The Hebrew Scriptures (old testament) were written thousands of years ago in a different time, for a different people, living under different circumstances than we are today. There was a 400 year gap between Malachi (last book of the old testament) and Matthew (first Christian gospel). Even the new testament (Christian Scriptures) was written almost 2000 years ago, and reflects mostly a Jewish perspective, with a few Roman and Greek ideas infiltrating their thinking. Yes, the Bible does condemn premarital sex, adultery, and homosexuality, and most Christian churches follow the idea to hate the sin while loving the sinner. Focus your reading more on the new testament and in time you will come to understand the new commandments: Love God and Love your Neighbor supersede all the other commandments.

Answer 4

The Bible is not easy to understand. As a 'new' Christian, I would suggest starting at where Christianity starts, the New Testament (and then work through the Old Testament). That way you get a clearer understanding of what Christianity is about.



The Old Testament was written under a completely different covenant, for a different people, living under drastically different times. Jesus brought a new covenant and his law is what we follow. It's through grace and mercy.



For the most part though, we are told that the law is written on our hearts

Romans 2:15 (NIV)

They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.



We are also given the two commands that are all compassing:

Matthew 22:36-40 (MSG)

The Most Important Command



34-36 When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”



37-40 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”



Basic golden rule - love

If you are not treating people with fairness, respect and love, then you are not being Christ like. Christ is the one who we follow.



Hope this helps

Answer 5

I believe everything in the bible was true at the time it was written. Most passages in the bible were written from memory. I don't think any of the deciples had pen and paper during Jesus' sermons. I have learned not to take the bible "literally" because I used to get confused also. I read it as a book of stories that have moral lessons for me. I myself have never been married but have two grown sons. I am a Christian and I don't think God would want me to be stoned because I'm not a virgin and I am not married. Relax, enjoy reading your bible and try to understand the lessons as you go.

Answer 6

Im not surprised but those claiming to be christians on here should not be telling you that the OT is just history. If they understood God's purpose and the theme of the Bible, they would be aware that without the OT, Jesus' sacrifice would be invalid. Unfortunately the clergy of mainstream christendom has no idea themselves of Gods true Word or purpose. They are, as Jesus told us allowing their flocks to be thrown around with no leadership. They use the words "God is a mystery" to cover up their own lack of knowledge and understanding. Satan has blinded so many.



I was like you too, I couldnt understand the whole Bible, clergy never helped me, many would say it was just stories, not to be taken literally. But I would think, why would God allow just fairy stories to represent his word? I gave up on the Bible and christendom to be honest, because no one could explain the reasoning for me.



Id always avoided Jehovahs witnesses because brought up in a strict anglican family I was told they were heretics and a cult. After decades of confusion, one day I actually listened to the Jehovahs Witnesses on my doorstep and I thought, just a minute, this is all making sense to me. I took some literature and after a while I took a bible study. I was gobsmacked because it was like scales dropping from my eyes. I could see the meaning of the OT and the theme of the Gods purpose for us. It all became logical and clear and meaningful.



The anti JWs will down thumb this but I know that I was so relieved to find the truth. With reference to your questions. There is ALWAYS a reason for every scripture. Things which may sound totally unfair and extreme are there for a reason, an example. Things like stoning a woman if she is not a virgin - that was a very very strong message to both men and women not to be promiscuous. How likely was it that anyone would know someone was not a virgin? Unlikely, unless they were very blatantly promiscuous. So it was a strong warning.



Homosexuals were often prostitutes for temples in the pagan nations. So, whilst Jehovah condemns homosexual practices - in this particular scripture it was mainly to do with condemnation of pagan practices where homosexual orgies were common.



Please go to jw.org and read all you want, free of charge, without registration and if you want, you can request a bible study as I did :) and you will find such joy in the truth of Gods word.

Answer 7

I have found the same thing to be true about gay sex. I like gay people fine.

We all believe what we want to believe about such things.

While the Bible is full of wisdom. There are parts of it that make you wonder. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth . Jesus said He would send a comforter. The disciples were already doing miracles in His Name. There was an empowering that came to them and they waited for it. We cannot glorify the Book of the Lord above the Lord of the Book. The Apostle Paul said he preached the cross and Jesus crucified. I am sure he said more than that but the point is that this is the central message and everything else is not a matter of salvation.

Answer 8

That's why Christians tend to only study the New Testament, and gloss over the Old Testament teachings.



I actually find the OT more interesting, because most of the NT is just different people going over the same ground over and over again. After a while you get the general idea.



Try finding out where Jesus went for most of his life. Not a lot is said about this, but I think it is quite important - don't you?



I started out Christian, but left when they didn't have basic answers.

Answer 9

Bible definitely condemns homosexuality and tells us to remain virgins till marriage....The stoning was in Old Testament and under Old Covenant Law. New Testament tells us very clearly that God is NOT pro homosexuality and STILL expects us to be virgins till married! New Testament doesn't command stoning. The adulteress was told BY CHRIST "Go and sin no more." He didn't stone her and actually prevented the crowd from so doing! Legend has it than when Christ knelt and wrote in the soil near each of the would be 'stoners', which he did. He wrote the sin of each person at the foot of that would be 'stoner!'

Answer 10

f it said in the bible "kill your mother with stones lest she chastiseth you too much" - what then? Where is the cut off point? At what point does a person of sound inner compass decide that perhaps the bible wasn't written by God at all but by people, people born into sin Trust your inner compass, it's God given.



Look for a spiritual teaching where all the holes are plugged if you need guidance.



But your intuition and inner compass is your true guide. God is within you, truly.

"Doctrine" that they teach you in bible school is but the result of someone else's thinking.

Someone else thinking on an interpretation of Jesus by someone who may or may not have been there with him, who definitely didn't have a Dictaphone or pen and almost certainly didn't sit a test to see if he'd fully understood the teachings, and who was probably -if he could write- a member of a higher cast, clan or creed, which would lead to vested interests and the possible corruption of information or at least mild bias. Et Al Ad infinitum.



The point is, "You are Correct" I know because my inner compass points the same way as yours. And I know God, he's inside me. Or she or it. It is without gender or regard for grammer. Good Luck

Answer 11

I'm an atheist, but I promise not to try to deconvert you. However, I would recommend that you take a look at some of these videos (see my source) and debates (I've watched almost all of them, but that's NOT what made me an atheist). This is one of Americas preeminent bible scholars: true he's an agnostic, but I think you'll find a lot of this material fascinating (I did). Some of the videos are him debating other bible scholars (also mainstream) about various aspects of the texts that we do have (we just don't really have many!... nothing at all from the 1st century, and only a very small amount form the 2nd century). The Christian bible scholars he debates are mainstream like he is, and he and they agree on all the deficiencies of the surviving early texts: incomplete, missing parts, errors, etc. Much more they agree on that they disagree on. He's not trying to deconvert anyone either!! But only arguing in support of his historical interpretation. I found this DECADES after becoming an atheist, and it rekindled in me an interest in the early history of the church and how we know what we know. I think you'll find support for your more liberal interpretation of the Bible in here, and ALSO that there's NOTHING to be ashamed of about that (based on what we really have available to look at).



Again, I'm definitely NOT trying to deconvert you, only to support you in your more liberal beliefs, which I think are MORE than justified given the evidence. Enjoy!!

Answer 12

Jesus says that many of the laws are man-made, the do not come from God (Mark 7:7). He stresses that there are basically just two laws: Love your fellow human and love God! (Mark 12:28-31)This bottomline of "mercy and friendliness" is a motive that is emerging and re-emerging everywhere in the Old Testament (cf. the treatment of Ismael's mother in the desert or God's sparing Niniveh after it does in fact repent). But it is often pushed aside by the vivid tales of Old Israelite times, where Israel struggles with foes (which it does in relentlessly) both from the inside and the outside. Everybody is now realising, even in the remnants of the Israelite religion (i.e. Judaism and Islam) that these old commandments of stoning folks etc. are no longer to be taken literally. The fact is that these religions (and I am not referring to idiots from the ISIS) are thus moving a bit closer to Christianity and its findings. I think that this central finding, i.e. the two laws and the realisation that God is merciful even full of love towards us, are the main "evolutionary or competitive edge" of Christianity over all other religions, as it is also a logical deduction that harmonises wonderfully with modern science and all that.

Answer 13

Jesus' coming made much of the Old Testament history. The parts which remain valid are reiterated in some fashion in the New Testament after Jesus's birth.

Answer 14

The point of the old testament law was to convince everyone that we could not please God by following a law. Once you understand that, then you no longer need to deal with the old testament law. We are under the new covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ. So if you want to read the old testament as a history lesson or for the prophesy or the psalms or proverbs that's all good, but don't think you need to keep the law. Jesus fulfilled the law for us and credited his perfect life to our accounts by faith.

Answer 15

If you don't believe what it sells don't buy it. I think you might be better off reading the New Testament and staying in the books of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John. If after reading those books if you still do not want to follow the teachings there you are probably not going to be a good Christian.

Answer 16

The bible is a collection of books written by people ABOUT God. It is a highly valuable resource, but you have to interpret any scripture in light of the context of the entire bible. The law of MOSES is the law of MOSES. Some of it is Godly; some of it is less bad than the Code of Hammurabi and other current codes of the day; some of it is, well, MOSES' law. Jesus said to the Pharisees: "Moses wrote this law for you because of the hardness of your hearts." (Referring to putting away an unsatisfactory wife) The significance here to this discussion is that MOSES wrote the law, according to Jesus. God did not.



Today's fundamentalist Christianity tells us that the bible is the precise exact unalterable word of God. In fact, the bible does not claim this for itself. The bible is a book full of things that PEOPLE have been inspired to write, to tell one another about God and what He is like in their experience. Period. It is NOT the third member of the Trinity -- that would be the much-neglected Holy Spirit, whose job it is to teach us the ways of God. (Hint: If it's unloving, it's not from God.)



I recommend highly that you do a study (do it on the web) about the history of the bible and how it was written. That will be an eye-opener for you, I think. It was for me. I have more respect for the bible and much less inner conflict over it than I've ever had before, having done this.

Answer 17

The Bible’s answer

God created humans to engage in sex only within the arrangement of marriage between a male and a female. (Genesis 1:27, 28; Leviticus 18:22; Proverbs 5:18, 19) The Bible condemns sexual activity that is not between a husband and wife, whether it is homosexual or heterosexual conduct. (1 Corinthians 6:18) This includes intercourse, fondling another person’s genitals, and engaging in oral or anal sex.



While the Bible disapproves of homosexual acts, it does not condone hatred of homosexuals or homophobia. Instead, Christians are directed to “respect everyone.”—1 Peter 2:17, Good News Translation.



We see these are Gods requirements so although we may sometimes disagree, we should respect and honor his commandments.

Answer 18

These are instances in the Old Testament and the difference from then and now is God judged sin immediately, now since Jesus Christ has paid our sin debt God's wrath on sin has been appeased and Christ now stands as our escape from the wrath of God toward sin. Since Christs sacrifice on the cross we are now under Grace and judgement for sin is delayed until Christ returns. There is a free online video study that explains and puts the pieces of the Bible together to understand it better. If you have questions I would be glad to assist you if you would like help. [e-mail]

http://www.goodseed.com/learn-about-the-bible.html

Answer 19

First before you read the Bible you must know that Bible is divided into many categories namely:

The five book of Moses(Torah)

The books of kings when G-D chose kings for Prophecy

The books of Prophets when G-D chose prophets as a warning to the Israelites

The Gospels of Christ and his disciples (NT)

The verses that you specifically mentioned are ment for the Israelites which included killing your children if they disobey you Lev.20:9,Deut.21:18,not to eat unclean animals including pork,crawling insects& Reptiles and fish without scales Leviticus 11.But it was not so for the Gentiles -Gen 9:2-4.so you can say majority of the commandments in the OT were specifically for the Israelites.

