Bible Questions

[MarcATL]

I got a bible from my sister as a gift. I am going to start reading it soon and have started briefly..little at a time. To mentally digest, so to speak. I am spiritual but the bible itself I don't take much stock in. Why read it, then, you may ask? Because I can learn things. Some I will take at face value, some I will be suspicious about because...in my opinion...it was written BY man FOR man. And no man was perfect and had agendas since the beginning of time..which means all those translations can't be perfectly correct.

Anyway..I digress. I am going to read it...maybe hopping around, maybe from front to back. I won't know until I delve in to it more. So this is where you guys come in. The ones that DO believe the bible wholeheartedly. I ask for opinions. Some I will accept. Some I will not. Depends on what feels "right" to me, since I also believe each person has their own path, their own beliefs, their own gut instinct of what seems to be right for them..individually.

So for my very first question, here is a quote that made me stop reading for awhile until I digest what your opinions are in the meaning of the following:

26 And God went on to say: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every moving animal that is moving upon the earth.”27And God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.

1. Who is US and OUR?
2. If God is spiritual and not flesh and blood...how does a spirit have form to look humanoid?

Gracie, your question is a very profound one, one that many Christians who have read it a thousand times don't even pick up on, yet you picked up on it right away. That tells me that you are sincere in your study of the Bible. aka...you're off to a good start.

To directly respond to your question, the "Our" is God the Father and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Making man to have attributes of all three.

Another poster already stated that the Bible doesn't contradict itself, which is true, it doesn't see John 1 to confirm what you're reading in that text.

John 1 NKJV - The Eternal Word - In the beginning was - Bible Gateway

Jesus is also known as The Word, which tells us that Jesus Himself created man. But Jesus was born a child to Mary...how is that even possible!?!?? Don't blow your mind, just accept it. There are many things we know about God and there are countless things we don't know, nor will we ever know about God.

One prolific writer stated that we will spend an eternity learning of God when we make it to heaven. That's a good thought to keep in mind when coming across things you just don't get...I do.

Happy reading!

 

[Gracie]

Any further yet, Gracie?

Plodding along. I'm slow. Heck, it took me 60 years just to get the book and actually WANT it. I've had bibles before. They collected dust. Maybe because I was never interested. 60 years later...I am interested.
Gonna take some time for me. I will holler again if I get stumped.

 

[hortysir]

Any further yet, Gracie?

Plodding along. I'm slow. Heck, it took me 60 years just to get the book and actually WANT it. I've had bibles before. They collected dust. Maybe because I was never interested. 60 years later...I am interested.
Gonna take some time for me. I will holler again if I get stumped.

I, too, have a few different editions for studying.

I tried reading the Mormon Bible..... a few times actually, but....


But DO try to keep an open mind and a willing heart as you read

*hugs*

 

[Gracie]

Another question!!!

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Does this mean Eden was in heaven? If it was so dangerous for Adam and Eve to have knowlege of good and evil, they were then no longer "pure" of spirit as God originally intended? Did I make sense??

Side question: God did not name Adam and Eve. It doesn't say he named them, so I guess Adam chose that name for himself, then chose Eve's name as well?

 

[Gracie]

Tolja I was slow.

 

[Gracie]

Any further yet, Gracie?

Plodding along. I'm slow. Heck, it took me 60 years just to get the book and actually WANT it. I've had bibles before. They collected dust. Maybe because I was never interested. 60 years later...I am interested.
Gonna take some time for me. I will holler again if I get stumped.

I, too, have a few different editions for studying.

I tried reading the Mormon Bible..... a few times actually, but....


But DO try to keep an open mind and a willing heart as you read

*hugs*

I am reading the book my sister gave me...but I am also rechecking different versions in the link supplied (biblegateway). In other words..I read the book...highlight what I want to double check, come to my computer and read other versions, then go back to the book. Or come here. lol

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

As a person raised without religion at all, I didn't question religion until I was in my late 30s. I was curious so I got a Bible and read it. If you keep an open mind and don't constantly use atheist propaganda to support a preconceived idea of what the Bible says or means, it will speak to you itself. I feel myself extremely fortunate to not have had any influence at all in my reading of the Bible. Later on I had questions and looked for answers but only from those who studied the Bible and had answers.

The Bible is unnerving. Sometimes because it turned out to be so uncannily accurate it is downright scary.

The Bible is a supernatural book, no doubt about it. The communist and Islamic nations that ban the bible do so with good reason. They fear the power of the bible. They know it leads to conversions of souls. I agree with you that the prophecies can be unnerving when you see it unfolding before your very eyes. We are living in some pretty perlious times. - J.

 

[Avatar4321]

Another question!!!

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Does this mean Eden was in heaven? If it was so dangerous for Adam and Eve to have knowlege of good and evil, they were then no longer "pure" of spirit as God originally intended? Did I make sense??

Side question: God did not name Adam and Eve. It doesn't say he named them, so I guess Adam chose that name for himself, then chose Eve's name as well?

