I have fewer issues with theological ideas than I do with how Christians respond to biblical questions.
I have no issue with theological ideas. I only take issue with how Christians respond to biblical questions. Quoting Scripture, good. Personal ideas without Scripture, no good.
Unless I am reading this wrong, it sounds like the usual revisionism of Scripture for today, based upon 'socio-culture' of the past.
Biblical scholarship without any regard for context, time or situation is not biblical scholarship.
What 'social' climate of the 1st century AD, is necessary to know Jesus Christ is God by quoting John 1:1,14, and I John 4:2?
Jhn 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jhn 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1Jo 4:2
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
What socio-cultural knowledge is needed of the Hebrew desert travellers in 14th century BC, to know that adultery, theft, bearing false witness, etc... is against God and man? And why are they still transgressions of God's commandment in the early 1st Century AD?
Mat 19:18
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness...
Thus, our answer is always composed of "clips," "snippets" and "proof texts" even though the original writers were not addressing the questions we are using their words to "answer."
The 4 text snippets given don't prove anything? What if I include historical and cultural review of the 14th Century BC and 1st Century AD? Would that make the snippets more proof-worthy to preach Jesus Christ is God, and against adultery, theft, false witnessing...?
Our index cards (dogmas) are what is sacred, not the texts themselves. The texts delivered by our keyword searches are there to prove us right. They have no higher value.
And make the quoted scriptural index cards more worthy of higher value?
Mat 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus says that any word of God, is of higher value than many words of social review.
Quoting Scripture to prove God's truth, and expose man's lies, is only valuable for debating points, to them that only argue over words, but don't live them.
This converts biblical proof text speculation into "proven biblical reality."
It demands Bible proof of at least one text, to prove Bible truth. Which in the process can also dismiss paragraphs of socio-cultural context scholarship. Which in the process can also offend socio-cultural context scholars.
2 Cor 1:13
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
1 Cor{14:33}
For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
2Co 3:12
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
Act 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
You see, it doesn't take learned scholarship of others things, in order to prove what Scripture says. Just search the Scriptures themselves, to see that they themselves say,
word for word:
What the churches of God need, is more feeding on Scripture, even snippets thereof, and less volumes of socio-cultural study:
Ecc 12:12
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
This denies that original writers their own voice in addressing their own problems in their own time
Ah yes. Extra-biblical study, and less quoted texts, results in hearing the writers speaking with their
own voices of commentary on socio-cultural issues of the day. Rather than prophets and apostles speaking the one voice of God in
Thus saith the LORD.
2Pe 1:20
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
But, what did Jesus say to the great Jewish scholars of His day?
Mat 22:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
And what did the scholars say of Jesus?
Jhn 7:15
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
And what does Jesus tell His disciples to do, in order to know the truth of God for certain?
Jhn 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Saul of Tarsus was renowned for his own scholarship in Hebrew, Greek, and Roman letters. And yet after his conversion to Jesus Christ, none of his writings are about such socio-cultural-economic stuff, but only about the Scriptures of old and new, proving verse by verse, point by point, snippet by snippet, exactly what God says...Paul the apostles ceased speaking his own voice on matters of the day, and began speaking God's own words on the matters of life and day any and everyday on earth.
That is exactly why we have 25,000 Christian sects each 100% sure they can "prove beyond a shadow of a doubt" that their carefully crafted theology delivers the only "True biblical" theology endorsed by God.
That is exactly why we have 25,000 Christian sects, each less than sure they can anything "prove beyond a shadow of a doubt", because they carefully craft theology for societies of the day, and deliver the "Acceptable pseudo-biblical" theology of the time.
Mar 1:21
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
Act 4:13
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
They make poetry into ironclad theology.
Ah yes. Make poetry, not ironclad truth... Give us more words of sweet poesy, and let us hear voices of the finer arts...
Isa 30:9
That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
We are in total agreement there is nothing mystical about the bible even though it involves a God we cannot fully conceptualize.
And now, the deep things of mystical and conceptualized divinity. Sounds like modern universalism Christianity.
Timothy O'Leary on the Cosmic Christ.
Act 7:43
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: that will carry you away beyond Babylon.
Rev 2:24
But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, that they speak;
The texts of 800,000 words is boiled down to about 30 proof texts comprising no more than 5% of the texts.
I say 17 proof texts from the Bible is better than 0% Scripture for poetic mystical conceptualism.
Scripturally, I am an openly snippety Christian. It's called Sola Scriptura.