The book of kings specifically mentions about the kings of Israel saul - solomon and the prophecy revealed to them and their songs and their words of wisdom (psalms,proverbs),not only jews but it's mandatory even for christians for he said "i have not come to change the laws of moses but the laws will remain till the end of ages"mathew 5:!8

"i have not come to change the writing of the prophets but to fulfill them'':mat 5:17''

but it does not speak of the Gentiles because there were not many laws for the gentiles because the Gentiles did not follow the Laws of Moses so i

t's for important for christians .

so i can say don't worry most of those rules are not very important for you :D

Read the Bible and pray to G-D for better understanding if you truly beleive G-D exist.

The OT tells you about an angry G-D whereas new tells you about a merciful G-D that's the basic theme.

Answer 20

According to the bible, the following is moral



Rape

Treating women as objects

Multiple wives

Genocide

Infanticide

Killing unbelievers

Stoning a woman if she is not a virgin before her marriage

Slavery

The killing of mostly every man, woman, child, and animal on the planet with the great flood.

Human and animal sacrifice



According to the bible, the following immoral



Picking up sticks on the Sabbath

Pork, Shrimp, Figs, and blended fabric

Divorce.

Answer 21

Of course you find things "hard to swallow."

There are two absolutes in this Universe,

1) It called "The Court of Law" because it is not the court of truth.

2) The bible, koran, toran, give both points of view to use at any given moment to get you to fill their coffers and support their bureaucracy; when you don't, they use it to burn you at the stake and/or drill airliners into your skyscrapers.



You are not yet prepared for mental-programming. You still have the ability to think and question the bureaucracies' bu||sh|t.

Keep up the good work.j

If you NEED a "relationship with God," then remember, He is all-knowing enough to know on your Conception Day whether or not He created you to His Standards. (Do you *really* think--regardless of "freewill"--He creates *beneath* His Standards???)

You don't need a bureaucracy to be with Him. That's for the other members of the "church/mosque/temple to feel good and they are not the ones that judge* you (though they try to do it anyway.)

*God "judges* not you, but His Decision to create you. And since you are here, then He must've judged His handiwork in creating you as "within Standard."

Answer 22

Parts of the Bible are meant to be hard to swallow. God intended it that way. Animal sacrifices were used to cover the sin of Israel, but all the thousands of animals sacrificed could not take away their sins and they kept sinning against God. The Law was given so man would know that he needed a Savior. Neither the Jews nor the Gentiles could keep God's commandments. God wanted to establish just that. So God sent that Branch of Himself called Jesus into the world to take away the sins of the world. Animal blood sacrifice would not do. Man continually sinned against God. Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary was the last sacrifice for mankind. Since man could not quit sinning against God, God sent a substitute for our sins and the blood of Jesus washes our sin away when we believe and accept Jesus as our Savior. When you reject Jesus, you are right back to the Old Testament where God said stone the sinner. Without Jesus, you are a walking dead person so stoning is as good as anything for the walking dead, but the truth is without Jesus you are hell bound. A Christian is covered by the blood of Jesus and Christ's blood is all the righteousness that we have. The Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags. It is the blood of Jesus that keeps the wrath of God - off of us. The only righteousness in any of us is - Christ Jesus. God judges sin and if you are not covered by the blood of Jesus, then God's wrath and judgment falls upon you. The period of grace will run out for those who reject Jesus. And to die without Jesus is a horrible state for any soul.

Answer 23

The Bible is not merely a book -- but a Library - a grouping of books.

If you read it like you would a 'book' you are going to be confused. It isn't even chronological as we'd expect of a book about the past, and YET it contains historically accurate information.



This is precisely why I don't agree with people simply picking up the Bible, starting at Genesis and reading it themselves. -- Modern readers do not understand the idioms, language, culture, history, and context of the time.



One must understand how the Hebrew and later Greek cultures passed on information. The figures of speech (idioms) the literary styles, the current events at that time, the authors audience, the intent of the author (what message he was attempting to convey/focus on.) etc. in order to truly understand the bible.



It even helps if you know a bit about Hebrew and Koine Greek.



SOME of the bible is allegorical, not meant to convey historical or scientific events as we'd expect them. (aka Genesis)

SOME books are told from the Jewish perspective (conquests)

Some books contain the laws of the Jewish nations (Deuteronomy and Leviticus) Essentially amounting to civil code.

____________________



I would suggest you interpret the Old Testament (Jewish Scriptures) with this mindset/perspective.



1) God's plan is always much easier, peaceful, and avoids suffering.

2) Man continually rejects God's plan or breaks convenant.

3) God continually issues warnings, sometimes for centuries.

4) God adjusts his initial plan, takes into account Man's disobedience and unveils a NEW plan.



For example.. God's initial plan for the Jews to inhabit the land of Canaa was that GOD would drive out the Canaanites like people being chased by bees - in other words - they would leave on their own, running.

BUT, the Jews didn't follow God's plan... so the Canaanites didn't leave, stayed, and years of fighting ensued.

So with God there is always Plan A (God's way, he does the heavy lifting) OR Plan B (man's way, we do the heavy lifting)



In regards to Jewish law - the POINT of the strict laws was to KEEP the Jews from becoming just like the other pagan cultures, all around them. So there was a lot of prohibition on certain behaviors to KEEP people safe from overstepping.

These are God's rules, enacted and interpreted by men - in other words, they were not perfect.

AND they failed - The Jews STILL fell into idolatry and started acting like the cultures around them.



The Old Testament is a story of God's plan continually being messed up by his people and HOW he still, despite their disobedience, brought about the Savior of the world, through them.



Recall that in Genesis - as soon as Adam and Eve are kicked out - God issues a promise of hope.

He promises that FROM Eve's line - the savior WOULD be born. -- So God is a God of 2nd chances (and 3rds and 4ths, etc.)

God NEVER leaves us without a plan "B" when we inevitably reject him.

___________





I'd say that IF you read the Bible in that basic context -- you'll be OK.

Answer 24

And parts Are hard to swallow. I don't agree with the apostle Paul's words to Timothy that women will be saved by the bearing of children. I've never had the blessing of a husband and children. Will God deny me Christ's salvation because of my unused womb? Will God damn the couples who cannot conceive?



No. God made us the way He made us. Christ died for our sins. Paul got it wrong when he said a woman could be saved through bearing children because it implied a childless woman could not be saved.



The Bible was written thousands of years ago, when humans were trying to know God and what He wanted, to know themselves and to know the world around them. Even with all our scientific discoveries, we still don't know God's nature or His will.

Answer 25

Congratulations; you have not been wholly brainwashed. There's nothing wrong with what Jesus actually taught, but what he taught, essentially, is "do unto others." Same as what Buddha taught--in fact, that principle is in all major religions and most minor ones.



The rest of it is just politics and control games. Steer clear of organized religion and read up on other religions. Look for the common ground, not the edicts.



ALL religions have some truth. NO religion has all of it.

Answer 26

Yeah, they had to have children to survive, get nessecary things done, and stay safe from the crazy assholes that would come in and rape and murder and enslave everyone. So they made homosexuality illegal. They expected everyone to do their part and none could deny it was very important, it was even a matter of life and death to have children.



Yeah. They couldn't have a bunch of whores mucking everything up. See? It's ****** simple. I say we should do it people's way though for awhile so we can prove ourselves wrong. It will be like a kid touching the stove when you told him not to.

Answer 27

There are 613 "rules" that are know as the Law, which a devout Jew was supposed to keep as part of the first Covenant. Christians believe Jesus came to fulfill the Law. We no longer follow the minute details that are part of it. It doesn't mean we ignore them though! But, we don't follow all of them either.

Answer 28

You understand it fine already. Its an evil book full of hateful messages. Written by idiots for idiots. Don't believe any of the crap about god. There is no god most probably and the idiots who wrote that crap certainly don't know any more than you do on the subject. God is a fairy tale for gullible adults with child like intelligence. No evidence for its claims exist. Trashiest novel ever.

Answer 29

Those Old Testament Prophets easily mistook the voice of God with their own "Future-God-Self's Voice" , which are so close to being the same ; and so , they had a lot of "intent" to get done what they wanted in the first place over those who didn't have as high of degree of intent . See John 10:34 about Jesus saying we are all Gods . But God , Himself loves absolutely everyone unconditionally . But He knows that we were all at first bored cherubs . And one of them decided to learn to love everyone unconditionally ; where he imagined his own "Growing-up Place" . And so , everyone else wanted in . But he told them they'd have to wear a "God-Body" as he has to , which is geared to have to become perfect , or else it will punish it's self severely enough to motivate it to get back on the path towards God's perfection .

Answer 30

Bible contains a main disclaimer, it's in Ezekiel 14:9. It covers everything that is hard to swallow.

Answer 31

As a bisexual Christian I know that I am not under the Laws of Moses. I am under the covenant of Christ. It is a separate covenant altogether.



So when a Christian tries to lay the Laws of Moses down on me, they are sinning, because they are trying to annul Christ's sacrifice in favor of a covenant God made to show that we need Christ. By mixing the two covenants they are corrupting both. Legalists don't know this.

Answer 32

The old testament is s mistranslated version of the Jewish TaNaKh. The TaNaKh exists and has NO hell or evil beings.

Good and evil mythology is the fall of mankind. Religion is the fall of mankind. Religion originates in Babylon and all the world shares similar myth stories.

Judaism teaches reality (tree of life) is God's kingdom.

Answer 33

You can look at it as the word of God this is hard to swallow or look at it as written by man influenced by Gods energy and the politics of the time , try reading the Gospel of Thomas who was very close to Jesus , be a shepherd not a sheep.



More info type in Marc Lambert and God

Answer 34

I got stuck at this bit where Cain returns to the only people who exists (ie only his mom and dad 'cos he killed his bro' ov er a land dispute (!)) along with a wife. WOAH! Where did SHE come from?????



About page 7 I think. That's as far as I got.



Did a bit better with The Hobbit, where I got as far as Tom Bombadill (but got bored there so gave up)

Answer 35

God isn't going to change to fit your beliefs, you must align your thinking with his. He will always hold true to his righteous principles. God didn't create man to be with man and woman with woman. It is something that he finds detestable and always will condemn that. On a good note, God can give you the self control to refrain from such disgusting practices. He wants all to repent and serve him. Also, since we are no longer under the Mosaic Law Covenant, no one is stoned to death for their sins. God will however destroy all at armageddon who do not conform to his standards.

Answer 36

Congrats on becoming a Christian! Keep it up, my friend!

the way I see it is that the Old Testemant was written BEFORE Jesus had atoned for the people's sin and God tells us that the wages of sin is death. So therefore, we all actually deserve death. That is why Jesus died, so that His death could pay for our sin. But back then, no one had yet been atoned for and the correct justification for their sin was death. Praise the Lord He has saved us! God bless you and keep you :)

Answer 37

The biblical books are products of their milieus. That means, among other things, that people's perception, conception of God and of themselves changes. Some things that worked in the past will not work now, and some things that work now wouldn't have worked in the past and won't work in the future.

