If man is an imperfect instument, how can the Bible, written, transcribed and translated by man, be perfect?
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2Tim 3:15.  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.\n 16.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:\n 17.  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.   \n  \nLiving bible 2Tim 3:15.  You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God's salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus. \n 16.  The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. \n 17.  It is God's way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.
1088276
Yes and one example is Jesus's life is absent in the bible from the age of 13 to the age of 33! big chunk of his life is missing there.\n\nOh and before I forget, here is the result of constant tampering and editing of the holy bible that conradicts itself enormously!\n\nTheological doctrines:\n\n1. God is satisfied with his works\nGen 1:31\nGod is dissatisfied with his works. \nGen 6:6\n2. God dwells in chosen temples\n2 Chron 7:12,16\nGod dwells not in temples\nActs 7:48\n3. God dwells in light\nTim 6:16\nGod dwells in darkness\n1 Kings 8:12/ Ps 18:11/ Ps 97:2\n4. God is seen and heard\nEx 33:23/ Ex 33:11/ Gen 3:9,10/ Gen 32:30/ Is 6:1/\nEx 24:9-11\nGod is invisible and cannot be heard\nJohn 1:18/ John 5:37/ Ex 33:20/ 1 Tim 6:16\n5. God is tired and rests\nEx 31:17/ Jer 15:6\nGod is never tired and never rests\nIs 40:28\n6. God is everywhere present, sees and knows all things\nProv 15:3/ Ps 139:7-10/ Job 34:22,21\nGod is not everywhere present, neither sees nor knows all \nthings\nGen 11:5/ Gen 18:20,21/ Gen 3:8\n7. God knows the hearts of men\nActs 1:24/ Ps 139:2,3\nGod tries men to find out what is in their heart\nDeut 13:3/ Deut 8:2/ Gen 22:12\n8. God is all powerful\nJer 32:27/ Matt 19:26\nGod is not all powerful\nJudg 1:19\n9. God is unchangeable\nJames 1:17/ Mal 3:6/ Ezek 24:14/ Num 23:19\nGod is changeable\nGen 6:6/ Jonah 3:10/ 1 Sam 2:30,31/ 2 Kings 20:1,4,5,6/ \nEx 33:1,3,17,14\n10. God is just and impartial\nPs 92:15/ Gen 18:25/ Deut 32:4/ Rom 2:11/ Ezek 18:25\nGod is unjust and partial\nGen 9:25/ Ex 20:5/ Rom 9:11-13/ Matt 13:12\n11. God is the author of evil\nLam 3:38/ Jer 18:11/ Is 45:7/ Amos 3:6/ Ezek 20:25\nGod is not the author of evil\n1 Cor 14:33/ Deut 32:4/ James 1:13\n12. God gives freely to those who ask\nJames 1:5/ Luke 11:10\nGod withholds his blessings and prevents men from receiving \nthem\nJohn 12:40/ Josh 11:20/ Is 63:17\n13. God is to be found by those who seek him\nMatt 7:8/ Prov 8:17\nGod is not to be found by those who seek him\nProv 1:28\n14. God is warlike\nEx 15:3/ Is 51:15\nGod is peaceful\nRom 15:33/ 1 Cor 14:33\n15. God is cruel, unmerciful, destructive, and ferocious\nJer 13:14/ Deut 7:16/ 1 Sam 15:2,3/ 1 Sam 6:19\nGod is kind, merciful, and good\nJames 5:11/ Lam 3:33/ 1 Chron 16:34/ Ezek 18:32/ Ps 145:9/ \n1 Tim 2:4/ 1 John 4:16/ Ps 25:8\n16. God's anger is fierce and endures long\nNum 32:13/ Num 25:4/ Jer 17:4\nGod's anger is slow and endures but for a minute\nPs 103:8/ Ps 30:5\n17. God commands, approves of, and delights in burnt offerings, \nsacrifices ,and holy days\nEx 29:36/ Lev 23:27/ Ex 29:18/ Lev 1:9\nGod disapproves of and has no pleasure in burnt offerings, \nsacrifices, and holy days.\nJer 7:22/ Jer 6:20/ Ps 50:13,4/ Is 1:13,11,12\n18. God accepts human sacrifices\n2 Sam 21:8,9,14/ Gen 22:2/ Judg 11:30-32,34,38,39\nGod forbids human sacrifice\nDeut 12:30,31\n19. God temps men\nGen 22:1/ 2 Sam 24:1/ Jer 20:7/ Matt 6:13\nGod temps no man\nJames 1:13\n20. God cannot lie\nHeb 6:18\nGod lies by proxy; he sends forth lying spirits t deceive\n2 Thes 2:11/ 1 Kings 22:23/ Ezek 14:9\n21. Because of man's wickedness God destroys him\nGen 6:5,7\nBecause of man's wickedness God will not destroy him\nGen 8:21\n22. God's attributes are revealed in his works.\nRom 1:20\nGod's attributes cannot be discovered\nJob 11:7/ Is 40:28\n23. There is but one God\nDeut 6:4\nThere is a plurality of gods\nGen 1:26/ Gen 3:22/ Gen 18:1-3/ 1 John 5:7\nMoral Precepts\n\n24. Robbery commanded\nEx 3:21,22/ Ex 12:35,36\nRobbery forbidden\nLev 19:13/ Ex 20:15\n25. Lying approved and sanctioned\nJosh 2:4-6/ James 2:25/ Ex 1:18-20/ 1 Kings 22:21,22\nLying forbidden\nEx 20:16/ Prov 12:22/ Rev 21:8\n26. Hatred to the Edomite sanctioned\n2 Kings 14:7,3\nHatred to the Edomite forbidden\nDeut 23:7\n27. Killing commanded\nEx 32:27\nKilling forbidden\nEx 20:13\n28. The blood-shedder must die\nGen 9:5,6\nThe blood-shedder must not die\nGen 4:15\n29. The making of images forbidden\nEx 20:4\nThe
