Response to C @29: A prophet was a representative of Jehovah sent by Him to the nations to call them to turn from their evil ways and follow God. Although most of the prophets went directly to the Jews, some like Jonah went to the Gentile nations. Several who went to the Jews also spoke to the Gentiles. A true prophet spoke the words of God, did not contradict Scripture, and, if they made a prediction about the future, it came true. In Luke 24:27&44, Jesus accepted the Jewish canon of the Old Testament and thus accepted the writers, incluing the prophets, that it accepted.
No contradictions exist between the accounts of the creation or of the crucifiction. The different accounts are complimentary in that the present the same event with different witnesses emphasizing different elements. If you would like to pose what you think are contradictions then I will discuss each.
How do you know what points of Scripture to take literally? For examples, was Jesus Christ the Son of God and did He perform miracles or are those fanciful stories as well. My guess is that you do not accept the Genesis creation story but even Jesus accepted it. Was Jesus wrong? If so, then how could He be the Son of God?
Jesus also spoke to the clarity and sufficiency of Scripture for the Christian life. Was He wrong? Jesus challenged the religious leaders of His day not because they failed to have a mystical communion with God but because they failed to correctly understand the Scripture. Martin Luther directed his reforms against clergy who had abandoned the Scripture and eleveated their own subjective understanding of God to the level of God’s revelation of Himself.
The beauty of Scripture is that it was written by 40 authors, in numerous languages, and living amongst varous civilizations from Job (unknown date) to Moses to Paul (1st century A.D.). Yet, the message is consistent and without contradiction. Only the God who inspired these writings could superintend them through the ages. According to you God is not powerful enough to communicate to men, perserve His word through the ages, and speak with clarity to all situations. Why would you worship such a God? What percentage of Scripture is correct? How do you tell?
Thanks for answering my questions. I hope I have answered yours. I enjoy such friendly dialogue.