No. There were two trees in the Garden. The Tree of Life and the Tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve were able to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life as long as they were obedient to God. When they ate of the fruit of knowledge, they became mortal. They learned the difference between good and evil, but if they had eaten of the friut of the Tree of life at this point, they would have been made immortal in their sins. They wouldn't have had a period of repentence. They would forever be cut off from the presence of God and never obtain Eternal Life with no chance of Redemption.

Instead, God provided them with time to repent and provide them with an Atonement. So when they do obtain immortality, they would not be in their fallen state.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Another question!!!

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Does this mean Eden was in heaven? If it was so dangerous for Adam and Eve to have knowlege of good and evil, they were then no longer "pure" of spirit as God originally intended? Did I make sense??

Side question: God did not name Adam and Eve. It doesn't say he named them, so I guess Adam chose that name for himself, then chose Eve's name as well?

Eden was on Earth, probably in present day Iraq.

Yes, Adam did name Eve, you just have not got that far yet.

 

[koshergrl]

I never thought about the names before, that's sort of interesting!

 

[Gracie]

Another question!!!

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Does this mean Eden was in heaven? If it was so dangerous for Adam and Eve to have knowlege of good and evil, they were then no longer "pure" of spirit as God originally intended? Did I make sense??

Side question: God did not name Adam and Eve. It doesn't say he named them, so I guess Adam chose that name for himself, then chose Eve's name as well?

No. There were two trees in the Garden. The Tree of Life and the Tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve were able to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life as long as they were obedient to God. When they ate of the fruit of knowledge, they became mortal. They learned the difference between good and evil, but if they had eaten of the friut of the Tree of life at this point, they would have been made immortal in their sins. They wouldn't have had a period of repentence. They would forever be cut off from the presence of God and never obtain Eternal Life with no chance of Redemption.

Instead, God provided them with time to repent and provide them with an Atonement. So when they do obtain immortality, they would not be in their fallen state.

TWO trees? Is that said somewhere in the bible that I have not reached yet? And I have to be honest here...I am totally confused reading what you said. Can you make it in more simple terms...i.e. like you would be telling a 10 year old. Sorry, but I'm having a hard time trying to understand it.

 

[Avatar4321]

Another question!!!

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Does this mean Eden was in heaven? If it was so dangerous for Adam and Eve to have knowlege of good and evil, they were then no longer "pure" of spirit as God originally intended? Did I make sense??

Side question: God did not name Adam and Eve. It doesn't say he named them, so I guess Adam chose that name for himself, then chose Eve's name as well?

No. There were two trees in the Garden. The Tree of Life and the Tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve were able to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life as long as they were obedient to God. When they ate of the fruit of knowledge, they became mortal. They learned the difference between good and evil, but if they had eaten of the friut of the Tree of life at this point, they would have been made immortal in their sins. They wouldn't have had a period of repentence. They would forever be cut off from the presence of God and never obtain Eternal Life with no chance of Redemption.

Instead, God provided them with time to repent and provide them with an Atonement. So when they do obtain immortality, they would not be in their fallen state.

TWO trees? Is that said somewhere in the bible that I have not reached yet? And I have to be honest here...I am totally confused reading what you said. Can you make it in more simple terms...i.e. like you would be telling a 10 year old. Sorry, but I'm having a hard time trying to understand it.

Let me think about it and see if I can explain it better.

 

[Gracie]

OH OH!! Wait! I think I got it. Once they ate from the tree of knowledge...THEN ate AGAIN if allowed to stay there, from the tree of life..they would have been immortal i.e. live forever with the sin they committed. Right?

 

[Gracie]

So...God booted 'em out before they could eat AGAIN from the OTHER tree..hence the door being slammed shut. Sort of.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

So...God booted 'em out before they could eat AGAIN from the OTHER tree..hence the door being slammed shut. Sort of.

Exactly.

 

[Politico]

It is a book. some of it fact. A lot of fiction. Don't overthink it.

 

[Marie888]

I got a bible from my sister as a gift. I am going to start reading it soon and have started briefly..little at a time. To mentally digest, so to speak. I am spiritual but the bible itself I don't take much stock in. Why read it, then, you may ask? Because I can learn things. Some I will take at face value, some I will be suspicious about because...in my opinion...it was written BY man FOR man. And no man was perfect and had agendas since the beginning of time..which means all those translations can't be perfectly correct.

Anyway..I digress. I am going to read it...maybe hopping around, maybe from front to back. I won't know until I delve in to it more. So this is where you guys come in. The ones that DO believe the bible wholeheartedly. I ask for opinions. Some I will accept. Some I will not. Depends on what feels "right" to me, since I also believe each person has their own path, their own beliefs, their own gut instinct of what seems to be right for them..individually.

So for my very first question, here is a quote that made me stop reading for awhile until I digest what your opinions are in the meaning of the following:

26 And God went on to say: “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and the domestic animals and all the earth and every moving animal that is moving upon the earth.”27And God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.

