christians: can we fully trust what the bible says?

Question

(serious answers plz.....)

dont get me wrong, i am a christian and am faithful to God, i just have a problem with the following verses:

Exodus 35: 2-3 - "You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day must be sacred, a solemn day of rest dedicated to me, the LORD. Anyone who does any work on that day is to be put to death

- are doctors who save ppls lives on a sunday gonna be sent to hell because they worked on the wrong day of the week?

Leviticus 20:13 - if a man has sexual relations with another man, they have done a disgusting thing, and both shall be put to death

- since when does something so simple such as a sexual preference override the good things ppl do in life?

the bible was written over a long period of time, how can we be sure the writers wrote down the correct things? and even today, we have problems regarding translations, can we be sure that the bible was properly translated?

Answer 1

Maybe better ask: can you trust your own interpretation of what the Bible says?

Answer 2

God’s covenant with the Jewish people is the Old Testament and Jesus gave Christians the New Testament a covenant or doctrine of Grace, we are to follow the commandments, but we were not given the law, the word Sabbath means to rest, Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man not the man for Sabbath, but, we should follow the law set forth by God, this means….we should rest one out of the seven days and keep it holy…Christians do this on Sunday as the Lord’s day…God saw everything from the foundation to the end of time!

Find a good studie Bible and read it as you would history...the Bible isn't in chronological order order.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel / Nathan / Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly (King) David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - 55 A.D.
Mark = John Mark - 50 A.D.
Luke = Luke - 60 A.D.
John = John - 90 A.D.
Acts = Luke - 65 A.D.
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - 50-70 A.D.
Hebrews = unknown, best guesses are Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - 70 A.D.
James = James - 49 A.D.
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter – 60 - 67 A.D.
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John – 85 and 95 A.D.
Jude = Jude - 65 A.D.
Revelation =Apostle John - 90 A.D.

Answer 3

Jesus addressed the first question by healing on the sabbath right in front of the Pharisees (keepers of God's law) he said "which of you would not get your ox out of the ditch?" (on the Sabbath. and Jesus said "God made the sabbath for man not man for the sabbath." In other words the day of rest was to bless us not to bless God. I have found if I don't get a day of rest I'm in sad shape really quickly and about to break down physically and emotionally. As for the death penalty there were no prison systems back then. The most merciful thing that could be done to protect all the people from sin and the destruction sin causes to others was to single out the guilty one and put them to death. Sin was nearly non existent because first people knew this is what would happen and hardly ever risked the penalty. and second it saved everyone else in the group or camp from being corrupted. You have to really put some thought into what sin does to a society in order to understand the logic here. Imagine all the criminals in prison right now on the loose living next door to you. would you be safe? The answer is no. So mercy eliminates the corruption from the start.

Answer 4

Since the Bible was written by inspired writers, it must also be read by inspired readers. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can extract the essential truths from subtly doctored writings. However, there are many passages that are plain and simple to understand. Good that you mentioned Leviticus 20:13. There are many looking for such bibical prohibitions.

Answer 5

"Work" was not including helping others. Jesus helped others on the sabbath and was hated by the Pharisees for doing so. So you're misinterpreting that verse.

Anyway there is no sabbath today. Every day is a day for serving Jesus.

God has said that sex is only sinless when between a married man and a woman. Think about it. The parts even go together and create life!

The Bible is 100% accurate, and 100% true. It is also unchangeable. God has promised to preserve His Word, and He has done so, and fulfilled that promise.

Answer 6

1.) I'm not going to give you chapter and verse but if you study your Bible you will see the answer to your "doctor question" was answered by Jesus himself when he and his followers were busted for gathering food on the Sabbath.
2.) If it were left up to man to make his own laws there would be many pedophiles who would say it is natural to have a preference for young kids. Where do you draw the line? There are limits to permissible sexual gratification. The bible is the "gold standard" given to us by God.
3.)The answer to your 3rd question is too long for here but if you study the accuracy and reliability of scripture as compared to other ancient works the Bible stands out as singularly reliable. Check out works by Lee Stroble on this subject. Very enlightening. By the way, I don't agree with the statement "we have problems regarding translations". The ancient Greek and Hebrew manuscripts are there to be read and one needs only to become fluent in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic ,and Sanskrit to get an accurate translation. A big task, yes, but it can be done.
Thanks for being diligent enough to use scripture in your question and don't be afraid to ask these things. Being a Christian doesn't mean having to give up all intelligence and reasoning despite what the "world" says.

Answer 7

The Sabbath Day was a type and shadow for the millennium. Satan will be bound and God can then rest.

The Law in reference to sexual relationships has not changed. This "is" Gods position in regard to these matters.

If humanity doesn't use the Bible as the rule of thumb then mankind knows absolutely nothing about God. The Bible is the only real reference to God we have. To know the Bible is to know the "will of God".

Answer 8

If you place faith in men instead of God, then you're bound to have problems. And the Bible was certainly written by men. My copy was printed in Michigan.

It is dangerous when people take the collective works of mortals and elevate them to something divine.

