How can a Christian reject part of the Bible and still call themselves a Christian?

[Arkilogue]

It's purpose is to convict the reader of God's existence, his relationship to mankind and his kingdom under Jesus Christ. [..] I believe that the bible does a good job of leading people who have the desire to know God.  For those with no desire, it won't happen, even if God himself comes and has a conversation with them.

The bible is a book possessed of multiple genres.  It contains literal passages and metaphorical passages.  But the two are not clearly delineated.  This invites the reader to be their own divining rod, literalizing the metaphorical and metaphorizing the literal as they see fit.  This is an implicit quandary in a book containing an admixture of styles with no clear demarcation as to which is which.  It is inherent in the book itself that the reader is given the task of rejecting and accepting as they please.  Saying that the bible serves the purpose of leading someone to Jesus, besides being an intent not clearly spelled out anywhere, ignores this dualistic nature of the text.  For all your good intentions, Lek, at the end of the day that is merely how you personally choose to read the bible.  Nowhere is it spelled out unambiguously that this is the intention behind the bible.  You have your own personal hermeneutic of the bible that is backed by nothing at all.  For every one who has the witness of the spirit and agrees with your reading, there are four more who don't.  What you have is an opinion on how the bible is to be read and nothing more.

And the bible, as an abridged collection, still contains such instructions:

2 Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God that hides the word (matter, a thing in other translations), and the glory of the King that seeks for the word.


Taking something at it's word can only ever equal mental belief. But in working it for yourself is spiritual growth.

[Arkilogue]

How can you question "his" reading.  It's not his reading that's lacking, it's the presence of the ghost, without which a proper reading can't be had.


Perhaps you should question the ghosts absence, instead?  That's the diff between a "proper reading" and a questionable one, nothing to do with human beings in the general or any particular human being in the specific.

That get's into the questions: What exactly is the Holy Spirit/Ghost of God, how does it function and how do we gain interaction with it?

[Lek]

How can you question "his" reading.  It's not his reading that's lacking, it's the presence of the ghost, without which a proper reading can't be had.


Perhaps you should question the ghosts absence, instead?  That's the diff between a "proper reading" and a questionable one, nothing to do with human beings in the general or any particular human being in the specific.

The "ghost" is there if we are seeking him. Zillions of people have read the scriptures, but they are not seeking the truth. If "he" is really reading with a true openness and a sincere seeking of the truth then I can't say. This is my experience with myself and others and this is what the bible says. I believe I'm right. If I'm not, hopefully I'll become aware of that soon and will change my beliefs.

[vorlon13]

Wonder what would happen to a pew warmer, suddenly taking Jesus testimony in the gospels seriously for a moment, and chasing all the divorce whores out of the congregation with a whip, and then going into the church office and overturning the table with the credit card machine on it ??

[Lek]

Wonder what would happen to a pew warmer, suddenly taking Jesus testimony in the gospels seriously for a moment, and chasing all the divorce whores out of the congregation with a whip, and then going into the church office and overturning the table with the credit card machine on it ??

How about this?

John 8:1-11New Living Translation (NLT)

A Woman Caught in Adultery
8 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

[Whateverist]

Q: How can a Christian reject part of the Bible and still call themselves a Christian?

A: Because one lobe doesn't know what the other is doing?

[The Grand Nudger]

The "ghost" is there if we are seeking him.

Doesn't the call to seek (or sincerely seek, or whatever qualifier you're going to add next) comes from the ghost?  So how is anyone supposed to seek the ghost, that needs to call them for them to seek...and without whom a proper reading can;t be had? You need to understand that the way -you're- describing it, it's all on the ghost. There;s no sense in shifting responsibility (or blaim) for all of this shit you've claimed for the ghost on a man..just because you can;t fathom it not having shown up when the proper rites and incantations were muttered.

Zillions of people have read the scriptures, but they are not seeking the truth.

Does it matter, so long as it leads to jesus....?  You -just- told us that the bible was not authoritative in and of itself....how do you extract truth from something that isn't authoritative?  

If "he" is really reading with a true openness and a sincere seeking of the truth then I can't say.  This is my experience with myself and others and this is what the bible says.  I believe I'm right.  If I'm not, hopefully I'll become aware of that soon and will change my beliefs.