1. Who is US and OUR?
2. If God is spiritual and not flesh and blood...how does a spirit have form to look humanoid?

Answer to question no. 1. US and OUR is God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God the Son who became flesh and dwelt among us. John Chapter 1. Read in the beginning....... it is speaking of the beginning of creation. When God SPOKE Let there be light...... yes, Spoke the WORD - the Word is JESUS. John 1 says all things were created THROUGH the Word and nothing was created without HIM. Who is Him? Jesus. He is the Word. The Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep in Genesis 1. Who is the Spirit of God? The Spirit of God, that's who. God is a trichotomy - Father - Son - Holy Spirit. You were created in Gods image therefore you are a trichotomy - body - soul - spirit - 1 x 1 x 1 = 1 not 3. God is one in 3 parts just as He created you to be. The trinity isn't a mystery at all. It is all very simple.

Answer to question no. 2. God came to earth in the flesh through Jesus Christ - He sent His Spirit to come upon Mary the mother of Jesus - she was a virgin - she then gave birth to Christ and his bloodtype is the blood type of the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of God, therein he is the Only Begotten Son of God. ( John 3:16) Get it? Feel free to ask any other questions you'd like to ask. If I don't know the answer I'll try to find it for you. - Jeremiah

Exactly what Jeremiah nicely replied....

Here also is a website also (the link is regarding this topic) in which you may type in many questions you may have about the Bible in the website's search engine.

Why does God refer to Himself in the plural in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22? <-- Link

......

Some people have used these scriptures to hypothesize that there is more than one God. We can rule out polytheism (belief in multiple gods), because that would contradict countless other Scriptures that tell us that God is one and that there is only one God. Three times in Isaiah 45 alone, He states: &#8220;I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me&#8221; (vv. 5,6,18). A second possible explanation is that God was referring to the angels by saying "us" and "our." However, the Bible nowhere states that angels have the same "image" or "likeness" as God (see Genesis 1:26). That description is given to humanity alone.

Since the Bible, and the New Testament especially, presents God as a Trinity (three Persons but only one God), Genesis 1:26 and 3:22 can only represent a conversation within the Trinity. God the Father is having a "conversation" with God the Son and/or God the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament hints at the plurality of God, and the New Testament clarifies this plurality with the doctrine of the Trinity. Obviously, there is no way we can fully understand how this works &#8211; but God has given us enough information to know that He does exist in three Persons, - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Read more: Why does God refer to Himself in the plural in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22?


http://www.gotquestions.org/

.

 

[longknife]

Before I unsubscribe from this thread which, as usual, has become a nit picking hate fest, I'd like to say this -

The modern bible is an incomplete compilation of selected documents poorly translated for the purpose of certain men to spread their beliefs. It basically outlines the history of a very small portion of the Earth's population.

That is not to say that it doesn't have some validity. And, for those who believe, it provides comfort.

For my part, I find myself drawn closer to American Indian beliefs. I find their "gods" to be humorous and the stories full of wisdom.

 

[Hollie]

Another question!!!

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, &#8220;The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.&#8221;

Does this mean Eden was in heaven? If it was so dangerous for Adam and Eve to have knowlege of good and evil, they were then no longer "pure" of spirit as God originally intended? Did I make sense??

Side question: God did not name Adam and Eve. It doesn't say he named them, so I guess Adam chose that name for himself, then chose Eve's name as well?

No. There were two trees in the Garden. The Tree of Life and the Tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve were able to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life as long as they were obedient to God. When they ate of the fruit of knowledge, they became mortal. They learned the difference between good and evil, but if they had eaten of the friut of the Tree of life at this point, they would have been made immortal in their sins. They wouldn't have had a period of repentence. They would forever be cut off from the presence of God and never obtain Eternal Life with no chance of Redemption.

Instead, God provided them with time to repent and provide them with an Atonement. So when they do obtain immortality, they would not be in their fallen state.

Unless you have been tasked with authoring a further revised bible, your re-writing of the current bibles is flawed.

The tree in the genesis fable is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The part you left out, "... of good and evil" is important because the gods had already created evil prior to *poofing* A&E into existence. Have you ever actually studied the genesis fable?

Per the existing fable (not your revised version), god gave A&E (not the cable station), neither the ability to make a considered choice nor did he bother to tell them the consequences would extend to every person born after them...

Simply remember the foundations of your Theism--The curse of all humanity for the actions of the "first" man and woman to use their free will to gain knowledge-- The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Ever notice that in the Genesis story Yahweh doesn't bother to tell A&E there would be consequences of massive -- in fact -- eternal proportions (we don't get the "Oh, yeah, by the way, there is a Hell, Okaay?" information until waaay too late)? Ever notice that, bereft of knowledge of good and evil prior to eating the fruit of the tree, they can't tell what constitutes a "good" or "bad" behavior in the first place?

 

[t_polkow]

As a person raised without religion at all, I didn't question religion until I was in my late 30s. I was curious so I got a Bible and read it. If you keep an open mind and don't constantly use atheist propaganda to support a preconceived idea of what the Bible says or means, it will speak to you itself. I feel myself extremely fortunate to not have had any influence at all in my reading of the Bible. Later on I had questions and looked for answers but only from those who studied the Bible and had answers.

The Bible is unnerving. Sometimes because it turned out to be so uncannily accurate it is downright scary.

"The Bible is a supernatural book. They fear the power of the bible".

How utterly insane and delusional is that!

So your bible has powers now? LOL