Why Is The Message So Unclear?
Many believe that God and those who have preached his words have not been able to express themselves more clearly in the written words of the Bible. The interpretations of the words are so diverse that in many cases it brings only peace, war and destruction.
Communication between God and people
It is not the Bible that lacks something in clarity. But in any communication there are two parties, and if one party either does not want to hear what the other says, or constantly distort and abuse it, there is not much that the other can quit. This is also the case with the communication between God and people. Man is created as a free being - and also has the freedom to distort and abuse the Word of God, the Bible, at your own responsibility, of course.
Human responsibility
You probably know the phrase "as the fool reads the Bible". Yes, the devil is a diligent bible reader, and there is no end to all the idiotic, evil and also bloody distortions and abuse of the one he stands behind. But it does not excuse the people who are seduced by him. One can for example Think of the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. There are really some who have incurred a terrible responsibility. The same are many other examples in history.
But that's not the Bible's fault. It's human, it's wrong with the fall of sin. Now, I do not know how much you are reading in the Bible, but if you have most kept yourself in an "audience" so far, I would highly recommend you read the New Testament from time to time (The Old Testament can you read later ). I'm sure you'll find that nothing is missing in clarity. And assuming that your question is true concern for humans, I am also sure that you will find that Jesus, as you meet him in the New Testament, is simply God's answer to all human distress.
Finally: You and I have to make sure that we do not even distort and abuse the Bible. Life in this world is and will be a struggle also that way. But it is a battle where God Himself is on our side.
bibizzle
I find that a lot of the lack of clarity comes from a cultural disconnect. Most readers do not take the time to understand what the NT letters meant to the original readers. For example, "the elements will melt with fervent heat."
I believe to the original reader it was obvious that the elements referred to here are the elements in the temple. To an NIV reader, we think he is talking about the periodic table ceasing to exist. Do you think the cultural disconnect is a problem, or that modern english translations are basically self explainitory and can be read at face value?
Just as you have said, when there is a gap between the communicator and the listener, there will always be problem comprehending what the communicator is saying.
The problem with people is we do not pay attention to the word of God, so many read the word of God without really trying to understand what that particular passage is talking about.
The fact is the Bible is clear and simple, its left for us to get the true understanding of what it is saying...
I will round off by saying as we study our Bible, we should not just read but also meditate on it as this will help us grow
Amen
Thanks
I am creating a similar blog. Let's help each other. God bless you. @absolutetruth
Kndly VOTE and follow me, am already in the same niche, i think this is an avenue fo us to share and be bless by the word of God.
May God help us all
If God wanted to teach humanity of his nature and the meaning of life, why would he ever use a book to do it? Think about it: You're an all-powerful being who created the entire cosmos and everything in it. You are capable of creating a vast array of lifeforms, some of which, like humans, are intelligent and self-aware. And the best you can come up with to impart the most important information of life to them, is a two-thousand-year-old book of desert stories? No offense to God, but if he exists he's not very smart. 😕
@diigima God is love (direct quotation from John's first letter, chapter 4, v. 16). And love can not force, as you yourself write. Therefore, God will and can not force anyone to join in with them. Therefore, he created the very first people with a free will to choose whether they would live in close union with God or if they would do what they themselves wanted - and they chose the last!
That is the choice we are living with today, what is called inheritance sin. Therefore, today, no person is born who elects the community with God by himself. And therefore, we need God to open an opportunity to make fellowship with him. That fellowship with God we can only get through Jesus. That's what God has bound to both us and himself.
God has done all he could to save everyone. Jesus' death and resurrection apply to all people, and God wants to forgive all men for the sake of Jesus. BUT the gift or opportunity or what we call it will or can not force us because he is love.
Why should this communication be in written form?