Answer 38

I find pretty much the entire bible hard to swallow. You should not have adopted the faith before having read their holy book, it's an eye opener to be sure. The bible isn't any different then any other mythology (like Zeus or Odin). It's simply listing the historical laws, policies, and myths of an ancient civilization. It's not something that should be taken as gospel, only as a reflection of the civilization at that time.



As to the new testament, you'll find Jesus wasn't the loving hippy he's made out to be. Jesus preached fire and brimstone as well. He was wrathful, judgmental, and arrogant much like his "father" is portrayed to be.

Answer 39

The Word of God says "Be holy, for I'am holy'" "Whithout holiness no one will see the Lord". You are missing the part about being holy and being sanctified before the Lord. Sin is sin, there is no way to justify it, the flesh is the flesh but we must sow and walk in holiness.

Answer 40

It's true but sometimes (most of the time) hard to believe. U never understand everything.

Answer 41

To stone is to pick up a rock and throw it. Will any rock do?



Deuteronomy 32

4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.



18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.



31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.



Psalm 18:2

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.



Psalm 92:15

To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.



Psalm 94:22

But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.



1 Peter 2

1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Answer 42

You call yourself a new Christian.

Taking that as read, I suggest that you do not worry as yet about bits of the Bible that you do NOT grasp.

There will be enough that you DO to keep you occupied:-

Love your neighbour as yourself; forgive and pray for those who persecute you, always be willing to go the extra mile, etc.

You are in my prayers

Answer 43

A Muslim believes that God is unlike anything we can imagine. No one can look at him and live. He never tires. He is All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Powerful, Perfect. .



Yet the language of the current Bible never fails to picture even God himself in undignified terms:



Jacob wrestles with God. God cannot win against Jacob. Jacob sees God face to face:

"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Genesis 32:24-30



God regrets his actions, God can not see the future, God can not change the past:

Genesis 6:6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

It is not possible to regret doing something unless the result of this action was something bad that had not been foreseen and can not be changed. In Webster's New Dictionary (1990), the word "repent" is defined as follows: to regret, sorrow for, to wish to have been otherwise what one has done or left undone.

Answer 44

Well, do you want to believe the Bible, or do you just want to believe whatever you want? Why do you want to be a Christian if you're not going to believe the Bible? What's the point?

Answer 45

You may need to find a more liberal congregation and pastor. I for one, do not accept all the old testament teachings. For one thing, I eat pork products. Good luck.

Answer 46

The bible commands you to hate some people and love others, It is okay to sell your children and own slaves. Use your common sense. The bible is a very deceptive and destructive book. I suggest you avoid it at all costs.

Answer 47

The Bible is a collection of 70+ books of scripture.

Not all books are to be taken equally or literally.

You are quoting from Jewish civil law, not divine.

Answer 48

I think you better examine the religion a little better before you decide to join next time. Actually doing that will make you an atheist, but hey, I tried. Hope this helps.

Answer 49

Most people stop at Numbers just because the crazy stuff is to much for them. If you want to put your faith to the test then read more of the Bible and see for yourself what a bunch of bullshit it is.

Answer 50

I'd suggest spreading some Nutella on those parts first, makes it much easier.

Answer 51

Those passages are not instructions for us to follow. They are simply descriptions of what happened under Mosaic Law in Old Testament times. If you are Christian, it is the teaching of Jesus Christ you follow, not customs that were followed hundreds of years before He was born. Jesus often spoke out against the injustices and excesses of Mosaic Law, which is precisely why the Jewish leaders demanded His execution.

Answer 52

First.... You cannot make God the way you want him to be. God does not approve of morality nor does he approve of homosexuality. You except it and be approved by God, or don't except it and be approved by you and the rest of mankind. But, here is a difference, due to imperfection if we slip-up and sin we can be forgiven. But, if we WILLFULLY continue to practice sin, Well, you are telling God you want to live your way and not his.

Answer 53

God said to kill them

He didn't say they were condemned forever

Answer 54

You should set aside all bias when studying the Bible. Forget the liberal bent. Forget the fundamentalist bent. Just take the Bible at face value. And study it. Don’t just read it.



You might discover that spending eternity in hell is not the penalty for our sins, it’s the consequence of being unable to pay the penalty. The penalty for our sins is the life of a sinless man, the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Peter 3:18). None of us is sinless so none of us is qualified to pay the penalty. Not for ourselves or anyone else.



Jesus agreed to pay the penalty for us, as long as we agreed to let Him. Because He was sinless, He was qualified to do so. As soon as He gave His life for us we were free. The penalty had been paid, and we were able to avoid the consequences of being unable to pay.



Therefore people don’t go to Hell to pay the penalty for their sins. They go to hell because they can’t pay the penalty and refused to let Jesus pay it for them. Even after spending eternity in hell, they’ll still owe the same penalty as they did on their first day there. That's why hell is eternal torment.



Listen to this. It will give you a better understanding of what Jesus has done for you: http://gracethrufaith.com/gift-shop/mp3-the-incomparable-richness-of-his-grace/



And a careful study of Scripture will show that God is not arbitrary, nor is He contradictory. Therefore He can’t express any of His attributes at the expense of any other. Throughout the Old Testament times, He was constrained from expressing His love for His creation because His needs for justice and righteousness had not been met. During those times He was known as an angry and jealous God who periodically brought judgment upon the disobedient world.



He is patient and long suffering, only resorting to judgment after man has made it abundantly clear he is not interested in reconciliation. God waited 1656 years to bring the flood, and then only did so after repeated warnings. He gave Pharaoh 9 chances to repent (literally, change his mind) telling him in advance what would happen if he didn’t. And when He brought the Israelites into the promised land it was after giving the local residents 400 years to turn back to Him.



After that He only loosed the Israelites against other nations in self defense, in an effort to discourage them from attacking His people. He sent prophet after prophet to Israel to warn His people that they too were being disobedient. The Northern and Southern kingdoms each got 150 years advance notice before being judged for their idolatry. The Southern Kingdom had the additional advantage of seeing what had happened to the North, and even when they didn’t learn He only gave them a 70 year penalty knowing that after He brought them back they would just rebel against Him again. Where we’re concerned He’s been waiting 2000 years to see if we’ll learn the lessons from history, knowing we won’t.



God is our creator. He is absolutely just and righteous. No human has ever received undeserved punishment from Him.



At the cross God’s needs for justice and righteousness were finally met and He was free to express His love. In Colossians 1:19-20 Paul said God has reconciled Himself to all things by making peace through the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross.



Although only those in the Church (the whole body of believing Christians) accepted the sacrifice that made this peace with God possible, the whole world has been blessed by God’s love for the Church, in that His anger against those who rejected Him has been held in check. Because of the presence of the Church in the world, love has now become God’s most obvious attribute.



But one day soon, He’ll take the Church out of the world (1 Thes. 4:16-17). Once we’re gone God will vent the full fury of His wrath on those who’ve refused the most incredible gift of love the world has ever known, and by the time it’s over man will be scarcer than pure gold (Matt. 24:21-22, Isaiah 13:12).



Then His need for justice and righteousness will have been satisfied, and only those who believe in Him will be left. He’ll be free to express His love again, and peace will flow like a river across the world (Isaiah 66:12).



Sadly, even after 1,000 years of His peace, natural man will reject Him once again, and there will be one final rebellion and judgment (Rev. 20:7-10). After that, Heaven and Earth will enjoy peace with God forever.

Answer 55

the very concept of god as described in the bible is logically impossible therefore the whole thing is mostly made up. read it like fiction and you will be ok.

Answer 56

Obviously you need repentance.



The faith and understanding that comes only from God is preceded by repentance.















Funny sort of Christian that doesn't see that the cental message of Jesus is salvation from sin. Just why do you bother?

Answer 57

WE do love the PERSON. However, the Bible does condemn homosexuality. In the NEW Testament at 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 it says that such ones will not inherit God's Kingdom. However, it also says that they had been washed clean. In other words, they had shown faith in Jesus's sacrifice and repented and stopped practicing it. Because it says, "that is what some of you WERE.

Answer 58

YOU ARE NOW ONLY A CHRISTIAN IN NAME ONLY,

YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN UNTIL YOU ACCEPT

THE LORDS WORD FULLY, NOT JUST THE PARTS

YOU LIKE. YOU WILL NEVER BE A TRUE CHRISTIAN

IF YOU DOUBT THE LORD. MY SUGGESTION IS

LEARN MORE ABOUT JESUS, DONT WORRY ABOUT

THE OLD TESTAMENT, STICK WITH THE NEW.

JESUS CLARIFIED THINGS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Answer 59

well as far as i know most people dont try to eat books

Answer 60

A "good christian" cherry picks the bible for the convenient parts.

Answer 61

see........its a lesson to learn

Answer 62

Dear Friend,



You are not alone. Our 'natural' carnal minds have a difficult time accepting that a loving God would do a lot of things mentioned in the Old Testament, but I assure you, He is the 'same' God of the New Testament. Wait until you read Revelation.



Nevertheless, I hope what I am about to share with you from my own experience, helps. God's Word (the Bible) cannot be read like a 'literal' book such as, "Mary Had A Little Lamb." God's Word is His "Spiritual" Instruction Manual" for man to live a safe, abundant life in Him. God's principles are universal and non-optional. Everyone is subject to them, whether they believe it or not. When we 'obey' God's Word, blessings/rewards. When we 'disobey' God's Word, consequences/punishment.



God has a 'standard' by which man is to live. Therefore, get to "know" your God...personally. When you read God's Word, ASK the Lord for His Spirit, the Holy Spirit to teach your spirit ...spiritual truth. Spirit to spirit. God will never teach us anything within our 'natural' mind because our 'natural' mind is "anti-God.' Think about that.



Read God's Word every morning before you start your day and ask the Lord to show you what it is He wants you to learn and how to apply what you learn in your daily life.



May you enjoy a 'closer' (spiritual) walk with the Lover of your ...soul.



Tender blessings,

Answer 63

Congratulations on exploring a belief system that is based on the only inspired book of the universe, the Holy scriptures. Also it's noteworthy that you are reading and investigating that wonderful book.

As 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 brings out, All scripture is inspired of God so everything in it is from God for mankind's benefit -Isaiah 48:17,18. You will find more scriptures if you read on in the new testament that shows that God's view on homosexuality and fornication, or sexual immorality has not changed (1 corinthians 6:9-11). So it all boils down to if you really believe God exists and that the Bible is a loving letter from Him, and that one day we all must render an account. If so you will believe and ACT like the Christians in 1 corinthians 6:11 who stopped practicing things our Creator disapproves of. If you don't believe you owe your existence to Him, do whatever you want.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 64

Well swallow this, my friend:



"'When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening." Leviticus 15:16



If you were a real Christian then you would "swallow" the whole thing without question. I know this, because once I WAS a Christian.



That's how I know for certain you are a troll.



Dog bless.

Answer 65

Some people would say that the Old Testament is not valid because the New Testament applies to Christians. However, I must emphasize that both testaments are still very much valid to the Christian walk. In fact, there are hundreds of prophecies that foretell the coming of Christ as a babe and as a King. Old testament scriptures foretold Christ's birth and His death and His return; so you can see that it is still very valid to believers everywhere.

