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NASB | Psalm 22:16 For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 22:16 For [a pack of] dogs have surrounded me; A gang of evildoers has encircled me, They pierced my hands and my feet. [Is 53:7; John 19:37] |
Subject: Does Psalms 22 stand up to the skeptics? |
Bible Note: This third party posting is getting tedious! :) Someone wrote: 'You “assume” they (and I?) are looking for reasons to “rebel” against God.' I assume it because that is human nature. It is not condescension, it is acceptance of God's revealed truth. And it is not my genius that has revealed it to me, but rather the Holy Spirit whose existence she denies. Romans 1-3 clearly describes the human condition, our total depravity. She is an enemy of the one true and living God and of Jesus Christ, just like I was and you were before our conversions. There is no such thing as "unbiased neutrality toward God," and her post clearly demonstrates this to be true. The God I refer to is the God that has clearly revealed himself in nature and in Scripture. The fact that many have twisted His self-revelation or ignored it entirely does not make His revelation inaccurate. There are many things that are worshiped besides the God of the Bible. Big shock! Romans 1:18 ff. describes this in great detail, with the results that she will face should she not repent. If your friend thinks that the God of the Old Testament is a "horror story," that is nothing compared to the eternity she is going to face when she meets the absolutely holy and omnipotent Judge clothed only in her own sinful rebellion and unrighteousness. Scary? Absolutely. The question she needs to ask is not whether it is scary but whether it reflects reality. I have investigated the history of the Bible. I have investigated how it came to be. I know about the pagan religions that surrounded Christianity and how Christianity distinguished itself from them. Does your friend really think that Christianity is just Mithraism in disguise? Mithraism, or any other pagan religion, was not punishable by death in the Roman Empire. Mithraists were not persecuted anymore than Diana devotees were. If Christianity were truly a syncretism of different pagan religions, that would have been fine and dandy with the thoroughly pagan culture in which it existed. However, secular and biblical history shows that Christianity was not the "easy fit" that your friend claims it to be. The fact is that the person with whom you are dialoguing will continue to be a rebel against truth unless and when the Holy Spirit regenerates her mind and convinces her of His truth. No doubt that she will view such a statement as a "cop out," but that is because her depraved nature prevents her from embracing truth. In addition, since this forum is for those who accept the truth of the Bible as a starting point for discussion here, perhaps this dialogue would be best carried out via private email. You can find it in my profile. I hope that I have been of some help to you here! --Joe! |