715013
Look with-in and you shall find all that you need .It is said that man alone has with him the full knowledge and love of God . So if one found them selves alone and without any knowledge of the books of evil men who twist Gods love and distorts the truth how would you find him .\nLook only as far as your own soul and you will know your creators love .\nThe written words of man are to serve mans needs and not those of God .\nIt is insidious how the writings of man distort the true meaning of Gods Will for man and have lead him so far astray .\nBut I have been asked by God to tell you that you should only look in your own soul for him and there you will find him .
97123
No one except Jesus was or ever will be perfect. God knows and understnads this. He doesn't expect us to be perfect. \n\nWhat he cares about is our heart. The more we love him, the more we desire to do his will and not sin. At the same time as we get close to him, he perfects us. True, we will never be perfect during our life on earth, but God perfects us while we are here. The whole thing is a process (which some go through faster than others). When we get to heaven, we will be perfect, becasue he will have made us perfect. But the thing to remember is it's all God. Everything good about us comes from Him and not ourselves. He is the one who does it all (perfects us). How much and how fast depends on our willingness to surrender to God and allow Him to do so.
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God promised to preserve his Word, not the English language. He knew about the translations, and the annomalies that may arise.\n\nYou can bet the translations (not all of them), but a few of them, potray the message in a clear and concise manner.\n\nWhile the enemy may taint some avenues of the Gospel, the Lord will not allow them all to be corrupted.\n\nI posted this in another thread:\n\nThe Bible is made up of 66 books, written by 40 authors on 3 continents, using 3 languages, and penned over a 1600 year span of time, yet it uniquely fits together without contradiction, making up one volume we call, “The Bible”.\n\nCharles Spurgeon said, "This Bible is the anvil on which many a hammer of critics has been worn out." It has truly withstood every test and trial while remaining the undisputed bestseller of all time! Over 1/2 billion Bibles were printed in1997 alone!\n\nWhat makes the Bible so different from all other books? It's incredible accuracy both historically, scientifically, geographically, and prophetically.\n\nArcheological findings, have proven the Bible’s literal accuracy. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, substantiate the accuracy of the Old Testament scriptures written 2,500 to 3,500 years ago!\n\nThe Bible revealed many truths thousands of years ago long before they were discovered. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica; Volume 4 page 937 "Columbus discovered America by Bible prophecy rather than by astronomy." Columbus believed the Bible and convinced the Queen after reading to her the following scriptures:\n\nIsaiah 40:22 (about 800 B.C.)\n\n"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth..."\n\nJob 26:7 (Almost certainly over 1,000 B.C.)\n\n"He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing."\n\nMan thought the earth was flat and perhaps sat on the back of a turtle, just 500 years ago, yet God revealed the earth's true Geography over 3,500 years ago, a circle that hangs on nothing.\n\nIncredible as it may sound, we probably killed our first president, George Washington, by bleeding him to death. A practice called blood letting, the cutting of ones wrist and removing life giving blood. If we had only read and believed God's word:\n\nLeviticus 17:11\n\n"For the life of the flesh is in the blood..."