You should know also know that even though we live in a time and a place that says homosexuality is okay, the Bible has not changed. If you are in doubt about a scripture or you have a question, go to God in prayer first... don't be afraid to tell Him you don't get it. Give Him an opportunity to make things clear to you. And I would challenge you to find a Christian mentor who can help pray for you, challenge you and guide you in the scriptures. The Lord commands that we disciple all people. If you are a new Christian, you should be discipled. Read the book of Romans, but before you do, ask God to reveal His truth to you in the Word.

Answer 66

Well, then you spit, don't swallow.

Answer 67

Very few people come to the conclusion that they do not belong with those that are Holy. I am happy for you because you can go back to the world and manage.

Answer 68

Jesus Christ said He who without sin cast the first stone

Isaiah 53 King James Version (KJV)



53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?



2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.



3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.



4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.



5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.



6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.



7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.



8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.



9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.



10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.



11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.



12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Answer 69

the problemo is that you are "reading" Gods Word, we should STUDY His Word Amen? Comparing Scripture with Scripture, praying first for discernment...Seek Ye FIRST the Kingdom of Heaven, maintaing a "daily" Relationship asking then receiving:-) seek and ye shall find..the Truth:-) in ALL things....Gods Word Stands forever n ever and is in all our best interests...I pray for you as you begin your journey, seek Gods Wisdom in ALL things and you shall be changed indeed!!!

Answer 70

Your not a new Christian, your just a troll.

Answer 71

Me being a Mormon (form of christianity), I have experienced what you have, and still isn't that sure. I've realized though, Before Jesus left of earth, a lot of crazy things were possible. Everyone talks about how there is no god, and the big bang theory started, no matter how far back that goes, this universe was created by something, and if it was by the Big Bang theory then ask, what caused the BigBangTheory? No matter if we got the whole bible wrong, someone must have created earth, but we most likely got the bible right. Just keep in mind, We were created some way, and no matter how many people think we were created by something else, then have them explain how far back we came, and ask, well who created that, and so on.

Answer 72

Perhaps this will help.



EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER

WHEN



You are sad phone John 14 and Phillippians 4

You have sinned phone Psalm 51 and 1 John 2:12

You are facing danger phone Psalm 91

People have failed you, phone Psalm 27

It feels as though GOD is far from you, phone Psalm 139

Your faith needs stimulation, Phone Hebrews 11

You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23

You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34

You are hurt and critical, Phone 1 Corinthians 13

You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18

You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39

You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30 and Phillippians 4

If feels as if the world is bigger than GOD, phone Psalm 90

You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30

You are leaving home for a trip, phone Psalm 121

You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87

You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1

Money problems are hogging your thoughts, phone Mark 10:17-31

You are depressed, phone Psalm 27

Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37

You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13

People seem unfriendly, phone John 15

You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126

You feel the world is small compared to you, Phone Psalm 19

You want to produce fruit in your life, phone John 15

Paul's secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17

With big opportunity/discovery, phone Isaiah 55

To get along with other people, phone Romans 12



ALTERNATE NUMBERS



For dealing with fear call Psalm 47

For assurance call Mark 8:35

For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18

For getting prayers answered, call John 15:7



All these numbers may be phoned directly, No operator assistance necessary. All lines to Heaven are available 24 hours a day. Feed your faith and doubt will starve to death.

Http://www.joel2army.simplesite.com http://www.ufosarereal.simplesite.com

Answer 73

True Christians believe the whole Bible and understand that God's ways are higher than ours. So if some things seem "hard to swallow" it is because one wants to look at thing from a human standpoint and not the the view point of God.

Answer 74

I'll let everyone else go on and on and on....



The answer comes down to that's what faith in God means. Not knowing all the answers, but trusting He knows. Deal. Or not. Your choice.

Answer 75

If you pay attention to the year of 2014, Christians DO NOT STONE people, but Islam does.



All this says is that the God of the Christians Moved on and sent Jesus Christ, because of His Love and Compassion for His children--the non-Christians, who continue in this old custom, are to be judged, and not God.



You can ask the connection, between the two, and the law was made for man, not man for the law.



In order to prevent rebellion, these laws were put in place, it would be interesting to know how much people DID not get STONED literally--the lesson would have been learned.



God is Sovereign, and the Sin of Adam and Eve, who were influenced by Satan in Genesis chapter 3V1ff: we would see how SIN entered in the World, and Rebellion too.



In order to deal with Sin, God had to put restraints on Rebellious mankind, who continually sinned and obeyed Satan and not God.



Since Man came under the rule of God, it is God's authority and Sovereignty that counts, and not what someone thinks or do not understand.



God is perfect Always and is Love, so rebellious Mankind is to be examined closely and judged--not God.

Answer 76

loiuyh

Answer 77

The Bible is a collection of tribal mythology. There is nothing good that can be gleaned from such a celebration of genocide:

Answer 78

As a Christian, you are a follower of Jesus Christ where we get our name from. Our sins are forgiven when we take Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Most of the Old Testament are concerning being a Jew but with prophecies of the coming of our savior. As a new Christian you should be concerned with being a good follower of Jesus, for without Him you have little to no chance to go to Heaven.

Some will tell you that the Old Testament is part of being a Christian but I ask where in the Old Testament does show Jesus Christ or His salvation?

Answer 79

Actually "liberal" or "conservate" have nothing to do with religion. It's a matter of getting to the core of what was being taught, something that most Christians don't seem to be doing. "Eternal damnation" is a misunderstanding of what Jesus was talking about. Christians will tell you, "If you only knew how much God loves you!" and then in the same sentence they'll say, "But if you displease Him, He'll send you to burn in hell FOREVER!" Clearly that's a complete contradiction. What I find "hard to swallow" is the Christian interpretation of the biblical scriptures. A good example would be the 35th chapter of Isaiah where he speaks of a "highway." Many Christians imagine an actual highway somewhere, not understanding that it's allegorical, it's a reference to something very metaphysical. Jesus didn't come here to simply teach, "Just try and be good and you'll go to heaven!" That isn't what He said. What He taught was far more profound, and He complained to His disciples that the people heard but didn't hear, that they saw, but didn't see, and that they didn't understand. And that situation hasn't changed. As for pastors, they simply repeat what they've been taught; few of them have any true understanding of the scriptures. During the Dark Ages, the Vatican deleted things they didn't like from the old scriptures that came to be a part of the Bible. Christians deny this, but there is documentation in the form of records of the various Councils they held throughout the centuries. They were deciding what would and would not be true, as if they had such authority! And consider that there are 18 years missing from Jesus' life in the New Testament. But Christians simply ignore that or they invent stories such as, "Oh, He was working in His father's carpentry shop!" They have no authority to invent scripture! But they do it anyway. Find out where Jesus was during those years. Yes, parts of the Bible are hard to swallow, and other parts have disappeared altogether, even if many Christians say otherwise. Modern Christianity bears little resemblance to what Jesus was actually teaching. What one ought to want is to know what He was really saying, rather than carelessly try to interpret according to one's preferences. That isn't the path to Truth. Christians have dumbed down the original teachings because they find it far too difficult to actually follow Jesus' ways. So they make it easy, but in the process they lose a lot. Religion that is invented is no religion at all. The early part of Genesis deals with the creation of the human species, but Christians interpret it in such a childish way, believing that a snake actually spoke to some naked woman in a garden, not understanding that that story is allegorical. God tells the early humans ("Adam" and "Eve") to replenish the earth (Gen. 1:28). But wait a minute. To "plenish" means to stock with. To plenish a lake, for example, with fish for the fishermen coming to the area. But to REplenish means to plenish AGAIN. Many say, "Oh, those words mean the same thing!" No - they do not. "Replenish" suggests that it was a new cycle of life here on this planet - that it was not the first time this had been done here. But what Christian will look into that? Believers and those who seek to know Truth are two different kinds of people. Find out what the various passages in the Bible really mean - otherwise you'll never know ...

Answer 80

You have to understand the freshness of our sins....and God knew what he would have to do just to cleanse us of those sins....think about how he had to die on a cross for us....and since he has done that we dont have to worry about getting stoned.

Answer 81

What you cite is from the Old Testament, the 600 or so laws the early Jews had to try and comply with...

Which we never can achieve...because we are imperfect...

Jesus ' way of life did not change the law but reduced the 600 specific laws to only two PRINCIPLES...



(Matthew 22:36-40) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”



the WHOLE 600 "hang' ...depend on...these two.



And Jesus has Jehovah's full approval...



to modify things...



(Mark 9:7) And a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him.”

Answer 82

If you are really new, from R & S point of view, you should start taking it with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Answer 83

The parts of the bible that are hard to swallow require more chewing.

Answer 84

Hello,

I have a lot to say to you as a NEW christian, so please do make sure you read it very carefully. Glad to know the Lord has called another person to himself. You don't understand. The Lord spoke in parables. That means, ( an earthly story with a heavenly meaning). God does not mean for us to kill anyone because of their sins because we all are sinners until the Lord Jesus calls us and he change our soul. Also, the bible is very spiritual. We are all the same before then. God teaches that he hates all sin!! So, no he does not intend for us to go and kill a homosexual person. He expects us to love them as we would love a straight person, but we do not condone anything they do oir celebrate in. Exam... I would never go to a person who is having a marriage ceremony wedding if they are gay. Why?? Because God is against it terribly! He does not even acknowledge such a marriage,m so we as christians and followers of Christ, should not acknowledge it either. We are his representatives. Also, God does not expect any of us to stone a woman if she is not a virgin before marriage. But when one reads these verses, you may thin he is stating this. You see the Lord teaches that he made the bible complicated for a purpose. He did it to confuse the people who does not want to believe. But with his christians, he will open our eyes to learn what he is saying. Jesus said i the bible, he came to save, not to condemn. So, there's a lot of things the Lord did in the old testament that he does not expect us to do today. Like, after the Lord jesus died, the Sabbath was no longer to be held on a Saturday. The Jews still hold it to that day because they don't acknowledge that the Lord Jesus our savior was the Son of God. So, they are still waiting for a savior. it will never happen.sent from heaven. The Lord has come and gone. The bile teaches that when he return , he will be in all of his glory coming for his elect. I am afraid you should not be in a church these days. That;s a place the Lord has told us to come out of. Yes, I am not crazy. God teaches that the churches are gone astray. They have everything taught in it today. They have gay pastors and women speaking in the churches. God forbids this. He said a woman should never teach a man. But you see these same people who is telling us what we should not do, are doing it themselves, like disobeying the Lord's commandments. Please, stay away from the churches. Pray and ask the Lord to send you some faithful believing people where you can just hold a faithful bible study. he will do it. Read part of Jeremiah, where the Lord is saying some very ugly things about the churches. Pray and ask the Lord to show you what he is teaching about the churches. No pastor would agree, because that's why he is still in the church. Do me and yourself a favor as a new christian, go to www.ebiblefellowship.com and learn all you can from this faithful website. Chris McCann is a faithful, bible teacher. He has questions and answers on Face Book on Sunday and Wednesdays. Anyone can get on and ask a question. It's called Sunday Q & A. you can also call up tonight at 9:00 pm and ask him about the churches. The number is 1-209-647-1600. Code is 181610.. Just follow the instructions after that. To get into the link press *6 and then 1. Okay? Learn all you can as a babe in Christ, because God is really returning very soon. I know this sounds strange to you, but keep reading your bible and see what the Lord is teaching us. Did you know that the Lord Jesus only came for the ones his father gave him to die for? Yes, he did and the bible teaches this. The Lord also in his prayer, prayed for only the elect to be forgiven of their sins. Pastors will not teach this because they are afraid they will lose their parisners. Read Galatians and James. Pray and the Lord will guide you to his truth. I am not special because OI know all of this. God has taught me well about his word and who he is through so many faithful teaches. Not pastors, but teachers. I left the church a very longgg time ago and I will never go back because if I dd I would be disobeying the Lord. Did you know that as a born again christian we are to ONLY date and only marry people who are of the same belief and faith? People say they are christians here in America all the time, but we cannot go with that, we need to pray ans ask the Lord to guide us because we will end up with a person who se heart and soul is not changed , but they were just using the christian title. That can easily be done, but not if we ask the Lord to truly guide us and be anxious for nothing as the bible teaches. So, please do check out the website. You can even read about the end of the church age. Pray always and ask for faith. He will give it to you. it's a wonderful God we serve! You see, pastors teaches that we have to come to God, but the bible teaches something totally different. The Lord teach that we cannot come to him because we are sinners and we do not want him at all. He calls us and draws us to himself. We cannot come to God. God has to desire for us to come and then we have no choice. The Lord said, mankind do not want God!!! So, he has already chosen who he will save before he ever created this world. This is what the bible teaches, but the pastors say we can come to him. Just because a person ask God to forgive them for their sins, does not mean God is calling them. He has to do the drawing and when he does, they will later see how the things that use to be so entertaining is no longer entertaining as it use to be. we desire a string desire to read the bible and obey his word. This is what the bible teaches. So, you do this and pray about it as you do so. Okay? Take care and please never hesitate to write me. God bless you!!!

