Mark... I can see the designs perhaps you cannot.
I ask you to forgive me Mark...
I forget how stubborn and hard I was before Christ brought me to my knees and I judge your questions as being very dishonest. They are ! However I am forgetting that even I preach that this is the very condition of the Carnal man and mind.
Your "original" post put forth a proposition that contained 3 choices. They were as follows:
RE>>So, either the problem is one of the following.
1. God was a poor comunicator, unable to render coherency upon his targeted audience.
2. The Bible is not meant to be taken literally
3. The Bible is not God's word.<<
You have two slices of bread around your intended proposition Number 1 is by design arrogant accusation against God .. I addressed that proposition already and challenged your concept of "targeted of intended" audience.
How do you know who is ordained to hear. There are University Professors who teach compulsory courses who do not even believe the Bible is true. Are they included in your cross section of "targeted"? By their own admitting they are not God's Target at all. Who cares what they think ? Are they to be the proof of your accusation against God ?
What of the other "slice of bread" number 3? Those very professors I mentioned concerning number 1 are again with you on number 3. Why do these men teach these courses when they are not saved? They as do you approach the matter sheerly as an intellectual and historical exercise and have proven themselves to faculty and friends to be studied. They have not proven to anyone that they are however the "target" in fact by saying that the Bible is full of mere allegories and fictional stories intended as literature of wisdom and intellectual exercise proves that they are yet carnal and bastards not sons.
The "MEAT" of your poisoned sandwich is number 2 which is and was where you were heading anyway.
Do you fail to see any other possibilities Mark ? Jesus plainly spoke to the masses in "parable" and when questioned said it was by design to confound and confuse the non-elect.
To the Apostles Jesus said it was given to know to those who are without it was not given
Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mark - Are these words not to be taken literally ? Did the record of the question asked of Jesus by His disciples not really happen? Are Jesus and the Disciples fictional characters meant to be "interpreted" by the reader?
No Jesus was asked this "Literal" question about His speaking to men in "figurative" language. His answer to the disciples was literal. I ended my post with this comment.
RE>> Which verses are you having trouble with? <<
That is meant to call you to awaken to your uninformed axiom that being that you can demand an answer as to whether the
Bible is literal OR not literal. Just like you and me the Bible is very literal and not literal at different points. Choice number 2 is also not correct !
All three of your propositions were invalid ! You cannot reach a valid conclusion with invalid propositions.
4.Much of the Bible is literal some of it is not!
Number 4 would have been correct if you would have listed it :-}
Now your next question would be Who then will judge which verses are literal and which are not ?
Prophetic and apocalyptic language will use terms that will only be understood by those who have studied the rest of scripture as it is written:
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
If you go and dig up your spiritually dead atheistic and blind theology professor he would have affirmed all three of your propositions as valid. I can support none of them. Indeed your accusation against God as a failure is sin and highly foolish. God will save all His sons from this world of sin. The rest He is passing over and does not want them to hear or see but rather to be confounded and confused.
In your post to Brumar you said this:
RE>>the result being that some of those Christians will
burn in hell for his intentionally hard to interpret words?<<
None of His Elect will burn in Hell. They in fact need understand very little intellectually to be saved. Being saved is very very simple. Heaven is not designed for the craniologically gifted to "earn" ! Salvation is a Gift and many who are saved will never even "think" about the things you are asking nor need they.
John1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Those who receive Christ as a GIFT from God are saved... They are not saved by their will or power of thought in their carnal mind.
=== People are saved by the Spirit of God not mental persuasion! ===
You questions are not "difficult" they are however based on disbelief. Not believing In Christ is Sin. Your questions are therefore based on Sin and that is why your question even puts forth the wrong presuppositions.
You presuppose as did the disciples that Jesus would want more followers and should speak more plainly to them.
THEY and YOU were Wrong
You presuppose that the carnal man should be able to understand simple concepts about God without all this confusion if indeed the Bible is the Word of God.
YOU are Wrong
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
There are many men who are your "Theological Experts" who are still only natural men and not born-again of the Spirit.
The essentials of the Faith are simple and indeed many simple minded people are way ahead of you in these things being saved and understanding God and scripture.
The scriptures are as any study given by God be it Math Science HISStory or Medicine to be understood all the more through further study and meditation in the spirit!
Even as it is written:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We must study but in the Spirit as it is written:
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
VERILY = AMEN... Solemn truth !
You cannot SEE the kingdom of GOD because you are not Born Again
Questions are not the problem! Mark hearing the answer... that is a problem. |