\n\nThere are hosts of incredible proofs like these throughout the Bible. The water cycle and evaporation process is revealed in Ecclesiastes 1:6-7 and Psalms 135. \n\nThe Bible is the only book that foretells the future with 100% accuracy. It foretold the birthplace of Jesus 700 years before He was born! (Micah 5:2), That He would be crucified over 500 years before this inhumane practice ever began! Details about Jesus’ crucifixion such as: His hands and feet would be pierced, His beard would be torn out, His garments would be gambled for, and that He would die between two thieves, and be buried in a rich mans tomb (Isaiah 53, Psalms 22). Jesus fulfilled 30 different prophecies in just one day. There were about 300 prophecies that foretold His first coming and over 500 that tell of His second coming.\n\nOne such prophecy was fulfilled and witnessed by millions of people alive today! On May 14th, 1948, three million Jews from all over the world speaking 85 different languages returned to a tiny piece of desolate desert land, that most had never seen. God foretold of this incredible event through His word over 2,500 years ago.\n\nJeremiah 30:3\n\n"For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."\n\nEzekiel 36:24\n\n"For I will take you (Jews) from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land."\n\nZechariah 8:8\n\n"And I will bring them, and they shall dwe
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In an odd way, sweet_shy is right.  Sure, there are translation errors and parts of it may have been added or deleted, but it's still God's work.  It was divinely inspired; the only part that really matters is the message, and do you really think that he would let his message be corrupted?  The rest is just fluff to make it readable.  Now having read the New Testament, I find that what I read is entirely in line with my knowledge of God.  I think the message comes through just fine and there are no errors in it despite whatever stages the actual text has gone through.
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OK,\n1. The Bible is unique in its continuity, circulation, translation, survival, teachings and influence on literature.\n\n2. The bible is trustworthy. The Bibliographical test, the internal evidence test, the external evidence test, and it confirmation by Archeology.\n\nI could go on and on. \nAnd as for the bad stuff that goes on in the world, it is man, not God who chose to do evil things. It is called feel will.
768216
There is no such thing as perfection. And if there was, wouldn't life be boring. Would everything being 'predictable' be boring. Its the imperfections in life that make things fun and enjoyable.\nLike the quote goes 'Love isn't perfect, its learning to live with the imperfections'
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Jesus stated You must  be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Did Jesus mean you won't make mistakes?  No! Just as Jesus is the son of God we all people on the earth are to be Sons and Daughters of God by perfecting our own physical and spiritual body. Human beings are meant to be Co-creators with God in the sense that God creates the environment for man and mans responsibility is to complete himself by controlling his mind and body.  Mind is subject and body is object.  Your mind or conscience, where God and the spirit world can communicate to you through prayer and meditation and should guide your body to do only good. However because the Fall of Man occurred man is in a state of separation from God and man's conscience is not able to hear Gods message and can be influenced by evil spirits. \nMan's True position as Son and Daughters of God was lost due to the fall.  The fall was not an eating of fruit but and elicit sexual encounter between Adam and Eve. This is why God sent the Messiah.  By uniting with the Messiah and following his word then Mankind could be elevated to receive Gods forgiveness for the Fall which has been passed down through history and take his rightful position as Sons and Daughters of God. In this state of oneness with God Man would love God so much that Man would be unable to commit and evil act.  Man would then live in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and when man died would pass to the Kingdom of Heaven in the spirit world. Just as man has a heart.  God also can be heartbroken. In the Bible it explains several passages how Gods heart was hurt to see Man in his fallen state.  .
782884
Well.... I have a problem with 1, for starters.  I don't think the 10 commandments of the bible are that hard to improve on.  Let me find a thread for you.