Answer 85

Let’s say you saved up all your cash and bought that really expensive prom dress you’ve had your eye on for months. If you loaned it to your friend for the dance at her school, you’d expect her to take care of it, right? To remember it’s your dress, treat it extra-carefully, that kind of thing. Well, you’ve been bought for a way higher price—the price of Christ’s blood. So really our body belongs to God—it’s sort of on loan to us for a while.



Of course, I know it's difficult; I couldn't make it myself. But God is a God of second chances. You may not be able to go back to exactly how things used to be, but God can give you a fresh start.

Answer 86

This is exactly why religion is a CROCK. Frankly JC didn't die for anything in particular and may/might not even have existed. My advice is not to take the Bible literally for much of the content is ALLEGORICAL and supposed to be "life lessons" for the PRESENT. Only you are responsible for YOUR SINS and ONLY those you've sinned against are responsible for dolling out any necessary punishment to fit the dirty deed(s). At the end you're judged by your LEGACY meaning that those still living look upon you and either remember you fondly or you are simply forgotten (due to your EVIL DEEDS and poor personality). PEACE!

Answer 87

There are other passages even in the Old Testemant that stress mercy wherever possible. Heck starting right at the garden of Eden. Family problems destroy lives and without modern medical treatment promiscuity could kill many more people than the promiscuous person. STDs travel especially easily through butt sex because of the intestinal damage and bleeding that often occurs. Even with modern medicine the average MSM (man who has sex with men) dies around 50, much faster than smokers even, and that averages in those who engage in sex other than butt sex or who do it infrequently. Such responses are not unreasonable as a last resort, but they need not always be the penalty.



The old Testament did have many sanitary laws too.



With birth control and frequent STD testing the response doesn't need to be so extreme. But unfortunately even now the death toll is high from carelessness and unfortunately it probably would save lives to reign it in harshly. But what we really need is more frequent testing and certification.



In general you may find many things hard to understand. But dig deeper. There's a reason for everything and the law is for man's sake not a totally arbitrary "do what I say or die". Just as when Jesus said the Sabbath was created for man not man for the Sabbath. You may also run into many bigots, even at church, with extremist simplistic answers rather than exploring hard topics. Learn to examine and distinguish.

Answer 88

Im the same way!

Answer 89

There are 613 "rules" that are know as the Law, which a devout Jew was supposed to keep as part of the first Covenant. Christians believe Jesus came to fulfill the Law. We no longer follow the minute details that are part of it. It doesn't mean we ignore them though! But, we don't follow all of them either.

Answer 90

Freedom is a gift from our Creator.to be christian is to do good works to less fortunate.not just giving but allow them to stay alive- I mean be not like authoritarian killing poor or weak people like what islam were doing to few weak or defenseless people.be the instrument of justice not of evil doers.

Answer 91

Jesus LORD GOD |

http://www.whoisjesus.com/whois.html



JESUS’S preexistence



http://mainentryu.tumblr.com/post/100111816537/jesus-christ-his-pre-existence-now-that-weve



Repent AND be Baptized OR YOU WILL PERISH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeP6fJzPqZo



EX MUSLIM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_APnsOMnK4U&list=UUgkoN5fod5z7lhFDdHrt30Q

You can be ex sinner, if you want.

Let us examine the Scripture on important issues of eternal consequence.



A. Jesus Christ is The Way The Truth and The Life



John 14:6

"Jesus said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, But by Me."



Acts 4:12



"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven giving among men, whereby we must be saved.”



1 John 5:11-13



11 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.



12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.”



The Bible reveals clearly that the Godhead is made up of three separate Persons, each distinct from the other. The first is called God the Father, the second is God the Son and the third is God the Holy Spirit. These three separate Persons make up the one God that we serve. Each one of these three Persons is God in all fullness. No one is greater than the others. The three Persons are united in one and there can be no separation. Each one of these three is the Creator, the Lord, and the eternal God. Yet we do not have three Creators, Lords, or eternal Gods, but One. The Scripture says:



"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is One Lord."Mark 12:29



God the Son came to the world in human form. His name was called Jesus Christ. He came to save mankind from sin and to restore man to eternal life with God.



John 1:1-3, 10, 14



1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.



2 The same was in the beginning with God.



3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.



10 He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew him not.



14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.”



Matthew 1:21-23



21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.



22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,



23 Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”



Your eyes now have opened clearly to the One that suffered because of your sins, the One that was crucified on the cross, that died, was buried and rose from death on the third day; the One that gave the commission that the gospel be preached in all the world to make people believe on Him for the forgiveness of their sins and the salvation of their souls; the One that went back to heaven and promised that He would be coming back to the world to take His true believers to be with Him and to condemn rebellious sinners to everlasting hell fire, prepared for Satan and his angels. Your eyes have opened clearly to who JESUS is — our Lord and our God.



John 20: 27-29



27 “Then said He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.



28 And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God.



29 Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”



There is no Salvation in any Other Religion or Belief



All those who seek the salvation of their souls through other religions or persons (saints, prophets, masters, etc.) can never find true salvation and can never enter into heaven.



John 10:8-11



7 “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.



8 All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.



9 I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.



10 The thieve cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.



11 I am the good Shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”



To reject Jesus is to reject the God of your life. To reject Jesus means you have chosen to go to hell and be damned forever along with Satan and his subjects.



http://divinerevelationonholiness.org/book/chapter6.php



God .. Jesus- became like you and me so He can die on the cross, because GOD IS SPIRIT- A SPIRIT CAN’T DIE on a cross.



Christ’s Example of Humility



2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from kselfish ambition or lconceit, but in mhumility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,1 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Answer 92

First, welcome to the house of the Lord. Every person who has become a new Christian and surrendered his or her life to Jesus accepting Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life will encounter what you described. When you attended school, some textbooks were easy to follow and some were harder.



Remember, the Bible was written by about forty men. Several of the writers like Job and Mark only did one book. A few of the writers like Moses and Paul did more than four. There is a lot of material in the Bible and the writing was done over a span of 1200 years (1600 to 400 B.C. -- Old Testament) and a span of less than 100 years (35 to 70 or 110 A.D. -- New Testament)



One problem that we have is a misunderstanding of Matthew 7:1 where Jesus said (during the Sermon on the Mount) "Judge not, that ye be not judged." (Some of us still say "Judge not, lest ye be judged.") Many people point to that one verse and say: "Listen to Jesus. Jesus said 'Judge not'. So, stop judging me!" implying "I can do anything I want to."



As a Christian, you know that, like me, you are not to do just anything you want to do. For example, you cannot simply steal from a bank or an individual person. A woman is supposed to remain a virgin until after she becomes married. Many women today break this rule. Two men are not supposed to have any form of sexual relation with one another. Many men break this rule. And with developments in this society, these two rules are now broken by a larger number of people than in former years. Because you were born after 1960 instead of before 1600, it is understandable for the verses in Deuteronomy and Leviticus to be more difficult to swallow.



Keep in mind that the Bible has over 31,000 verses. I have actually heard other people say something like "Well, there is one verse in the Bible which bothers me, so I will simply ignore that scripture completely and not read it." Make sure you do not follow that way of thinking, Brother.



The Bible does not teach that God will ever condemn anyone. People will condemn themselves by not accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.



Certainly, some pastors are more liberal than others are. If you expect to continue living in your current region, then I suggest that you visit a variety of churches. For example, the last time I moved, I visited nine churches. I left five thinking "I do not think that would be a good church to attend." I left two thinking "That looks like a good church, but I will continue shopping and see if I can find one better." One I visited five Sundays in a row and decided not to stay because 1) over seventy percent of the offering went into the pockets of the faculty and other personnel (while other churches keep it between thirty-five and fifty-five percent) and they were allowing one member to continually praise himself (apparently to keep his donations coming). Finally, after five consecutive Sundays at a ninth church, I was convinced this would be good. I have been there for over eight years now.



Best wishes to you, new Christian. Continue to seek direction from the Lord. And continue to keep your eyes and your ears open. Hope you have had a good Thanksgiving this year.

Answer 93

the bible is a work of historical fiction!

Answer 94

see........its a lesson to learn

Answer 95

see........its a lesson to learn

Answer 96

Hi new Christian! I am so glad you asked this question. I finally got it right. It took me a long time to understand, but I've got the answer for you!



People had become evil....And I'm not just talking about doing drugs on a Friday night...They were violent...committing ENORMOUS CRIMES like rape...Making oaths they weren't keeping...Adultery....fornication.



When God did the law, He wanted to protect the Israelites from these things. Now, they had a choice. If you'll read Deuteronomy 28, you will see that God told them they could either be blessed or cursed.



One more thing I want you to remember. GOD HAS NEVER BEEN BAD! He has never spoken a bad word. I one time thought I was supposed to hate the law because we are not under the law. I found out I am not to hate it. I have repented and now say, The law was good for its time! But you and I know that we are not under that law anymore because Christ fulfilled the law on the cross when He shed His blood. He gave us a new covenant. No more is there stoning but mercy, grace, Love, and the Holy Spirit (: It's wonderful, but we don't hate the stoning. God did that punishment to protect His chosen ones!



Praise the Lord!

Answer 97

The Bible is not to be read like a novel. Some of the stuff is definitely no longer applicable. I say, read bits and pieces at a time, take the good, and leave the bad behind.

Answer 98

A Christian is a person who follows the pattern set by God's Son Jesus, who was sent to us by God.(1 Peter 2:21)

How then, did Jesus vie God's word?

Jesus said at John 17:17 that God's Word is truth.

So Jesus believed what was recorded in the Holy Scriptures.

He often referred to it when teaching with the words:

"It is written...."-- (Matthew 4:4,7,10)

There were things Jesus wanted to tell his disciples, but he knew they would and could not understand all he would tell them, he said at John 16:12:

"I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now."