But you did say, in fact you said so many things that all of them can't be simultaneously true. Do your beliefs have the ability to alter truth, or make contradictory statements true? Or is it just that no amount of contradictory statements is a problem so long as they all end in jesus? In any case, do you think it's wise to hinge your belief system on an ungenerous assumption regarding anyone and everyone who's read the bible and -hasn't- met a ghost?

"My claims are true, and the only reason that they didn't pan out for everyone they didn;t pan out for.... is because those people are all close minded, insincere non-seekers". Really? Meh, fine, if you believe it, you believe it..but at least clean up your batshit claims so that they -could be- true...if you're going to go the full asshole route.

[vorlon13]

Wonder what would happen to a pew warmer, suddenly taking Jesus testimony in the gospels seriously for a moment, and chasing all the divorce whores out of the congregation with a whip, and then going into the church office and overturning the table with the credit card machine on it ??

How about this?

John 8:1-11New Living Translation (NLT)

A Woman Caught in Adultery
8 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

The scenario is different.

The divorce whores in "Christ' church there feel their whoredoms have been consecrated in their church to the glory of the Lord, as it were.

Jesus told the prostitute to go and sin no more, here we have a denomination/schism that is actually consecrating a continuation of the offense, in Jesus name .  I hope you see the difference there.

[Lek]

You just told us....that the call to seek (or sincerely seek, or whatever qualifier you're going to add next) comes from the ghost.  So how is anyone supposed to seek the ghost, that needs to call them for them to seek...and without whom a proper reading can;t be had?  You need to understand that the way -you're- describing it, it's all on the ghost.  There;s no sense in shifting responsibility (or blaim) for all of this shit you've claimed for the ghost on a man..just because you can;t fathom it not having shown up  when the proper rites and incantations were muttered.

The Spirit is calling you. If you are seeking the truth you will respond to the call and read the bible. If you are truly seeking the truth it will be revealed to through the scriptures by the Spirit.

Does it matter, so long as it leads to jesus....?  You -just- told us that the bible was not authoritative in and of itself....how do you extract truth from something that isn't authoritative?  

The bible receives it's authority from God who reveals it to us through the Spirit.

But you did say, in fact you said so many things that all of them can't be simultaneously true.  Do your beliefs have the ability to alter truth, or make contradictory statements true?  Or is it just that no amount of contradictory statements is a problem so long as they all end in jesus?  In any case, do you think it's wise to hinge your belief system on an ungenerous assumption regarding anyone and everyone who's read the bible and -hasn't- met a ghost?

There is only one truth. We may all have different opinions about what verses in the bible mean, but if we have Jesus we have what the bible is directing us to, and he is truth. If I have Jesus, it doesn't matter a whole lot if I believe that I should worship on Saturday or Sunday. The truth in that matter is probably that it doesn't matter what day I worship, but there is a truth to everything. If we have Jesus, we may not know the truth about every statement in the bible, but we have salvation, which is what the bible is pointing us to.

"My claims are true, and the only reason that they didn't pan out for everyone they didn;t pan out for.... is because those people are all close minded, insincere non-seekers".  Really?  Meh, fine, if you believe it, you believe it..but at least clean up your batshit claims so that they -could be- true...if you're going to go the full asshole route.

Okay.

[The Grand Nudger]

The Spirit is calling you.  If you are seeking the truth you will respond to the call and read the bible.  If you are truly seeking the truth it will be revealed to through the scriptures by the Spirit.  

I think I'd probably know, better than you, whether or not a ghost is reaching out to me.  Pro -tip..it aint.

The bible receives it's authority from God who reveals it to us through the Spirit.

A much better strategy, so long as you cease to engage you can't keep putting your foot in your mouth.

There is only one truth.  We may all have different opinions about what verses in the bible mean, but if we have Jesus we have what the bible is directing us to, and he is truth.  If I have Jesus, it doesn't matter a whole lot if I believe that I should worship on Saturday or Sunday.  The truth in that matter is probably that it doesn't matter what day I worship, but there is a truth to everything.  If we have Jesus, we may not know the truth about every statement in the bible, but we have salvation, which is what the bible is pointing us to.

So why would an "improper reading" matter, at all?  Even an improper reading, if it leads to jesus, is a-ok...right? Matter of fact, without any sincerity or open mindedness whatsoever you may get an "improper reading" (because that's how that happens..right?)..or you may not be called by or have the crib notes of a ghost and get an "improper reading"........all of which leads you to jesus regardless, making it a-ok.

Riiiiiiight?