It is not a matter if interpretation.
It is a matter of understanding historical and cultural context and research the verses in the original language. https://www.blueletterbible.org/ is a good starting point.
I happen to take the word of God serious - and I have positions, not opinions, based on the word of God.
The fact that someone thinks the bible is contradictory proves that that person has not studied, much less understood it.
I wish you well.
PS:// The NIV is a falsified rendering, a watered down version of the original word of God. I suggest to study the King James in conjuntion with original word studies.
Best of luck.
Thanks for the tip. I'll reference the King James in the future.
As to historical and cultural context, isn't it much more likely that the bible is used by men in order to impose on and control other men.
Also, I don't understand how you can say the bible isn't contradictory. Even the premise of an all knowing all powerful god creating (free-willed) man that was destined for failure is ludicrous. How could you explain that?
I do appreciate the discours by the way.
Only those who go against their Creator and His creation are destined to fail/fall. It is man's choice.
God is Spirit - and He is a gentleman. He doesn't force His will onto anyone, unlike human government that forces its oppressive will into its subjects/citizens. It's described well in Deuteronomy.
It is an interesting book to read, as it explains in detail what would happen should the Jews choose a human king over their Heavenly Father. The things described therein are spot on as to what humans endure under human rule.
Choices.
Those who are in Jesus are not destined for failure.
If there is a design, any design, and the thing is used outwith the purpose for which it was designed, it is likely to break/fail. This is what we see happening. Free will - we have a choice. I made mine. As an atheist of 49 years, I finally heard Jesus's call and gave my heart to Him. The one thing I have found is peace, knowledge and growing wisdom. Not mine, but God's, who promises all these things to those who turn to God and repent.
The story of Jesus is so outrageous, that it is indeed hard for an unbeliever to, well, believe. But let's analyze briefly:
If Jesus was a charlatan, He would have said: I shall live, but if I die, I shall rise again after three days, and my spirit will go to heaven.
That's not what Jesus said. He said, I will die, rise again and be physically with you. This is exactly what happend. The purpose of His death and resurrection was to pay with His blood for our sins, so that those may be forgiven who have Jesus in them.
Faith comes from hearing the word of God. Listen to it. Meditate. And see what may be revealed to you.
God created us. He is all knowing and all powerful. He knew before he made us and gave us free will that we would end up where we are today, supposedly with lucifer torturing for all eternity all the poor souls that believed or were born into the wrong religion or didn't have the opportunity to confess before their death. How is that our choice. It's his choice. He choose to create the world as it is today, including all the senseless suffering and misery. He could've negated all this by creating us differently, without free will, without an angel that would fall, without a tree of knowledge etc. etc. He didn't and thus forces his will on us.
The bible surely is interesting, true. But it remains a book written by people. People make stuff up, tell lies, twist things for their own agenda's. The Harry Potter books are interesting too, but that doesn't make those true either.
"Those who are in Jesus are not destined for failure." What does that even mean? It is gibberish.
Yes, using designed things for other things than what they were designed for might result in them breaking. That has nothing to do with god or the bible. I also don't buy that reality is designed. I find it far more likely it and everything in it emerged and evolved on its own. We see complexity form on very simple things everywhere without ever needing a designer.
What Jezus said isn't relevant. There is one source, one book, that is not credible evidence for Jezus or god.
You acknowledge God's creation. That's good.
The Bible is an integrated message system, penned by forty people over 2000 years. It originated outside our time domain. The Bible is easily proven by science, archeology, historical events, eyewitnesses, nano-technology, quantum physics, astronomy - to name a few.
Above all, hundreds of its prophecies have come true. Many more are about to be fulfilled. From Genesis to Revelation - the Scriptures are God-breathed. In Genesis 5, the coming of Jesus Christ is foretold. In fact, if one looks carefully, Jesus can be found on every page in the Old Testament. To find it, one must read the Scriptures, and not take Globo's or anyone else's word for it. Prudence.
Read the Bible - and understanding will follow.
Eternity exist. Our soul/mind/consciousness, whatever you choose to call it, is the software that operates the hardware, our body. Software does not have mass. Take an empty DVD. Weigh it. It is 0.5644 oz. Load it with 4 GB of powerful data, or even 2,200 e-books. Weigh it again. It's still 0.5644 oz.
Time is a property of mass. No mass means timeless, or eternal.
The software is outside our time domain. It can be transmitted through the airwaves. It is timeless.
It is not a question of whether eternity exists but where we will spend it.
It has always been man's choice which God or gods to follow. Many Muslims come to Christ. They make a choice. Many atheists do. I grew up an atheist. I made my choice later in life despite my circumstance.
I hope and pray that your eyes, too, will be opened.
Love
globocop
I acknowledge it only as a rhetoric tool to counter your claim of god as a gentleman. Why don't you counter my points? Maybe because you can't dispute the logic of my repartee?
Yes, there is a bible, and this can be proven by science. Most of its contents however cannot.
Above all, those prophecies you speak of might be considered by some to have come true but I would argue that information bias plays the biggest part in that.
I can write a chapter tomorrow predicting something that happens in some later chapter. I can claim it was god-breathed into my spirit and than write the later chapter to confirm my prediction. This is not proof of anything.
The more I read the Bible, the more I understand it is a work of fiction.
That consciousness doesn't have mass isn't proof of god or a creator. The mind-hive doesn't have mass yet it shows more complexity than say a single ant could ever do on its own. This property is called "emergence" and it does not require a creator.
"The software is outside our time domain. It can be transmitted through the airwaves. It is timeless." This is a nonsense statement. Very Deepak Chopra-esque! It sounds fun, but doesn't say anything.
There is only this moment. Eternity is just a word. Before birth or after death a person does not have the senses needed to measure time.
Of course, it is your personal choice and I respect that.
You may pray for me if you wish. It'll have no effect other than to give the one that prays a false sense of accomplishment. It's a form of meditation really.
I wish you all the best.