What the bible says

Well, let's check a couple of things –

First off, I agree that nowhere does the Bible claim itself to be 'infallible' or 'inerrant', it's not as traditional doctrine as argued today, the product of American Evangelicalism. So I think Higashi is tackling Evangelicals in this video. No disagreement here.

The Greek word is θεόπνευστος theopnevstos: literally 'God-breathed'.

It's a word that seems unique to Paul, there's no reference to it before his, in this letter. It's a compound of two words: θεός theos and πνεῦμα pneuma. The word θεός means 'God' and πνεῦμα means 'breath' or 'wind', and in a religious context, 'spirit' or 'soul'.

So θεόπνευστος can be translated as 'God-breathed', or 'God-inspired', the etymology of in-spire, from the latin, is 'into' and 'breathe' – 'breathed into'.

Both the Greek and Latin terms then signify something originating in God and 'breathed into' the recipient.

What you cannot reasonably do is translate the term as 'life giving', because neither of those two terms, in Greek or Latin, are indicated in the text.

But to go on, why is the text 'life giving'? In a Pauline context, because it is from God ... so really I think Higashi should properly address what 'inspired' means, and what it does not mean – it does not mean inerrant or infallible or invincible, etc., but to say that the text does not mean inspired of God but rather a watered down 'life giving' – basically 'God-breathed' at one remove – is over-stepping the mark.

Just my take. I don't have to redefine and water down Scripture to argue against Biblical inerrancy or infallibility.

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Having settled that it does not mean what Evangelicals thinks it means ...

As God-breathed there is a wealth of supportive Biblical evidence, not the least being 2 Peter 1:20-21 –
"... knowing this before all else: that no prophecy of scripture comes from a private interpretation; for at no time was any prophecy produced by a human being’s will; rather, human beings spoke from God when they were borne along by a holy spirit."
 
As an afterthought ...

There is a connection between prophecy, the latin term 'oracle', the Greek term 'logion' and the Hebrew 'dabar' all mean word, and the term oracle can apply to a prophet in the Ancient World, such as the Oracle at Delphi.

What the ancients knew, however, is that 'consulting the oracle' is an enormously tricky and perilous business, because they rarely speak in plain language, and when they do, they might have meant something entirely more nuanced, so a wise Ancient would be wary of putting his life savings on the winner of the 3.30 chariot race in the stadium because the oracle said ...

All this is a roundabout way of saying, without having gone into this in any depth, so I could be completely wrong, that the Ancient World never assumed what they understood from the oracle to be inerrant or infallible – rather what the oracle said was infallible and inerrant, because it is the Gods who speak, but whether the hearer got the message correctly, was a whole different ballgame.

I hope @RabbiO can back me up on this, but that old saw of 'two Jews, three opinions' surely means that no Jew thinks God got it wrong, but rather, having heard the Word, have they get it right?
 
In the end it boils down to what we choose to believe.

Christianity is basically a man was God incarnate, born of a virgin by no human agency, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.

How are we going to determine whether that is true or not?

Abraham collected some people around himself and journeyed out of Canaan. Moses gathered a body of people and left Egypt. Were either led by God, or by some personal conviction?

How doers the Buddhist believe in liberation?

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I can't answer that question for you.
 
"In the end it boils down to what we choose to believe" So, we look at all the options and decide what works for us? How many options are there and are they all correct.... can a person change what happens to him/her after death?
 
Yahweh kid said:
So, we look at all the options and decide what works for us? How many options are there and are they all correct.... can a person change what happens to him/her after death?
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Well there's two questions there:
Can a person change what happens to them after death? I don't know. It seems to me that after death nothing is necessarily 'fixed' or set in stone.

Re options – I looked at options – Hermeticism, Soto Zen, Neoplatonism, but came to the conclusion that Christianity is the one that talks to me, but that's where the journey starts, and it continues, there is no end, this side of the veil.
 
I've looked at different beliefs and all of them make you a slave to receive eternal salvation. Only in Christianity salvation is a gift and not based on our deeds or how good of a person we are.......... "this is what the Bible says"... (thank goodness, for I am not a good person, even though I want/strive to be one) This is the God I want to share my life with forever. I guess this is the option I choose to believe. 😌
 
Yahweh kid said:
Only in Christianity salvation is a gift and not based on our deeds or how good of a person we are.......... "this is what the Bible says"...
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I think it depends on the creed you follow .. I'm not so sure Catholic/Orthodox sees salvation
in such simple terms.

