From an informed Christian viewpoint many believer’s & non-believer’s theories are bordering on ridiculous and worse. Many have literally no idea at all what they’re talking about. An informed viewpoint comes from reading Scripture, but it's far more than that. It's not what you read, or your ability to read, or your ability to comprehend what you read, or even the level of impact it has on you. With the Bible, the really major factor is: HOW you read it! <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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The only correct first thought in preparation, before any reading at all: if there’s a God, then He is God, and we're not! Therefore one must, not ‘should’ but must surrender their ego and self before this God, and pray that He guides the understanding. Why? Because if the Bible is genuine, then He wrote the book: and only He knows what it's supposed to say to our hearts! The problem: because of our human ego and self we tend to stand so tall that we block the Light of Truth from ever shining in. Even if one doesn't believe in God that's no real handicap: "God, if you're God, which I'm having trouble believing right now, but I'm willing to believe; if you exist, please reveal yourself to me through this Bible; that I may know you as you would have me to know you." And mean it, or else don't even bother, because He knows anyway. For others, just leave out the question of belief, “Lord God, please reveal all that you would have me to know of you as I read your Scriptures…”.
Then, and it should be obvious for Pete’s sake, get an approved Bible that is translated very faithfully and concisely from the earliest authenticated manuscripts. Once those two preparations are attended: Read ALL OF SCRIPTURE, book by book, in order, cover to cover!
That's without hop, skip & jump, reading a book here, a book there; without tearing it apart at every sentence or paragraph to anal-lyse it; without applying a hypercritical arched eyebrow and magnifying glass looking for suspected errors, without questioning it at all: no, just read it, one end to the other. Why no questions at all? Well, if a person is trying to explain extremely complex things you don’t understand, how can you understand what they’ve even tried to say if you interrupt them with questions and challenges at every paragraph before you even find out exactly what they’re really talking about?
From the first read COVER TO COVER you can understand the overall story, viewpoint and some major concepts God is forming, in the exact order He has laid out for your understanding. That order is progressive revelation and it’s why the Bible is laid out like it is.
After that, while it’s still fresh in your mind, you go back & read it again, cover-to-cover, for deeper understanding of what He said, to align the newfound knowledge, now as someone who has seen the general plan. This second read isn’t for further opportunity to find critical disagreement with it: just read it again, like one big book. Now the entire story is familiar ground, with some memory of what you read before, but with more understanding of complex issues that starts to reveal something much deeper. Still: don’t challenge what you’ve seen! Just ask God to make curious or difficult concepts more clear to you.
That is: He will make them more clear as you READ IT AGAIN, in order, cover to cover! In the third reading some of the finer hidden points become clearly understood and most questions or confusions are resolved. We finally know what the inside story is, why we are the way we are, and why God is the Way He is, and exactly why the Bible was written as it was written, and for the first time: EXACTLY what it says to us in our hearts as a Spiritual conversation from God!
We first have to get over that "It's all about me!" state of mind, which is the single most common state of mind in all men, all women, all children, and in all of the other options there of late. The first and ever primary requirement for ANY understanding of God can only, only, only come from a heart that is humble before His Heavenly Throne; and those last 3 words say an awful lot! If you ever do this of reading Scripture from cover to cover, without questioning it, just reading, something profound will occur, quite beyond words to describe.
Then, where there are questions, ask them directly of the Bible itself! That is, get a Reference Bible. A good one has center column references for every verse, directing you to every other verse in the Bible related to the subject matter, plus key words and their correct definition. When you get to the referenced verse you of course find more references, and may follow those. By following all those references and reading corollary verses all is made clear, as the Bible literally explains and proves the Bible to you in real time!
The very large majority of Christians with all of their lofty opinions of doctrines and pronouncements of THEIR viewpoints and explanations of same HAVE NEVER READ THE BIBLE COVER TO COVER EVEN ONCE IN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE! The reason it sounds, to an informed Christian, like they don’t know what they’re talking about is quite simple: they don’t! They’re not talking about what the Bible actually says at all, but what they think it says!
Likewise, many have had all their Bible understanding tainted and perverted because it’s initially gotten in some church denomination’s doctrinally approved Bible Study courses, or Bible Study groups etc. with every understanding heavily overshadowed with their denominational beliefs, their ‘interpretations’ and their church dogma. That’s just a larger group insisting on what they think it says! That’s hugely different than falling before God to humbly ask Him to reveal all as He would: as He who wrote the book! After you’ve read it properly, then listen to their doctrines to see if they really do match the Perfect Word of God that has just been spoken into your heart!
For the non-believer, if you won’t do this you can never look yourself in the eyes in the mirror and honestly say, "I’ve searched for God and He’s not there." Because it isn’t true and you know it. You can never lay your head on your pillow at night and relax into a restful sleep without a bottle or pills or joint or whatever to hide a heart in doubt and the nagging uneasiness in your mind.
In case you're wondering with a question there: YES! I read the Holy Scripture, King James Version, cover to cover 6 times in the first 18 months, before I developed a solid belief from it. Some areas of that belief changed over time with further deeper revelations after studying the same Scripture in deeper detail, listening to God, not me! From Scripture, I’m still open to whatever else my Lord and God has to say to me.