There are several reasons. Consider, inter alia, what the Bible is - the revelation of God to us humans. It gives us the only precise explanation for the creation of the earth and man. It tells us why God put man on earth, as well as the reason that there is so much suffering, sickness and death now. It also tells us about the solution to the problems when God's intentions with the earth and its inhabitants are fully implemented.
This information comes from the one best by message - the Creator himself. No human being could possess such insight. It requires a divine revelation.
The Bible also contains a complete account of God's conduct with his people and with the nations over time, as well as God's laws and principles for human life and the journey.
This large collection of vital information that has been created over the centuries could not be surely delivered orally from one generation to another. For example, the writings of the writers and Pharisees would be a reliable source of enlightenment of Jesus' lives and deeds?
Or would a great nation just reproduce its constitution and its laws orally? No, such laws are carefully written down so they can be a reliable guide to study and correct.
Because God knew that people would spread all over the world, he realized that oral surrender would be too uncertain a means to use when he was to give up to them. The best way he could keep his message to them was to let it down. That is why the apostle Paul counseled this: "Do not go beyond what is written." - 1 Cor. 4: 6th
That the message of God exists in written form gives people who sincerely seek the truth, the opportunity to study its contents carefully. Thus, they do not depend on the fact that one with special qualifications explains them the details of God's intentions - an explanation that could easily be distorted or forgotten. Having the word of God in a book also allows us to control what others are saying about him. Such control was made in the first century, when some "took against the word with the greatest zeal and [daily] examined. . . The scriptures about these things were so ". (Acts 17:11) We can do the same today as we also have the word of God in written form.
God has also taken into account human constraints. His written message to us does not constitute great binding works, as it would be difficult for most people to get in, and also to read. Instead, God has given us a single book that is easy to handle and no more costly than anyone can afford to acquire it. And yet it is so extensive that it gives us all we need. It gives us answers to all basic questions about who God is, what the meaning of life is and what the future will bring.
There are numerous verses, but here are two, that help shed light on your question (not that any biblical passage will convince you, but if you are willing to be open minded, it is food for thought that can challenge whatever notions you may have... then go sit outside and look at the beauty of the stars for a while).
Job 12:7 "But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."
Romans 1:19-20 "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." (If you really want to her some prophesy spoken in truth by a being who is inferior to us keep reading in Romans)
I can't help but stand in front of creation, or ponder the miracle of consciousness (that no scientist can explain), and believe. It seems to me that the Bible is the recorded word of God for us to read because we are not intelligent enough to comprehend his genius without having it spelled out for us... and yet we still find ways to argue against it.
Thank you!
Bibizzle, I am new to the steemit community and have not read a ton of your things. The few I have read I liked, however, this one seems a bit confusing to me. You seem to be encouraging people to read the bible because the Word of God will interpret itself and make its message truly known. YES! I agree completely. But why encourage only the New Testament? The Old Testament has an incredible wealth of faithful knowledge that gives us insight into everything Jesus was to his earliest followers and us alike. In fact, it can only give more clarity to what Jesus teaches as he lives and Paul teaches after... If we neglect it, we are doing exactly what you warn against aren't we? That is, we are only getting part of the truth, Oh that fool of a devil would love that we only get part of God's word.
From what I gathered, he seems to be encouraging those to start with the New Testament first - as you can get a saving knowledge of the gospel through only the New Testament (but not the old). He also says to read the OT later on, by no means neglecting it. I do think that for a new seeker or a believer that has not been investing in Bible, the NT takes precedent. Just my 2 cents :)
Praise God we are all saved by Grace
Wow... I love this part; jesus is simply God's answer to all humam distress... So revelational!
As one who is seeing to the advancement of the kingom of the father, Could u please help me resteem some of my messages to keep the gospel spreading.
Here is my link..
https://steemit.com/christianity/@souljay/prayer-part1-understanding-the-principles-of-prayer
The messages are really gonna bless lives. But i have no viewers as i'm new on the platform..Thanks for understanding... We'll keep spreading the gospel of christ even to the ends of the earth.