My first posting. I am so in love with the Bible & yet I'm scared

[warrior12]

36 minutes ago, Willa said:

Fear is not from God.

Good words from Willa and it's source from the Bible too.  Also i would add the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.   The net is what it is, a mixture of all and everything.   Yes, it is a place where you can go into depths that can create all kind of doubts and also get valuable information at no cost too.  Why not start with asking your pastor for some recommendations on what authors and books that may be helpful to you.  Also, maybe someone here with this type of background can guide you along the way.    You can ask here who is willing to mentor you in this area.

Here is a website with tons of books that you can,read online, browse or  download.  There are books from the earlier centuries.   Again, there are lots of stuff there, that you will have to choose.   Like this website much.

www.ccel.org 

Psalm 111        King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Edited March 20, 2017 by warrior12

[Radiant_Owl]

Thank you Warrior.  

[Radiant_Owl]

3 hours ago, Willa said:

Fear is not from God.  Lower Textual Criticism is more apt to be by Christians.  Higher Textual Criticism is often done by atheists and agnostics to prove that the Bible is not true.  So stick to lower.  It has older dates for the writing of the books (scrolls), and searches for evidence supporting Scripture.  It often also searches for the most correct rendering of the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.  This is often but not always found in earlier writings.  

The Greek church allowed Greek speaking people to copy the scrolls.  Many did this hurriedly or made more errors, and these were usually done on papyrus (paper) so only fragments remain.  Still they are helpful in dating some scrolls that the unbelievers claim were written 50 to 80 years later.  The originals no longer exist.  But they were quoted often as people and pastors wrote to each other during and soon after the time of the apostles.  The books of the New Testament were written between 45 and 91 AD or 45 and 85 AD, the last being the Revelation written by the apostle John while he was exiled on the Island of Patmos..  One Roman emperor ordered all New Testament scrolls to be burned so it is only by God's grace and providence that any exist today.

All New Testament scrolls had to be verified by a person who was a disciple of the Apostle to be accepted as genuine.  The words of Jesus and of the apostles were often memorized prior to their writing, just as the Jews memorized the first 5 books of the Old Testament.  But we are told both by Jesus and by the apostles like Paul that it is the Holy Spirit who brings to mind what they should write.  It is that same Holy Spirit who gives you such joy in your salvation and blesses you with love and understanding His Word.

Most of the New Testament was collected within only a short time after the death of John.  A few books at the end of the New Testament were questioned because while they were circulated among a group of neighboring churches, churches in another country may not have heard of all of them.  But the acid tests were the harmony with what the Holy Spirit had said in other parts of the Bible, lack of obvious error, the testimony early on from the disciples of the author, as well as their being signed by them.   Many fake books had cropped up about the time that the genuine ones were collected and verified.  Most were written by cults and had Jesus putting curses on children or killing them when he was young, or others claimed that women are evil and that Jesus didn't come as a man.  These were obviously false and were rejected for good reason.  They do not portray the God that we know and love.  But people are always coming up with newly discovered gospels that were "left out" of the New Testament.

Halley's Bible Handbook used to be recommended by Billy Graham and other well known pastors.  I am still looking for a good source to recommend.

Thank you so much.  

[daughterofGrace]

I have a few other sites and sources you might enjoy.

For quality Bible study check out this:

https://bible.org/

For straightforward, simple answers to questions there's this one:

https://www.gotquestions.org/

For apologetics (defense of the Christian faith), try these:

http://www.str.org/

http://rzim.org/

http://coldcasechristianity.com/

 

My suggestion is this:  Study God's Word and get a good grounding in it above all else.  Build your relationship with the Lord and grow in it.  As you get to know him, your faith will increase.  Don't ever be afraid of attacks against Jesus, the Bible or Christianity.  I have found that, in searching for responses to attacks, my faith has only increased.  God always has intelligent, valid answers to the nay-sayers.

 

Edited March 22, 2017 by daughterofGrace
correct typo

[Radiant_Owl]

Wise words, thank you.

[exrockstar]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:06 AM, Radiant_Owl said:

I've wandered the net doing research beyond what I read in scripture so as to learn the origins of the Bible and the history of our faith. And I'm scared. That sounds silly maybe but that's how I feel. I have this swelling love in my heart for the Bible and God and Jesus or Yeshua as the Hebrews call him. And this wondrous joy bubbling alive inside me comforted by the blanket of promise and my faith. And then.

I find information that makes it sounds like it is all political and man made. There are even non-Christian places that extract scriptures in order to point out how illogical it all is.

And that gets me to think and feel afraid. I know this sounds weak and whatever but I really need help in understanding .