We too, may not be able to understand by just reading, what the Bible is saying....as Acts 8:26-35 and Acts 18:25,26 shows.

But as those examples and the examples of Jesus Christ early faithful disciples, they never gave up or abandoned God's words. The Bible commends ones who do what those did in Acts 17:11:

"...for they accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, CAREFULLY EXAMINING THE SCRIPTURES DAILY TO SEE WHETHER THESE THINGS WERE SO."

Only by a careful, diligent study of the Scriptures can you learn and understand what God wants us to know.

First we need to recognize whose Laws these are. They came from God, our Creator. He made us and has the right to say what is best for us! He it is then that sets the standards for us, His Creation.

He made a man to be with woman,a woman to be with a man through marriage.

(Genesis 2:18,21,22)

He through the Scriptures has His standards for moral cleanness, girls, women were not to be sleeping around and then maybe lead her new husband to think she was a virgin. Women had to be spiritually and morally clean, as did the man too. The Bible book of Leviticus shows God's moral Laws for His people.

God made the man and the woman to reproduce as Genesis 1:26, among other Scriptures show. But early in the Bible homosexual activity was going on, and did not have God's approval says Leviticus 18:22:

"You must not lie down with a male in the same way that you lie down with a woman. It is a detestable act."

Those were God's Words.

To be a Christian, means getting to know deeply the True God of the Bible, and the one He sent forth Jesus Christ too.

(John 17:3). The Bible teaches us that God is Holy, that is pure and clean, He wants us to be clean too, as his creation.

You, please, take the time to get to know the Creator, respecting His authority (Isaiah 55:8,9), that our puny imperfect human thinking can never surpass the thinking of the One who created ALL things, and that He has the right to tell us what is best for us

(Isaiah 48:17,18)(Revelation 4:11), because He loves and cares for us says John 3:16 and 1 Peter 5:7.

When you learn Him, then you'll be able to understand his ways.

We may say we love God and are Christians, but when it then comes to His word the Bible, and looking into it like a mirror, it will show us up! Whether we really trust it, and want to live by it.

I hope you get to know the God of the Bible so you can work out your issues, before it is too late( 2 Peter 3:9).

JW.ORG would love to help you in this! JW.ORG.

1 John 5:3 and Micah 6:8

Answer 99

You got left behind in Gods plan of salvation for all mankind. YOU MUST KEEP UP OR BE LOST!



You are stuck in the OT. It was a different time and place altogether. These laws were for the ancient Hebrews - not those of us today. Thats what confusing you. It wold confuse anyone.



Keep studying and find out how God changed things with his Son Jesus Christ in the NEW TESTAMENT.

Answer 100

Keep reading and eventually you will become an ex-Christian.

Answer 101

I would like to recommend you to read the story of Horus and Krishna. And you will see that the similarities of the myths with the story of Jesus are 99% the same. If you have doubts about Christianity please read more of it or any religion for that matter, the more you read the more you will doubt it.

Answer 102

The Bible Really Is God’s Inspired Word: WHAT exactly did the apostle Paul mean when he said that the Bible is “inspired of God”? (2 Timothy 3:16) Paul, writing in the Greek language, used a word that literally means “God-breathed.” By that, Paul meant that God by means of his holy spirit guided the Bible writers to write only what He wanted them to write.These Bible writers “spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit,” said the apostle Peter. (2 Peter 1:21) Hence, the apostle Paul could also describe the books of the Bible as “holy writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through the faith in connection with Christ Jesus.”—2 Timothy 3:15. Many people strongly dispute that God is the author of the Bible. Critics—often with what archaeologist Sir Charles Marston described as a “contemptuous disregard of the Bible narrative”—have made virulent attacks on the Bible’s integrity. Some dismiss it as being no more than “an old collection of myths and fairy-tales.” Consider the Evidence: So can the Bible be trusted? It is important that you decide correctly on this matter. Why? Because if the Bible does contain communication from God himself, it would be foolish—if not fatal—to ignore it. The extent to which you let it be a real influence in guiding your actions and forming your beliefs will be greatly diminished if you view it simply as the words of men rather than the Word of God.—1 Thessalonians 2:13. How can you decide? Well, how do you decide whether to trust people you meet? One thing is sure. It is very difficult to have real trust in anyone about whom you know very little. Only as you get to know people well do you learn over time if they are truly honest and trustworthy. You can get to know the Bible in the same way. Do not accept without question speculative or even prejudiced theories that undermine confidence in the Bible. Take the time to consider the evidence that supports the Bible’s claim to be “inspired of God.”

Attacks From “Friends” Do not be put off by the fact that even some who describe themselves as “friends” of the Bible attack its authenticity and reliability. Today, most Bible commentators, although claiming to be Christian, “will only speak of Scripture as a human record,” says the New Dictionary of Theology. Many theologians challenge the authorship of the books of the Bible. Some say, for example, that the prophet Isaiah did not write the book of Isaiah. This Bible book, they say, was written long after Isaiah’s time. The Concise Bible Commentary, by Lowther Clarke, contends that it is “the product of many minds and many generations.” But such assertions ignore that Jesus Christ and his disciples repeatedly credit Isaiah with writing this book.—Matthew 3:3; 15:7; Luke 4:17; John 12:38-41; Romans 9:27, 29. Even worse, critics of the Bible, such as commentator J. R. Dummelow, say that the prophecies found in the book of Daniel “are really past history thrown by the author into the guise of ancient prediction.” Once again, in saying so, they ignore the testimony of Jesus Christ himself. Jesus warned of what he called “the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place.” (Matthew 24:15) Is it reasonable for a Christian to believe that Jesus Christ himself would have been party to deception—that he would have supported history disguised as prophecy? Surely not. Does It Make Any Difference?“But does it really make any difference who wrote the books of the Bible?” you might ask. Yes, it makes a huge difference. What weight would you give to a document that purported to be the last will and testament of a friend if it turned out that he had not, in fact, written it? Suppose experts told you that it was a forgery—that well-meaning associates had written down what they believed were the wishes of your friend. Would that not devalue the document? Could you have real confidence that it truly conveyed the wishes of your friend?

It is the same with the Bible. No wonder so many people—even those who profess to be Christian—feel free to ignore what it says on subjects like honesty, sexual morality, and so forth. How often have you heard people disparagingly say things like, “Oh, but that is in the Old Testament!”—as if that means it is of little real value. And this despite the fact that the apostle Paul described the so-called Old Testament as “the holy writings” that were “inspired of God.”

“Surely you cannot simply disregard the evidence of all experts and scholars,” you may protest. Of course not! We are indebted, for example, to honest scholarship that has helped us to identify the original text of the Bible. Clearly, minor mistakes did creep into the text of the Bible as it was copied and recopied over the centuries. Remember, though: There is a big difference between recognizing that minor mistakes crept into copies of the Bible text and dismissing the whole Bible as a human fabrication. Just prior to saying that the Bible was inspired by God, Paul told Timothy why such an inspired record was essential. “In the last days,” he said, “wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13) Already in Paul’s day, seemingly ‘wise and intellectual men’ were using “persuasive arguments” to delude people and weaken their faith in Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:18, 19; Colossians 2:4, 8) As a protection from their influence, the apostle Paul urged Timothy to ‘continue in the things that he had learned from infancy through the holy writings’ provided by God.—2 Timothy 3:14, 15. It is equally important for you to do that during these “last days.” Do not underestimate the danger of being misled by what are often very “persuasive arguments” presented by very clever people. Rather, like the first-century Christians, protect yourself by completely relying on what you learn from the pages of the Bible—truly the inspired Word of God.

Answer 103

Those are the laws of the Old testament which were written mainly for the Jews; but the Mew Testament is what you should read because it teaches us the gospel and the doctrines of God after Jesus walked and taught on this earth and died for our sins.

Answer 104

Jesus Christ said he came to uphold the laws of God. Jesus was telling the Jews that their laws were wrong, they were harsh and contradicted the Will of God. The story of the Good Samaritan is an illustration of how Jesus contradicted the old Jewish customs and taught a new law. Where the Old Testament teaches stoning, Jesus says that he who is without Sin, cast the first stone. That is why there seem to be irreconcilable differences between the New and Old Testaments.



It is as simple as that. Jesus was a radical Jewish preacher. For Christians he was the Messiah who brought the Jews the laws of God, but they rejected him.

Answer 105

It's a massive misconception that the Bible says not to judge. It does not. It says the exact opposite. God's people are meant to hold each other to account.



Jesus offered Himself as the final sin sacrifice, but He did not die so we could go on deliberately sinning.



As nations America and my country Britain are on course for severe judgement and punishment by God for national sins. We are going to suffer the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah that is for certain, the writing is on the wall and there is nothing we can do to change that now. We are rushing headlong into a punishment so awful, so staggering so intense as to nearly defy description. What lies ahead for our peoples is truly as terrible as the birthright blessings were wonderful.



The same God who once sent Israel and Judah into captivity can do it again. The facts are in! The handwriting is on the wall and you need to wake up to the reality of what has already happened to Britain’s greatness, with America soon to follow her decline! And yet, the steepest decline and complete crash has yet to occur even to Britain. What lies ahead is so horrible, so awful so truly terrible! that you must shake yourself to understand!



“And if you will not for all this hearken unto Me, but walk contrary unto Me: then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times [RSV: sevenfold] for your sins” (vs. 27-28).



The prophecy continues: “and I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste” (vs. 33). The Revised Standard Version says, “And I will lay your cities waste … And I will scatter you among the nations” (vs. 31-33). This third successive sevenfold punishment clearly involves special plagues, the devastation of cities through nuclear war and, now, complete slavery for all who survive, as they are transported for servitude “among the nations.”



Also, when God speaks of punishing “in fury,” it is a reference to the Day of God’s Wrath, most commonly called the Day of the Lord. This specifically refers to the seven last plagues of Revelation 15:1, which are poured out on all nations of the world, because God will punish every person and every nation who disregards His laws.



"For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but only the terrifying prospect of Judgement, or raging fire that will consume the enemies." Hebrews 10



How many of today's believers behave in a way they know is sinful and yet they go ahead and do what they feel like doing, anyway? That's because they mistakenly think Divine grace covers intentional sin. That is a huge misconception! Divine grace has made wonderful provision for unintentional sin. But there is no provision for intentional sin. The Bible tells us so. Jesus the Word made flesh says so.



Deliberate, premeditated sin is wilful disobedience and rebellion against God. It results in severe punishment or even loss of our salvation.



The Bible is quite clear that there will be punishments for those who break the law and commit serious crimes.



Jesus came to fulfil the law, to fill them up, to make them whole and clear so that we could understand it. He did not come to do away with it. In Matthew 5, Jesus is quite specifically saying that he has not come to do away with the law or the prophets and that the law shall stand until this present Earth and Universe disappear and “all” has been accomplished. “All” is a pretty big word and there can be no mistake about what Jesus meant with this plain statement of fact.



Heaven and Earth are still here people!



Jesus did not say, "If someone rapes your wife, give them your daughter as well," or "if someone steals your car, offer them your house too." He commands that we love our neighbours as ourselves, not more than ourselves.



Mark 7:7-9 shows that many even go so far as to worship Christ, and all in vain because they do not obey God’s commandments especially the Sabbath but follow the traditions of men by which Satan has deceived the whole world.



