Reply # 1
Friend,
I know EXACTLY how you feel. A few years back, I had the same perception of the Bible; thinking it's a bunch of stories to help cope with life and the tragedies in this world. Over the years, I realized that my way of thinking was totally wrong. You see, overall the bible is God's plan to "rescue, redeem, and restore humanity." I know you heard the story of Adam and Eve. Their disobedience is where it all began. God had to devise a plan to take back what the serpent had stolen... He has to fix what has been broken. The Bible is God's story. You have to change the way you look at it; that book is to be reverenced and respected. And Christianity is more than just about those two big holiday's, Christmas and Easter. The Bible shows us what Christianity is all about. It depicts the life of Christ and how He lived a perfect and sinless life.
The Bible is easier to understand when you read it contextually. If you take it at face value and not really understand the orgins, then of course, you will think it's a bunch of stories to help soothe your emotions. It also helps when you look at the Bible categorically... kind of like how movies, books, and movies have genres, so does the Bible. There are four main genres in the New Testament: Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation; and five genres in the Old Testament. They are all equally weighty and worth our attention. A lot of the text in the Old Testament is figurative; for instance Psalm one, where it talks about we're like trees planted by the water" It is up to us, the readers, to study for understanding on what the text is conveying. The bigger picture is: All of the Bible is equally God's word.
Oftentimes, people look at the Bible as a road map to success. True, the Bible is full of practical solutions for every day issues, but the truth is, the Bible is much more than that. The Bible is actually God's road map on how He reclaimed humanity. It's more than just a book of rules and regulations. The Bible is more of a narrative of God's words on how He will and is reclaiming humanity.God knew we would mess up, that's why He sent His son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins. It's good to read the Bible and relate to the stories within the book, but they are just to show you God's redemptive plan.
So my friend, you see, the Bible is way more than a bunch of stories to soothe you; the Bible is a book that should move you closer to Christ! Think about it, and as you apply the word to your life, you will never be the same. Enjoy the journey, because " where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."(NIV)
Reply #2
A few days ago I met my friend at Barnes and Noble for coffee. We were having a casual conversation and then my friend brings up the Bible and Christianity. My friend is very skeptical of the Bible and I am not. My friend says,"The Bible is really just a bunch of stories that are designed to help people cope with life in the real world. They give you something to do so that you feel better about your place in this crazy world." I told her I understood her point of view and when you just look at a religion and not really understand it many people see the book of the Bible as she does. (Everyday Bible Study-Chapter 1) I told her the Bible is Gods story of how he planned to rescue, redeem, and even restore what was lost in the fall of humanity through Jesus Christs life, death, resurrection, and acension. The Bible is not a book that tells you only the right ways to do things but also a guideline on how to overcome strife and struggle. It has more than one story, more than one chapter, and more than one verse. When we look at the different stories we soon realize that one story will not work with out the other stories. If you were to take one story out of the Bible it will be like a piece is missing. It reminds me of working with my autistic children who love to put puzzles together, but when all the pieces of the puzzle are not there they know it can not be complete. Think of the stories in the bible as puzzle pieces you are trying to put together. God is the author and main character of the Bible and everybody else are secondary characters to him. Characters will change through the stories. Some characters in the Bible are good and you can really learn from them but on the other hand some characters are negative and you learn what not to do from them. In Everyday Bible Study-Chapter 5, The focal point is Jesus Christ. Each story points to him and how God accomplishes our redemption through him. Noah is one character who obeys God and builds the Ark. Then there were time that Noah was just like a human and did things not the Godly way with his family. This is just like we, as humans, do. God was always good and a lot of times the humans were not. The Bible is about how God can do things for us if we follow him and not what we, as humans, can not do. He can shine the light on me at any time and show my flaws and making me a better person.
Directions:
In your replies, you are seeking to build rapport and community around the topic. You are also seeking to maximize our collective understanding of the material. Keeping that in mind,
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