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One thing you may not realize is that the good translations are translated directly for the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts that have been preserved for all time.  There are over 5000 manuscripts recovered and translated. (The most evidence from any major ancient literary source)\n\nScholars do indeed see the human elements in Scripture but that doesnt make Gods truth any less than important.  A wise man one said that the Bible is theologically perfect enough to astonish the wisest of scholars and human enough to give any unbeliever doubt.
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What part of the bible wasn't written by men?
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It certainly seems to be.\nAfter all, how else could they convince people that such a poorly written book of fiction was inspired by a  divine and perfect being?\nLaughable!
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In one way, Bible is God's letter of introduction. He described His character through the Bible so that people may know Him. I don't think that He would allow His character to be misrepresented by wrong translations, cause it is His character we, people, can rely on (among other things). If God is omnipotent, I am sure He could and can find a way to prevent some catastrophic errors to appear in the Bible which would lead its readers into wrong assumptions and beliefs.
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We're made in the spiritual image of God, but that doesn't mean we ARE God; we make mistakes.  The Bible does have some internal inconsistancies, but it's also about 4000 years old.  You can't expect a story to be reproduced perfectly all throughout that time.  And I don't think it really matters anyway, since the creation story is more meant to be a parable than a factual history.  The message is more important than the individual details.
1159840
As an undergrad student that focused on neurophysiology, I decided that science will probably never fully understand the brain- because we are using the very organ we are studying to attempt to gain enlightenment. I say this in reference to this question so thoughtfully posed before us because we are even more skewed on this subject because we as imperfect mere mortals are attempting to comprehend the full meaning of a perfect God. \n\nFirst it must be determined what "perfect" means? Should perfect be defined as always being "good"? I don't think that infallibility means always doing what is "happy." In our justice system, is imprisoning bad people bad? If we say that it's not bad, than how can a flood that wiped out the bad and corrupt be considered evil- could it not be justified as being considered good? Some things just "Are" no matter how bumming they may seem to us. God has choices just as we do, there are many ways up the mountain- none of them are wrong or right- easier and harder maybe- but not wrong or right. I couldn't begin to comprehend what it would be like to be the "original Father" and have to wipe out your creation because they were so consumed with sin. It couldn't have been an easy decision to make and carry out. Even in the old testament- Sodom and Gomorrah- he gave ample opportunity for people to cast out "evil" and kept lowering the needed number of good people before he punished his children. It’s not a fair comparison to put God up against Hitler or Stalin…they killed because of characteristics that aren’t sinful and their purpose for killing was sinful.\n\nSomething else that should be taken into consideration when thinking of perfection, all knowing, and the creation of Satan…take the Far Eastern philosophy of balance- yin and yang for instance. If, for perfection to exist, there must be balance- then wouldn’t there have to be an evil to balance out the good? As depressing a concept as it is, for us to know good we must also know evil. Parents teach us right from wrong by applauding our good behavior and punishing/ correcting our bad behavior- why should this lesson not also be taught by a spiritual parent?  It’s from the very contrasts that we become capable of reasoning. To truly have free will, we must be given all options- not just those that are “happy” or “right.”\n\nAs far as “omnipotent” is concerned, that- like everything else- is subject to interpretation. I agree that if you already know the beginning, middle and end of something- there would be no purpose for the experiment that is humanity. Maybe it is instead knowing all the choices and resulting consequences that could happen with each decision we make but allowing us to make them with our own reasoning. By giving us free will, the Supreme Being has allowed us to write the story instead of it being dictated for us. Maybe humanity is like an ant farm- you decide if and when you put in food, water, and something to make an anthill out of- you know that the healthy will eat and drink to survive and create shelter – but instead of doing it for them, you watch to see the how they do it. Humanity, and not just the women, reserves the right to change our minds with each decision we make- maybe God likes surprises .\n\nYou are not an evil person for questioning faith and religion- don’t let anyone make you feel that way. To question is to grow- both mentally and spiritually. My advice to everyone is to not judge others by their beliefs because those can be most easily misunderstood- instead form opinions of them by their actions for and against humanity. A person doesn’t have to be a Christian to love thy neighbor- they just have to be a person that puts the greater good above their own wants. But especially to those who are Christians, strive to remember Compassion, Understanding and Tolerance- they aren’t just lessons to be taught
579042
No. We are imperfect. Jesus did gave a report regarding the church eras up to the start of the tribulation. See it here... http://tinyurl.com/nyjzb