I have problems with those verses, as well. But, I just remember that these verses were written by men several centuries ago. They are a footprint of the social climate at the time. It would be foolish for today's society to base its values on a long-dead society, especially when those values sanctioned obviously harmful behavior, such as genocide, slavery, and hatred.

When people place the Bible before God, then they choose to worship the works of man instead of God.

Now, there are those who claim that the Old Testament does not apply anymore because of Jesus. This raises other questions. The biggest one is: Why include the Old Testament at all?

And Jesus fulfilling the old laws is a great breeding ground for inconsistency. Note that the homophobes usually cite two sources for the Bible's hatred of homosexuals: The Old Testament and the account of Paul. Well, the Old Testament is supposedly fulfilled, and Paul is not God. So, where is the Biblical basis for homosexual hatred? There is none. Leviticus is used by the faithless to try to appear more pious.

Answer 9

These are both in the Mosaic Law, which Jesus came to fulfill. God did create us to need a rest - a Sabbath - but no longer requires that we follow all 600 or so requirements of the Mosaic Law.

When the Law was given, it was given to a group of people who had been slaves in an idolatrous land for 400 years. Think about the African American slaves who were freed during and after the Civil War - they had never been treated like adults, nor had they ever been taught to function in society, but they were suddenly thrown into society and expected to behave like adults. I'm not saying they weren't capable of it, they had just never been taught to do it. That's partly why so many slaves ended up living in shanty towns or going back to their masters - they just plain didn't have the knowledge to make it on their own at that time.

The Hebrew slaves had spent 400 years being ruled by a polytheistic people with a very strong government. They really didn't know how to function on their own, and even started whining that they wanted to go back because Egypt was familiar. Even if it was cruel, it was familiar. When God gave them the basis for their new government, their new life, He had to set down every little rule for them to follow.

The Law was also a reminder to the Hebrew people that God is intimately concerned with every area of their lives. He's not just a God to be noticed on the Sabbath and Feast Days, but in every little aspect. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

At first, the Hebrew people kept the law faithfully, but quickly strayed away. God also commanded a Year of Jubilee to be celebrated every 50 years (after the 7th sabbath year - 7x7), but this never happened once. The OT Jews didn't once stay faithful for 50 consecutive years. They stayed faithful as long as their leaders did, and not one king or judge ruled for more than 40 years or so.

Paul wrote in the New Testament how the purpose of the law is to show us that we're not good enough to get into heaven. If we break one law, we break them all, and we are sinners. No one but Jesus ever kept every single law. The rest were broken, twisted, and made into human laws (the Pharisaical Code had something like 6,000 laws that the church government insisted that people keep). The main purpose for the law, past giving God's people a government that was set up for them to follow, was to show us how much we need a savior.

Do we still have to be sure to do no work on the Sabbath? No. Do we have to set aside time to rest and honor God? Yes. Does it have to be Sunday? No.

As for homosexuality...I know I'm probably going to get a thumbs down for this, but the Bible says in both the OT and the NT that it's abhorrent to God. It's not how He created us, and it's not what He wants us to do. Are gays and lesbians supposed to be stoned today? No. That was part of OT law and culture. Does the NT say that God still abhors the practice? Yes. However, it's not for us to judge. That's between each individual and God.

If you really look into how the Bible was written, translated, and kept alive, it will answer your questions. There's a great book called "From God to Us" that can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/God-Us-How-Got-Bible/dp/0802428789/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6065383-8224728?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194103186&sr=8-1 There's a good chance that your pastor would have it, he'd probably be happy to let you borrow it. It gives a very thorough background into how the Bible was written and by whom, how it was translated and preserved, and how we know that it is true. I really suggest it - it's a good read.

Hope that helps!

Answer 10

Yes, but do you understand what it says?

Take, for example, your mention of homosexuality (or any OTHER prohibited sexual behavior). What is the principle outlined? That certain sexual activities are not to be encouraged or tolerated.

Your take on people's sexual preferences are also somewhat distorted (sorry, I AM trying to be diplomatic). Based on that reasoning, there is nothing wrong with polygamy.

In non-sexual arena, there is nothing wrong with euthanasia (two consenting adults, right? he wants to end his life and she is willing to do if for him).

The Sabbath is not an issue : Jesus clarified it. Humanitarian efforts are included in keeping the Sabbath day holy. For example, if I'm going to church on the Sabbath and on the way, I found somebody seriously ill who needs to get to the hospital immediately and there is nobody by me who can do that, the I take that person to the hospital, and if needs be, stay there as long as required.

For those in essential services, such as doctors and nurses (and police officers), there is absolutely nothing wrong with working on the Sabbath.


Of course, the priests worked on the Sabbath.

Answer 11

The Bible was written for a culture thousands of years ago. That has to be kept in mind when you are reading it. It has also been translated and there are differences in those translations.

But I believe that God works even through our cultural lenses and mistakes. the Bible is not meant to be taken literally word for word. What are the general themes? that God uses the "younger sons" (the cultural 'nothings') and outcasts to work to do good. That God loves us no matter what. Find inspiration in what speaks to you. Research and understand the cultural world of the writer.