In scripture, Jesus mentions Sodom as a historical city that existed and was destroyed by G-d as a punishment for what they were doing. So here we have an actual account of what took place as a historical narrative, real history, of a city, which was destroyed, and completely obliterated. Sodom was destroyed by the equivalent of an atomic explosion. When G-d's divine force was brought against those cities (Sodom and Gomorrah) nothing could stand. And one of the biggest sins of many being committed in at least one of those cities which God destroyed as a result was homosexuality.



Jesus said:



'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.’ Revelation 3



Jesus says in no uncertain terms that he will spit us out of his mouth if we are not fully committed.



Jesus loves us, but no sin is acceptable to Him, no matter how great or small. Like a loving parent, He will allow us to learn from our mistakes and forgive, but there comes a time when He will "draw the line" if we continue to rebel.



The grace of G-d is not a license to sin.



"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing." John 14:12



"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:14



Jesus was Jewish and kept all the commandments of G-d including the Sabbath, all the Feasts and dietary laws.



"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." John 15:10



"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." John 14:21



Do you love Jesus and obey the commandments?



The Bible both new and old testaments show that same sex relations are a sin. Jesus the Yeshua confirmed this.



Jesus offered Himself as the final sin sacrifice, but He did not die so we could go on deliberately sinning.



"Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." -John 14:23-24



Those who love Jesus obey Him and the Father.

Some choose not to because they love their sins and lusts too much to obey Him.

Homosexuality/Sodomy is an Abomination.



The question should be raised - if you feel like you want to do something, does that make it immediately acceptable in God's eyes?



HOMOSEXUALITY AS BIOLOGY (excerpt from a longer article on Homosexuality)

That is, of course, the primary argument in favor of gay rights: God made them this way. It’s in the genes. It’s ineradicable—a matter of inborn nature, not a choice. Some gays vigorously reject this idea; their cry is one familiar to feminism, “Biology is not destiny!” If they grant that homosexuality is inevitably written in the genes, then they have to entertain the proposition that women are programmed to bear and nurture babies, that men are programmed to be providers, and other awkward ideas. The package is too sticky, too fraught with politically incorrect implications. It’s safer to declare that homosexuality is a choice, a sexual preference, not a sexual orientation.



But the gay rights movement relies heavily on the assertion that biology is indeed destiny, that they were born gay and can’t help it. The flaw in this argument, of course, is that it hasn’t proved whether this ostensibly inborn gay impulse is one we should accommodate or resist. Gay rights activists simply haven’t proved that just because an impulse is rooted before conscious memory it should be indulged.



The test case is with pedophilia—attraction to young boys—which proponents could just as well claim to be an inborn urge. The man the homosexual mainstream (a.k.a the “Gaystream”) doesn’t want us to meet is Leland Stevenson. Stevenson is a spokesman for the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), which promotes homosexual encounters with adolescent boys.



Stevenson and his pals cause the “Gaystream” some awkward moments. When Heterodoxy reporter Paul Mulshine phoned a representative of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Ms. Kane barked official non-support for NAMBLA, then recited the party line: “We believe that people should not be denied their civil rights because of the sexual orientation with which they are born.”



Mulshine stopped her there. “NAMBLA makes that exact same argument. They say pedophiles are born with their sexual orientation. Why should they be deprived of their civil rights?”



BOTTOM LINE:

There is NOTHING special about homosexuality - it's a sin just like any other. Sin prevents us from coming to God, unless we break down that wall with repentance. It is not easy irrespective of the sin, to turn away from it and turn towards good. It is our duty as Christians to try.... we do our best and God will do the rest.



1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says: "Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men (or women) who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."



Sorry, but it's true. Also see Romans (both are New Testament and the words of the Yeshua Jesus confirming and validating the Old Testament).

Answer 106

you have to remember the bible is old and dont take all you read to heart, as like all books things change and get rewritten and there are many parables and mistakes due to age.

Answer 107

I was a christian until a Memphis State philosophy class made me think of everything I was taught as a child was questionable at best.



There is no way you can look at the crap in the old testiment and think that this is the way to live. Stoning a guy for picking up firewood on Sunday is just hideous.



Christians like to sat that it is beyond our understanding but it happened for a reason and was god's will. NOT. I don't expect to know everything about this crap, but I know we were made in God's image and that he loves us. It does not make sense to me. Also the stuff about streets made of gold. Does god even care. A mansion for everyone.



Don't get me started on Islam. They seem to be just evil.

Answer 108

The Bible is an extremely old collection of documents that has been subject to many revisions and translations; it should not be a surprise that there are anachronisms and postulates that, through an advanced lens, are obviously incorrect. To me, being a Christian is not about being a bibliocentrist who believes that the Bible is the absolute word of God and intended to be literally construed. I think that being a Christian is about having a relationship with God and Jesus Christ and living in accordance with Christian principles. You are not being a Christian if you try to live a Christian version of Sharia law or, for that matter, reject the objective things that human science has learned. You are being a Christian by loving your community, being a blessing to the people around you and having faith. Don't sweat the Old Testament or the Apostle Paul, mmkay?

Answer 109

There are far worse things in the Bible





Orthodox Coptic Church of Egypt

http://coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica/



This is the 'no holds barred' version of the suffering of the Christ by the Holy Coptic Church of Egypt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzJuOOk3mAM



Now is our time to be ready to receive Christ - born to lead us to the Holy City of God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvjiVam2HO4



Bethlehem in Palestine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I3HYnnQI9w





Gott mit uns

Answer 110

The Bible says that god is the same today, yesterday, and forever. The Bible follows the cultural beliefs of society at the time it was written because it was written by men and not an unchanging deity.

Answer 111

“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Luke 19:22



The people who say the God of the OT is mean... they are blaspheming the Holy Spirit!



Jesus said "I and the Father are one.” John 10:30



God is the one who gave you gravity today, who gave you rain and sunlight today, who kept you safe from the robber, who gave you food to eat.



If you are calling the God of the Bible names you are calling Jesus the Yeshua names.



Jesus when he spoke against man made laws was not referring to those inspired by God and written in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation but to those laws outside of the Bible, hundreds of laws the Jews added surrounding very simple laws from God in the Bible.



God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8



Many of God's attributes are shown in Exodus 34.



“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Ex 34:6-7



God is supremely holy, righteous and just.



Holiness the moral excellence of God is the attribute that underlines all other attributes.



God is the only supremely holy one. See 1 Sam 2:2 and Rev 15:4



God's name is also holy. Those who profane God's name and use it as a swear word are condemned as guilty. See Ex 20:7 and Lev 22:32



God's holiness is revealed by his righteous action. See Isa 5:16



Not only is God holy but he expects his people to be holy. See Lev 11:45 and 19:2



Because of God's holiness he can not tolerate sin in the lives of people, and he brings judgement to those who do not repent. Hab 1:13



God's love was supremely demonstrated by the giving of his only son Jesus the Yeshua for his people. John 3:16, Rom 5:7-8, 1 John 4:9-10



God expects us to follow the example of the Yeshua Jesus and his sacrificial love. 1 John 3:16



God's justice is the foundation of his moral law and his ways. God loves justice and acts with justice. Ps 33:5



God keeps a perfect balance between the attributes of love and justice. God's love never infringes upon justice and vice versa.



God's righteousness shows his unique moral perfection. God's nature, actions and laws display his character of righteousness. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of God's throne. Ps 89:14



God's righteousness will ultimately be revealed in his final judgement. Rev 19:2 20-22, Ps 7:11



God's abundant mercy is shown to sinners through through Jesus Christ the Yeshua but if they do not repent of their sins his righteous judgement will be brought against them.



Fornication and same sex relations are a sin in the bible. Jesus words on this in the New Testament is in complete agreement agreement with the God of the Old Testament.



Remember Jesus and the Father are one. Jesus was the Word made flesh. The Bible (all of it) is the Word in writing. All 66 books of the Bible are consistent with each other.

Answer 112

Have you not read, "They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."- The Word of God.

Jesus fulfilled the law. Keep in mind no one dies unless the Lord judges them. Now, remember this, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - The Word of God. They could not forgive sin. Murder is outlawed everyone knows but so were many other things. You should not be so judgemental as man willl pretend to be noble but things haven't really changed in terms of human nature and you understand why when you read the parable of the sower. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" - The Word of God. They want to teach and naturalize sin of all kinds. Including sexual sins and even theft(imminent domain) and murder(abortion, and huge push for population control or genocide as it is known in history). Do not be deceived by the fake "love" of tolerance, you are being fooled into tolerating sin, we don't have to stone anyone but nor shall we go along to get along. THe Word of God is the truth.

Answer 113

I'm amazed that people cannot seem to understand who the Levitical law and the Mosaic law were given to. The laws you describe were given to the children of Israel to guide their conduct on the way to and into possession of the promised land. It WAS NOT for the gentiles UNLESS they became worshipers of God among the Israelites. The purpose of the laws mentioned were to PROTECT the purity of their blood lines so that through them, the Messiah would come. That's why they were called the chosen people. It wasn't because somehow they were a better kind of people or selected as a superior race. Those laws were part of a covenant with the people of Israel. The New Testament reveals the NEW COVENANT and replaces the Old Covenant. The entire Bible HAS to be read IN CONTEXT of who, what, when, where, and how. Absent that, it cannot be understood completely.

Answer 114

Have a look at this short video by David Mathisen. It shows the symbolic and non-literal nature of scripture as part of ancient wisdom. This deeper knowledge was suppressed by Roman empire.

Answer 115

Where there is truth there is no confusion. God has infinite wisdom. If God, with his power and wisdom, were backing the nations, would they have experienced so much violence, war, injustice, and suffering for so many centuries? Would God direct national leaders and millions of their people to go to war and kill other national leaders and millions of their people who also claim to be directed by God? Is that reasonable?

The Bible tells us at First Corinthians 14:33 that “God is a God, not of disorder, but of peace.” Further, Jehovah tells those who are truly his people: “You should all speak in agreement, and . . . there should not be divisions among you . . . that you may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10) If any among God’s people do not conform to this standard, what then? Romans 16:17 counsels: “Keep your eye on those who cause divisions . . . contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.” So national and religious divisions and conflicts are clear evidences that God is not backing such nations, religious leaders, and their followers.



Then who actually is backing them? First John chapter 3, verses 10 to 12, states: “The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who does not carry on righteousness does not originate with God, neither does he who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should have love for one another; not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother.” Also, First John chapter 4, verse 20, says: “If anyone makes the statement: ‘I love God,’ and yet is hating his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen.” Thus Jesus laid down this rule at John 13:35: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”

Do you see any resemblance between the love and unity that must exist among God’s true servants and the course that world leaders and people in general have followed for centuries?

Answer 116

(I am sorry if this is harsh, but it is true) If you do not believe all of the Bible, you should not be Christian.

Answer 117

To answer your question before we begin reading the Bible we all must say a silent prayer to God in order to get a clear understanding of the material at hand. In the first scripture it was under the Mosaic Law that people who were not virgins would be stoned, and that is because they lied to their spouse, and brought ostracism on their family members. Having a pattern of lying is still bad even though we aren't under the Mosaic law and ultimately if people do not correct this behavior they will lose their lives at Armageddon, and as for the second part people that acted on their homosexual desires were killed because humans were under the mosaic law when this scripture was written. When reading the Bible it is a good idea to read the whole chapter, so as to understand the whole concept that is trying to be conveyed. But since God has not changed even though we are not under the Mosaic law all who practice homosexuality, or who are fornicators will lose their life during God's war called Armageddon. Please consider Revelation 22:15 when you have time.

