Category: Faith and Christianity

God’s Word Today

Genesis 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Do we have or need a serpent today to question God’s word as written in the Bible? Or can we do it ourselves?

Hearing God’s word as it is preached or as we read it in the Bible, perhaps:

1. At times, we just avoid it, don’t read certain passages, and focus on those we like.
2. We don’t feel comfortable with what it says, or outright don’t like it. So we can change it, use different words, or redefine the words, to make it say something else. This creates a safer path for us to follow.
3. At the extreme we can just deny the author entirely. If we can choose to not believe God exists then his word loses authority, and we feel comfortable not listening to it.

It’s best though to hang on to the Bible in some adulterated form since most people still find it useful to have some authoritative guide for their lives at least in the areas and doctrines of better living that they agree with.

Plus referring to the Bible from time to time gives a false assurance, a connection to a broader community, and an opportunity to appear credible to those who do believe and follow God’s word. This is purposeful to deceive, and teach other’s to do likewise. Though for some it’s just the unknowing consequence of good intentions, that our way is the better way. Secular Humanism itself spins our of some of the good doctrines found in the Bible, while ignoring and rejecting all the others.

Mike, interesting discussion. On one side point the mention of heaven in Mark 13:27 Old John Gill wrote:

from the uttermost part of the earth, to the uttermost part of the heaven; be they where they will, on earth, and under the whole heavens; See Gill on Mat 24:31.

Matthew 24:31

and they shall gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other; that is, by the ministration of the Gospel; the Spirit of God accompanying it with his power, and grace, the ministers of the word should gather out of the world unto Christ, and to his churches, such persons as God had, before the foundation of the world, chosen in Christ, unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth; wherever they are under the whole heavens, from one end to another; or in any part of the earth, though at the greatest distance; for in Mar 13:27 it is said, “from the uttermost part of the earth, to the uttermost part of the heaven”. The Jews (h) say, that “in the after redemption (i.e. by the Messiah) all Israel shall be gathered together by the sound of a trumpet, from the four parts of the world. (h) Zohar in Lev. fol. 47. 1.