Originally Posted by !!!YOU'RE$NUCKING$FUTZ!!! (Post 294508)

How do you know it was intended to be read literally throughout? When numerous parts conflict with each other, then there comes a question as to whether each part was meant to be interpreted the same way. One assumes they are meant to be interpreted the same way but since the bible is so subjective, it does not necessarily have to be interpreted literally.



The difference is though that the author writing the thing about gravity has support for what they say, and so it's not completely faith-based as it is with the bible.



How do you know what the original author intended it to be interpreted as? Theologians and historian scholars interpret it their ways but does that mean their way is what the author's way was? Not necessarily.



The problem is that you can only determine what the passages mean to you. You cannot determine what the author's thoughts were without using your own interpretation. Thus, it is completely subjective. The same applies in sciences with regards to psychology. You can only objectively observe or measure behavior, you cannot objectively measure thoughts.



He ASSUMES he knows what the sender intended based on his subjective interpretations. The best way he can truly know is to ask you (the sender) what you meant. Any other way is merely an attempt but will not allow him to know what you meant.



Huh? If I'm studying the bible, then my interpretation is not important? To me, it's pretty important because that's what my entire belief based on the bible will be centered around.



You learn to read what the bible says but there's no "true interpretation" because you cannot ask the authors what they meant. Let's use your example: suppose I say you're a fool for dropping an egg on the floor. Using what you know of me through this thread, you won't know much. If we expand it to my previous account of YourNightmare, you may know a bit more but still not much. The point is, your interpretation may not be the same as what I intended it to be. Suppose I wrote down on paper "Michael., you're a fool" and suppose 1 person analyzed it. Now suppose 10 people analyzed it and if all 10 people in addition to the 1 person initially come to the same interpretation, does that mean their collective conclusion will state my intention when I wrote "Michael., you're a fool"? Not necessarily. The point of this is you cannot know what someone truly means through writing without consulting them and asking what they meant.



Did the authors write down and say explicity what they meant? Did they write "I/we meant..." or in similar terms? If they did no such thing, then all you have is your interpretation. You can base your interpretation or compare it to that of scholars but it's meaningless because you don't know if their interpreation is the correct one to begin with. You can take the bible literally but that doesn't mean you're correct no matter how much you compare it to the interpretation of others.

You may have more biblical, theological or historical knowledge and understanding regarding the bible and so you can have more in-depth intepretations, I have no disagreement with that. However, I disagree when you make the jump to say that since you have more knowledge and understanding, that your interpretation is correct because you do not know what the authors intended because they never told you or you never asked them and got an answer. Whether your interpretation has more weight than, say mine is irrelevant when it comes to deciding who is correct in their interpretation since you can have more details but you are just as likely to be wrong as I am.

Originally Posted by XbeyondthisworldX (Post 294561)

Well, first of all, unless somebody on this site is a living prophet, they can't honestly say they know for a fact, whether He accepts it or not. Second of all, if God IS love, then how can God do anything but love? In my opinion, he may not like a certian decision you make, but He ultimately still loves you. Plus, I don't think he cares about every little individual sin, but I think he cares more about how you live your life in genral, and if you love Him. Whenever I do something that some people consider a sin, but nobody's really sure it's a sin, I ask God to teach me somehow that it's a sin if it is, and to give me the wisdom not to do it again, and to be forgiven, but if it's not a sin, let me feel like I am allowed to do it.

Originally Posted by Michael. (Post 294865)

Be cause God isn't just love. He is merciful, righteous, holy, and just.

Originally Posted by Michael. (Post 294865)

Therefore He'd be unloving, unjust, and unrighteous to not punish evil doers (sinners), and separate them from those who are His children (people whom are saved).

Originally Posted by Michael. (Post 294865)

Does He loves us? Absolutely. Peter tells us that the reason we are all even alive is because the Lord is slow in pouring out His wrath because He wishes no one to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Originally Posted by Michael. (Post 294865)

However, James tells us if you keep the whole law yet stumble at one point you are guilty of breaking all the law (James 2:10). And therefore if you have sinned you a lawbreaker (1 John 3:4) and in Psalm 25 it tells us that He does not forget the sins our youth. He will come again to judge the world based on how they lived their lives to the Ten Commandments, and unless you have the righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees you will be cast into the lake of fire (Matthew 5:20). Therefore the only way to exceed this and meet the demands of God's standards of being perfect (Matthew 5:48), you must have the righteousness of Christ imputed into you and your sins forgiven. And you do so by faith in Jesus Christ that His sacrifice was sufficient for you. If you do not, because you have broken the law you must be punished. The wages of your (and mine) sin is death (Romans 6:23), which is a physical death and eternal separation from God in hell (Revelation 21:8). But because God is gracious and has given us a righteousness that is by faith (Romans 1:17). Therefore the only way to escape condemnation is to be under the blood of Christ Jesus (Romans 5:1). You do so by repenting and putting your faith in Jesus and you will be sealed (promised) with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) which is a part of God that is imputed into you that surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees, and your life is now looked at as Jesus life by God the Father and you are now accepted into Heaven because the Holy Spirit is our guarantee into the Kingdom (Ephesians 1:14).