Answer 118

The old testament is a historical teaching that lays the foundation for why it was necessary for Jesus to die for you. You as a new christian, surely have decided that you were wrong and needed to come into agreement with God and his word to be saved. Pray for understanding before you read and go very slowly. The lessons in the old testament bring you to why this is known as the good news of Jesus Christ and God's love, but please don't make the mistake of seeing him as a far off God that doesn't understand you. Speak to God, tell him you don't understand and tell him you want to understand. He will give you understanding. Remember God is showing you how people have sinned, the laws people made and why the law made us sin more. Have patience and get to know God as a person. Like you would any other person.

Answer 119

The new testament was created by the Roman empire. The old testament is an amalgamation of polytheistic mesopotamian religions shoe horned into a monotheistic faith. Of course it's hard to swallow.



http://www.caesarsmessiah.com/

Answer 120

A NEW CHRISTIAN .......you need to take baby steps in learning. Join in actual Bible studies, read New Test. most of all for now, ask your Minister questions. satan WILL mislead you by hearing false words from unbelievers, as satan doesn't care if you don't care about him as long as you don't learn all you can about JESUS CHRIST and the BIBLE TRUTHS. Hang in there and just be patient.......there is much to learn and just keep your FOCUS ON THE BIBLE TRUTHS........Bless you

Answer 121

If you seek the answer that pleases only you , create your own church , as many have , and warp the Bibles words your own way , just as many (most) others have .

Answer 122

it is our choice what we do it is not always right and god says homosexuallity is bad but people dont always listen remember the law has been fulfilled but that doesnt mean kepp sinning

Answer 123

Well, you're not a good Christian if you stone your woman. Nor a good student if you think Church is still based on the bible...

Answer 124

OMG STOP EATING BOOKS THAT IS SO UNHEALTHY!!! IT WILL CAUSE PREGNANCY!!!

Answer 125

Jeoff is it? Peter? Some Biblical words are so lowly translated into Olde English, not only that but some words, and literally they are words, powerful words are under attack (albeit sounds quite silly), but are under attack by people who want to change the stigmas and meanings of words in order to compromise positions this means it's very difficult to get an answer sometimes, from having lots of other things on mind at once also. May you aim to have a double type sense of context whilst reading so as not to simply interpret and becoming awash with warped and twisted up meanings by psychological rogues but to actually know what the Bible is saying. The Bible is to be read slowly, prayerfully^^, carefully. Be aware then, of going to motion quickly, instead, may you aim to be good speed shrewd.



What I try to understand, Fam, is that laws in Leviticus and Abraham are specifically times gone by. Abraham was instructed to repair the deeds known as Abrahamic Law of God (not of man) (which is really Grace at that specific point in time). Noah was instructed to repair the deeds known as Noah's Laws of God (which is really Grace at that specific point in time) and so forth.



My personal calendar shows that we, I am/are in 2014AD.

There is currently one law, which is of man. There is currently one LAW, which is really Grace, which is set by Jaesus Christ(Male) Law nd Jesusa Christiane(Female) Law of MAN/God (MAN in specific biblical terms is not the same as man and English language doesn't exactly help in being clear on the matter. Also remembering that I am not God, but I am a god.) (which is really Grace at this specific point in time), and there are numerous other saviour names such as Super Ken, Buddha, Hare Krshna, Mohammed, Angel Gabriel (peace be upon them).



In other instances, there are other Graces which have yet to come, these are straight forward things, but are as prayers answered, such as a house to a home, true forever girlfriend (gracefully She Remains In Heaven, but also becomes by the side of the counterpart as him to her and other variations of love soulled), attaining a 1st degree... All set by Grace. Now admittedly, I shall be going on about charity at various points. Grace which She is, is not the problem. The problem is the problem. Do not covet. Godspeed.



I definitively try to ascertain whilst reading the Scripture what is God's work, what God set work for others to do, and what is my work.



Scripture is the only Living Word, it comes to Life. No other works have that power, although some books have powerful imaginary capacity. We know that word of Life comes alive, as Jesus walked around with a hood on and noone recognised Him, yet He took off His hood and the disciples recognised Him; and the disciples were stunned. Truth reveals to creation. Creation cannot reveal to creation, unless Truth reveals Truth between creations.

Answer 126

Being a christian was a hard *** pill to swallow. It was like going from regular Tylenol to one of those horse pills you take when you're old.



The bible is like a horse pill. That's why I chose Tylenol, stick to the simple and have my own personal beliefs which feel right to me. In the end we all go back to creator, whoever creator is. No hell, just this place we all return to.

Answer 127

1) will you accept to brush your teeth with a worn-out tooth brush which was used by someone else?



2) do you put chocolates in your mouth or into your ears and nose?



Please do not blame Bible, Pastors and Christians for your crazy concepts

Answer 128

I had my dad to ask these questions to. He was a PHD in Theology.

His answer to the horrible things in the Old Testament was that these were ancient people living in an ancient world. I still find it hard to swallow at times. I am a Christian, but I do believe that there is way more out there than what we think there is. Being Christian or any religion is a way to connect with the creator.

One thing I have considered a hard thing for modern man to realize the Dying for our sins. Most of the history of mankind there is in just about every culture there is giving sacrifices to appease, God or Gods. There is a long history of even human sacrificing even humans, children and animals. As modern humans we don't totally understand that, thus our religion isn't always as clear to us as it was a long time ago. Understanding this is a huge thing.

There are things in the Bible that get lost in translation. Especiall the King James version of the bible. That was intruppted by a group of scholars chosen by Consintine. That was a long time ago. Often things just don't fit in our world. For example....there are verses in the bible that talk about women not cutting their long hair...now what the heck is that in there??? Well, you need to understand the culture back then. Prostitutes had short hair...thus what it was saying, don't look like a whore. It has nothing to do with the length of hair. There are many things that are cultural in the bible.

God is less judgmental than humans. Feel at peace with your questions. And always fel free to continue to ask.

When it comes right down to it, you have connected with the creator of the universe and that is what counts.

Answer 129

You're referring to the Old Testament that Christians don't even give lip sympathy to.



Jesus changed a lot of that. Let he who not sinned cast the first stone; and It is not what enters the mouth that profanes it, but, what comes out of it thatoes; etc, remember?









.

Answer 130

The controversial aspects of the bible can be interpreted in 2 ways



a) they are symbols are not to be taken literally. They reference ideas that aren't directly related to what they claim to signify. So stoning might mean emotionally cutting ties with etc...



b) the controversial literature in the new testament only applies to certain contexts.



If you are curious about this you can e-mail me for answers to specific verses at [e-mail]

Answer 131

Because Sacred Scripture is inspired, it must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written, otherwise Scripture will always remain a "dead letter".

Answer 132

EDIT: This is embarrassing, I answered the wrong question. LOL



Anyway, the whole 'That was the Old Testament" argument is invalid, because Jesus said that NOT ONE JOT OR TITTLE of the law would change until ALL was fulfilled. And since he hasn't come back on a flaming white horse...

Answer 133

download the Bible commentary on those passages at www_ttb_org

Answer 134

yes, gay people will be put to death on judgment day (and their blood will be upon them since they did not accept Christ), they did not repent and live a holy life.



13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Answer 135

It makes he hurl chunks, so you're just fine!

Answer 136

you have to sacrifice your humanity and independent thought, if you want to pretend to believe the nonsense in the Christian bible......

Answer 137

You accept it all or refuse to believe in all, you cant make choices and picks.

Answer 138

What makes you a new Christian?

Answer 139

It's all a fairy tale...

Answer 140

GOD does not change. No matter how much you think HE should.

Answer 141

That is why man has een correcting them wherever he found God wrong

Answer 142

Well, then you spit, don't swallow.

Answer 143

hmm

Answer 144

PRAY

Answer 145

Before Jesus, God had set laws so people could know that God wanted His people to act differently than the sinful world around them.



Isaiah 52:11--Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD. NIV



The twelve physical tribes of Israel dealt with laws that were physical and meant to keep them physically pure. God wanted physical Israel to be seen as different compared to the world around them. That is why they were not to get tattoos, eat clean foods, not to fornicate, not to be sexually immoral, and more.

Spiritual Israel (believers and followers of Christ) are supposed to be spiritually pure. God more worried about our heart than about our actions.



For example, God wants us to eat what is clean/good for us.

Physical Israel was worried about this in regards to physical food to eat according to the law.

Spiritual Israel is regarded to this as what we put in our hearts.



Read the following from Isaiah 55:

Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Isaiah 55:2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Isaiah 55:3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live...NIV



One cannot buy physical food without having money. So what is God referring to here? He is referring to Him. God wants us to be loving, merciful, gracious, truthful, and more as He is. By coming to God, our soul is satisfied.



How has God satisfied the need of our souls?



He has satisfied the needs of our souls by giving us Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, was sent to show us how to act, to teach us, and to show us what brings eternal life.



How does one receive eternal life when he or she has been a sinner? Remember, because of our sins, we can never be good enough. God sent His Son to earth to live a perfect sinless life. He died on the cross and shed His precious blood so our sins are removed from us. Jesus by His death and blood has redeemed us to God the Father by paying the price for our sins that we could never repay if even if we lived for a million years.



For we are not saved from the eternal lake of fire/eternal death by our good deeds, but, rather we are saved from eternal death by God's grace through our faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross.



In the Old Testament this is foreshadowed in the story of physical Israel and the Exodus.



I'm going to show you the foreshadowing of Jesus in Exodus.



In Exodus on the 14th day of the month of Nisan/Abib, physical Israel (the twelve tribes of Israel) was told to take a physically perfect lamb and to have the lamb be killed. They were to take the blood of this physically perfect lamb and put it on the top and sides of their door frames. When the angel of death was going to go over the land that evening, if the angel of death saw that the people of the house believed God and trusted in the blood of the perfect lamb to save them from physical death, the angel would "PASS OVER" the house and none would die.



Jesus, went to the cross on the 14th of Nisan/Abib. He was spiritually perfect--He never sinned. He died and shed His precious blood on the cross. All who trust in the blood of Jesus to save them are saved from spiritual death.



Israelites in Exodus did not have to do anything besides have faith to be saved. They did not have to store up food, take fighting lessons, have a exit plan, or get in physical shape for the journey---God provided for their needs.

Spiritual Israel (believers) don't have to do anything besides have faith to be saved. We don't have to do any deeds to be saved to gain eternal life. God provided what we need to get rid our sins.



Another foreshadowing, God gave the Israelites manna, the bread from heaven, to help them sustain their physical health until they reached the Promised Land. The day that Israel reached the Promised Land the manna stopped falling.

Jesus is the spiritual bread from heaven that believers (spiritual Israel) eat to sustain our spiritual health until we enter the Promised Land/New Jerusalem/heaven.



Read again Isaiah chapter 55:

Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Isaiah 55:2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Isaiah 55:3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.

Isaiah 55:4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. NIV



Later after Exodus, who took physical Israel to the Promised Land---Yeshua/Joshua.

Who is taking spiritual Israel (believers) to the Promised Land (New Jerusalem/heaven)---Yeshua/Jesus.



From the beginning, the end has been known.



Physical proof that the Exodus happened-----The Jews!!!!!



The Bible is reliable. God is faithful. Jesus is the Savior of the world.



Have faith in Jesus and be saved from eternal torment.



God Bless