Subject: Genesis Creation, a practical example? |
Bible Note: Charis I would humbly disagree with some of you points. I do not agree that denominations were started by people that believed they had or developed or discovered a universal way to interpret the Bible but rather they had discovered "spiritual truths" that made their continued fellowship with the body they presently affiliated with impossible and thus were forced for form a new body of believers. The discovery of the "spiritual truths" in many cases were derived by Bible interpretation, experience, or visions and etc. In most cases the understanding of the Bible was then made to fit the new found “truth”. For nearly 1500 years and with the exception of a few infractions the church did in fact handle the Bible the same way. It wasn’t until the reformation and the age of enlightenment that man started to put the various spins on the Bible. Men at this point began to intellectualize the Bible and developed plausible and explainable reasonings for various texts, many times rendering them ineffective or at least reduced in importance. Nothing was accepted by face value but everything was explored for hidden meanings, contradictory meanings, and in some cases humanist explanations. I will add that much of this was caused by the previous 1500 years of treatment of the Bible and how the bible was controlled and manipulated for the gain of man. That said and with an additional caveat, that being, I believe there is no desire for consensus within the church today, let me say I believe the Bible was written to be taken one way. The fact that it is read many ways tells me factors such as, biases, prejudices, previous teachings, intellectualism, humanism, and Satan have been allowed to get into the way. I further believe basic Christianity can be realized strictly from the Bible without the need for outside material to clarify or explain any tenet of faith. The fact that so many outside references are used in attempt to clarify biblical truths tell me the truths are questionable or at least have some base in human reasoning. I have heard many people speak that we should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. But isn’t that exactly what men have claimed to have done all through history and the result has been the thousand of denominations each calling themselves right. I know the power of the Holy Spirit (which in many cases is overran by the will of man) and I know the power of the Bible (which in many cases has been rendered powerless by the reading of man). I firmly believe we need to take the Bible literally unless by doing so we run into a un-resolvable contradictions, or the passage tells or implies it is figurative. I further think when any form of human intellectualism becomes involved whether to analyze the language structure or to explain a difficult passage we open the door for all the failings of man to fall in and taint the truth of the word. I personally believe the various denominations and different interpretations of the Bible are an affront to Christ. Jesus prayed for unity in church in John 17:20-21 and I think it is time man puts away his pride, humbles himself and seeks the unity the Christ prayed into the church. EdB |