Yahweh kid said:
(thank goodness, for I am not a good person, even though I want/strive to be one)..
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That applies to all of us .. thinking that we are 'something special' is the path the devil
wishes us to tread.

Faith consists of 2 major parts .. the hope in G-d's Mercy, and the fear of His Wrath.
Faith is not complete without both .. it is often the case that 'the carrot without the stick' fails
to achieve salvation .. we need to be aware of both pleasure and pain .. that mirrors reality.
 
Yahweh kid said:
What do you believe happens after death?
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I don't know .. but I believe both good things and bad things can happen ..
..as in this life.
I think what happens to us in the future, is dependent on the choices we make in life..
..the afterlife being a continuation of this one, as it were.

I believe that G-d is eternal, and our souls are from Him .. and we will all return to Him.
I do not believe that G-d is a tyrant .. I do not believe that G-d is a person.
I believe that all our deeds will be laid bare on the Day of Judgement, and any suffering
in an afterlife will be of our own making, worldly wealth no longer being a currency.
 
muhammad_isa said:
I don't know .. but I believe both good things and bad things can happen ..
..as in this life.
I think what happens to us in the future, is dependent on the choices we make in life..
..the afterlife being a continuation of this one, as it were.

I believe that G-d is eternal, and our souls are from Him .. and we will all return to Him.
I do not believe that G-d is a tyrant .. I do not believe that G-d is a person.
I believe that all our deeds will be laid bare on the Day of Judgement, and any suffering
in an afterlife will be of our own making, worldly wealth no longer being a currency.
Click to expand...
I share some of your ideas... God is eternal, souls are from Him and will return to Him....
So you do believe in a day of Judgement.... do you believe that you are good enough to be saved from eternal suffering if you had to die today? (Salvation)
If God is not a person, what is He and who will be doing the judging on the Day of Judgement ?
If we are going to be judged I believe there has to be laws(how would we know what the laws/rules are?)....... I assume if we break the laws there will be consequences? Can we pay for our transgressions with our deeds/choices? Is/was there any person in this world who has not broken God's laws?
Can God curse us with suffering if it is His will? Can God be a tyrant if He wants too?
What do you base your faith on?

I am very sorry about all the questions, but I like to know what others believe that could help me better understand God.
I hope it is ok....

Tx Muhammad.
 
Yahweh kid said:
do you believe that you are good enough to be saved from eternal suffering if you had to die today? (Salvation)
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I don't believe that anybody is "good enough" .. we are all sinners, and rely on G-d's mercy.

Yahweh kid said:
If God is not a person, what is He and who will be doing the judging on the Day of Judgement ?
Click to expand...
I don't know what G-d is, but I believe G-d is Holy .. not part of creation(universe).
As G-d is "the Best of All Judges" (ie. perfect, Holy), then if all deeds are laid bare, then they
are no longer hidden between souls .. consequences follow.
i.e. bad stuff .. good stuff

Yahweh kid said:
If we are going to be judged I believe there has to be laws(how would we know what the laws/rules are?)...
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..through many ways .. conscience .. experience .. seeking religious knowledge etc.

Yahweh kid said:
.... I assume if we break the laws there will be consequences? Can we pay for our transgressions with our deeds/choices?
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It is important to be humble .. to ask forgiveness for our transgressions, and
sincerely repent (not to repeat) major transgressions. eg. murder, adultery, serious fraud

Yahweh kid said:
Is/was there any person in this world who has not broken God's laws?
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I prefer not to answer that as a yes or no. I do not wish to distinguish between saints/prophets
in some kind of hierarchy.
Suffice to say, that those chosen by G-d were exemplary.

Yahweh kid said:
Can God curse us with suffering if it is His will? Can God be a tyrant if He wants too?
Click to expand...
G-d is Holy .. no, G-d can never be a tyrant.
I see the concept of "G-d's punishment" as consequences of our own deeds .. and not as 'a god'
behaving like a sadist.

Yahweh kid said:
What do you base your faith on?
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Religious knowledge (Bible, Qur'an, hadith) and experience and thought.

Yahweh kid said:
I am very sorry about all the questions..
Click to expand...
It's ok .. peace be with you :)
 
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