Fear isn't necessarily a bad thing - confronting it creates courage

-Rev

[Marilyn C]

On ‎18‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 1:06 AM, Radiant_Owl said:

I've wandered the net doing research beyond what I read in scripture so as to learn the origins of the Bible and the history of our faith. And I'm scared. That sounds silly maybe but that's how I feel. I have this swelling love in my heart for the Bible and God and Jesus or Yeshua as the Hebrews call him. And this wondrous joy bubbling alive inside me comforted by the blanket of promise and my faith. And then.

I find information that makes it sounds like it is all political and man made. There are even non-Christian places that extract scriptures in order to point out how illogical it all is.

And that gets me to think and feel afraid. I know this sounds weak and whatever but I really need help in understanding .

Hi Radiant Owl,

You are right to feel that way with the information that you have been given - re: it is all man made. And of course we know it isn`t. God has His hand guiding the course of history to His conclusion. Obviously man is responsible for His actions but God is in command. Here is an except from one of my blogs here on Worthy. 

`The nations today consider that they control their own affairs, and that they are the sole arbiter of their destiny. There is, however, a higher authority controlling the world systems and shaping the nations according to His Divine Will.

No empire has ever been established on earth without the sanction & authority of God. In His word he has revealed His Time Frame for the Gentiles ruling the world, with each World Ruler prophesied. Then in contemporary times we see that God  established the Super Powers and brought them together to form the last Gentile World Government.  

In exact chronological sequence we have seen throughout history the world rulers come & go, till finally again in exact chronological sequence we see the four Super Powers arise.

Thus we can rest assured that God will complete His judgment of the Gentiles and bring in His government through Israel to bring blessings to the nations as they rule in peace under God.`

regards, Marilyn.

[JohnD]

Ah yes. I remember those days when I could not get enough of God's Word

AND

at the same time I was terrified someone or something would pop up and make me doubt the whole thing was true.

Especially when I began witnessing to unbelievers and to cultists.

I feared them having better answers than I did.

And that the whole thing would come crashing down to some philosophical preference...

Do you want to believe there is a God

or

Do you want to believe there is not a God.

All this is rooted in our human nature (which is evil and anti-God). That's what makes it so scary.

But how wonderful it is to discover one day that because it's all true, we have nothing to fear!

Ours is a faith founded on fact.

All other religions, faiths, philosophies, etc. are based entirely on beliefs and convictions / commitments... not truth. 

There's a difference.

Sadly, few Christians have the sincere devotion of Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. If it weren't for their devotion, the facts alone would end both cults in a few weeks. Clean 'em out. But there is a side to man that is incurably religious. Once tapped into / convinced / hoodwinked it's hard to discourage them especially with facts.

Someone once said "those JW's are sure sincere..."

They are sincere. But they are sincerely wrong.

My beloved wife and I used to indulge in Marie Calendar's pies. Once we brought home a coconut cream beauty ready to chow down on... when we discovered (the hard way) the baker got the salt confused with the sugar and the pie was ruined. Now he sincerely believed he was measuring sugar for the pies he made that day... but the fact remained it was salt no matter how sincere the baker was.

Fear not, truth is on our side.

The more you study and read and meditate on the Word the more you will see it IS truth.

And your doubts and fears all come from that old sin nature Pay it no mind. 

One day you will know that you know that you know God's Word is true and fear and doubt will never again enter your mind.

Hope this helps. 

 

[JohnD]

On 3/17/2017 at 9:06 AM, Radiant_Owl said:

I've wandered the net doing research beyond what I read in scripture so as to learn the origins of the Bible and the history of our faith

2 Peter 1:20–21 (AV)
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The entire Bible came by this very described process. All scripture is of prophetic origin. And this this principle applies to all scripture.

Dr. Chuck Missler did an excellent study on how to study the Bible using the example of a hologram (lens-less photography using a laser to create a 3-D image). Only if you use the laser light it was created with with you get the full and clear image. Otherwise you get a flat, out of focus mish mosh of images. The Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible is the only one who can properly interpret the Bible. And that's harder for most folks to accept than you might think (even in the Church).

Since we are such poor judges of... well, just about everything...

1 John 4:1 (AV)
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Even what we think is the Holy Spirit guiding us might not be. Put all things (including the Spirit) to the test.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (AV)
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Acts 17:11 (AV)
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Getting the pattern here?

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (AV)
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Proverbs 30:5–6 (AV)
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Proverbs 25:2 (AV)
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (AV)
29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

 

[JohnD]

Job 38:13–14 (AV)
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
14 It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

Here in what scholars believe is the oldest book of the Bible, Copernican cosmology (the earth rotates) rather than the stars revolve around the earth.