May God Bless your proper reading of His Divine Conversation from His Heart of Love to your heart!
JDFree
fficeffice" />The only correct first thought in preparation, before any reading at all: if there’s a God, then He is God, and we're not! Therefore one must, not ‘should’ but must surrender their ego and self before this God, and pray that He guides the understanding. Why? Because if the Bible is genuine, then He wrote the book: and only He knows what it's supposed to say to our hearts! The problem: because of our human ego and self we tend to stand so tall that we block the Light of Truth from ever shining in. Even if one doesn't believe in God that's no real handicap: "God, if you're God, which I'm having trouble believing right now, but I'm willing to believe; if you exist, please reveal yourself to me through this Bible; that I may know you as you would have me to know you." And mean it, or else don't even bother, because He knows anyway. For others, just leave out the question of belief, “Lord God, please reveal all that you would have me to know of you as I read your Scriptures…”.
Then, and it should be obvious for Pete’s sake, get an approved Bible that is translated very faithfully and concisely from the earliest authenticated manuscripts. Once those two preparations are attended: Read ALL OF SCRIPTURE, book by book, in order, cover to cover!
That's without hop, skip & jump, reading a book here, a book there; without tearing it apart at every sentence or paragraph to anal-lyse it; without applying a hypercritical arched eyebrow and magnifying glass looking for suspected errors, without questioning it at all: no, just read it, one end to the other. Why no questions at all? Well, if a person is trying to explain extremely complex things you don’t understand, how can you understand what they’ve even tried to say if you interrupt them with questions and challenges at every paragraph before you even find out exactly what they’re really talking about?
From the first read COVER TO COVER you can understand the overall story, viewpoint and some major concepts God is forming, in the exact order He has laid out for your understanding. That order is progressive revelation and it’s why the Bible is laid out like it is.
After that, while it’s still fresh in your mind, you go back & read it again, cover-to-cover, for deeper understanding of what He said, to align the newfound knowledge, now as someone who has seen the general plan. This second read isn’t for further opportunity to find critical disagreement with it: just read it again, like one big book. Now the entire story is familiar ground, with some memory of what you read before, but with more understanding of complex issues that starts to reveal something much deeper. Still: don’t challenge what you’ve seen! Just ask God to make curious or difficult concepts more clear to you.
That is: He will make them more clear as you READ IT AGAIN, in order, cover to cover! In the third reading some of the finer hidden points become clearly understood and most questions or confusions are resolved. We finally know what the inside story is, why we are the way we are, and why God is the Way He is, and exactly why the Bible was written as it was written, and for the first time: EXACTLY what it says to us in our hearts as a Spiritual conversation from God!
We first have to get over that "It's all about me!" state of mind, which is the single most common state of mind in all men, all women, all children, and in all of the other options there of late. The first and ever primary requirement for ANY understanding of God can only, only, only come from a heart that is humble before His Heavenly Throne; and those last 3 words say an awful lot! If you ever do this of reading Scripture from cover to cover, without questioning it, just reading, something profound will occur, quite beyond words to describe.
Then, where there are questions, ask them directly of the Bible itself! That is, get a Reference Bible. A good one has center column references for every verse, directing you to every other verse in the Bible related to the subject matter, plus key words and their correct definition. When you get to the referenced verse you of course find more references, and may follow those. By following all those references and reading corollary verses all is made clear, as the Bible literally explains and proves the Bible to you in real time!
The very large majority of Christians with all of their lofty opinions of doctrines and pronouncements of THEIR viewpoints and explanations of same HAVE NEVER READ THE BIBLE COVER TO COVER EVEN ONCE IN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE! The reason it sounds, to an informed Christian, like they don’t know what they’re talking about is quite simple: they don’t! They’re not talking about what the Bible actually says at all, but what they think it says!
Likewise, many have had all their Bible understanding tainted and perverted because it’s initially gotten in some church denomination’s doctrinally approved Bible Study courses, or Bible Study groups etc. with every understanding heavily overshadowed with their denominational beliefs, their ‘interpretations’ and their church dogma. That’s just a larger group insisting on what they think it says! That’s hugely different than falling before God to humbly ask Him to reveal all as He would: as He who wrote the book! After you’ve read it properly, then listen to their doctrines to see if they really do match the Perfect Word of God that has just been spoken into your heart!
For the non-believer, if you won’t do this you can never look yourself in the eyes in the mirror and honestly say, "I’ve searched for God and He’s not there." Because it isn’t true and you know it. You can never lay your head on your pillow at night and relax into a restful sleep without a bottle or pills or joint or whatever to hide a heart in doubt and the nagging uneasiness in your mind.
In case you're wondering with a question there: YES! I read the Holy Scripture, King James Version, cover to cover 6 times in the first 18 months, before I developed a solid belief from it. Some areas of that belief changed over time with further deeper revelations after studying the same Scripture in deeper detail, listening to God, not me! From Scripture, I’m still open to whatever else my Lord and God has to say to me.
May God Bless your proper reading of His Divine Conversation from His Heart of Love to your heart!
JDFree
