A quote that really stood out to me in your thread was, “All Scripture is
inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting,
for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work” (2Tim 3:16-17). I agree with you that this
quote shows how great and righteous God really is. As you stated in your
breakdown, I agree that Christ and the Bible is full of scriptures to teach
us and guide us through our everyday life. When I read the Bible, I try
to take the correct steps he laid out for us to inspire others such as
friends, family, and co-workers. Expressing to others to understand that Christ
should be our inspiration is something that the Bible explains to us
believers. God is powerful, righteous, inspiring, and caring and this quote
along with your breakdown is exactly how I would've stated it. Christ
inspires me everyday to be the best person I can possibly be. He pushes
me and tests me because he has a plan for my future, your future, and
everyone else's future. As I read this quote more it makes me, as a
believer, want to reach out to more people and help teach others about
how great and righteous our Lord is to me and everyone who believes in
him. "This is because our self-rescue efforts highlight our belief that we
are strong, smart and self-sufficient enough to fix the error of our ways.
However, God's plan reveals that the help we need must come from
outside of ourselves rather than from inside of ourselves. If our rescue is
to be successful, God will need to do the rescuing. (chapter 1)"
I also resonate with this quote for a little bit of a different reason. A
few years ago, I was under the spirit of addiction to pretty much anything
that would let me escape my reality. I thought I was really being self-
sufficient and successful in my early 20s by partying and doing everything
that my friends were doing, turns out I was very wrong. Not until after I
was delivered from this spirit did I realize how much destruction I had
caused over the past couple of years. I know now I have to fully rely
on God for all things in my life and daily I have to take up my cross
and deny my flesh.
Quote 9: Another popular approach to understanding Scripture is to seek out
a role model to copy. The assumption is that as I read the story of a
biblical character, I can discern a unique pattern that I should copy into
my life. (Chapter 5)
When we read about certain characters in the Bible, we sometimes think
we need to live like them also. However, at the end of the day, they
were still humans! They all had their flaws and were unable to stay true
to the original Mosaic Law. I think we put these people on pedal stools
and almost make them idols instead of living the way Christ taught us to.
“God’s plan reveals that the help we need must come from outside of
ourselves rather than from inside of ourselves. If our rescue is to be
successful, God will need to do the rescuing” (Cartwright & Hulshof, 2016,
p. 4). Resonates with me as well. All to often we can feel like we need
to be in control at all times and it is on us to fix our situation. For
me, God has put me through trails to get me to understand what the
author was saying in this. We are not always in control but it ok because
we serve a God who is. Also, I would advise wisdom since it can be
easy to go to the other extreme where we release all responsibility from
ourselves and try and put it on God. It is important that during those
times we still do everything we can to be obedient and to still work
towards a solution but keep in mind we can only do so much and the
rest is up to God. As long as we are faithful and stay obedient God is
faithful and just to see it through.
Also, the quote “When reading a parable, you should resist the urge to
allegorize the various details of parables. In other words, rather than
speculate on what every detail might symbolize (or “allegorize”) it is better
to grasp the main idea of a parable. Often the meaning of a parable is
revealed in the surrounding context of a passage” (Cartwright & Hulshof,
2016, p. 19). I find to be interesting. While reading it, as well as your
analysis this very much rings true. I have always been a proponante of
reading things in context, because it is so easy to focus on a single word
or phrase and come to a conclusion unmeant by the author. The way I
see scripture as a whole (if you think I am wrong that is ok, this is
my thought) is that the message and meaning is inerrant but the word for
word writing is not. I currently think this because the original was written
in Hebrew and greek and not everything can be translated perfectly. As
well as, we have multiple translations and even within the manuscripts in
the original language there are discrepancies and if word for word inerrancy
was correct then all but one is false. It seems to me that the message
and ideas that were meant for us are and were preserved. Which is why
we have confidence in the Bible today because even if our bible has one
of the discrepancies it does not change the message of the Bible. This
would go the same for the parables, they are meant to convey a message/
teaching. This is why the contextual whole of the message is so important
and why we shouldn't get hung up on each and every individual word.
God's plan to bring humanity back to himself after Adam was chased out
of the Garden of Eden was nothing to be taken lightly. He sent his only
son to come and rescue all of us from the shackle of the devil. God
love mankind to the extent that he could do anything to safe us from
destruction. yy The second quote dealing with God's overall plan for humanity
is a concept that I don't think a lot of people quite understand. The worst
thing to happen in all of Human history, was the fall. This separation
from God is something from which humanity on its own, cannot recover.
And this theme continues throughout the entire Bible. It is God's attempt to
repair the damage that we caused in the Garden and to bring us back to
him. Christ's death and resurrection creates the vehicle for this reunion, but
we still have to accept him into our lives and into our hearts as our
Savior. However, even then we aren't done. We have to maintain our faith
as St. Jude says in verses 20-21 of his epistle: "It is for you, beloved,
to make your most holy faith the foundation of your lives, and to go on
praying in the power of the Holy Spirit; to maintain yourselves in the
love of God, and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with
eternal life for your goal." Our goal must always be God, and we must
always strive for reunion with God.
I also agree with your response to the seventh quote. I too, find myself
overanalyzing different parts of scripture, especially parts that don't call for
it. Some do, like the old testament prophecies, but some, like the parables
of Jesus, are just metaphors and are meant to be understood in simple
terms. Reading too far into things can distort their original meaning, so this
is something we all have to take into account when reading scripture.
Your tenth quote says, “Most notably, the New Testament restates the two
greatest commands that relate to the primary purpose for the law: love God
(vertical relationship between God and his followers) and love your neighbor
(horizontal interrelationships among people).” (Cartwright, Gutierrez, and
Holshof, p. 24), is also a quote that stood out to me. This was new to
me when learning material. I never knew about vertical and horizontal
relationships in the New Testament. Vertical and horizontal relationships are
still important today. The quote you highlighted regarding the proverbial
wisdom and its potential misinterpretations resonates with me. It's true that
many people have Bible verses or quotes displayed in their homes, often
isolated from their original contexts. While these quotes can provide
encouragement and inspiration, understanding the larger context is crucial for
accurate interpretation.
To truly grasp the message behind the proverbs, it is important to read
them within their original settings and teach others to do the same. This
ensures a deeper comprehension of the intended meaning and prevents
potential confusion or misapplication. By delving into the original Proverbs,
we gain a clearer understanding of the wisdom they offer and can
effectively communicate their significance to others.
The importance of Christ's ascension, as mentioned in the next quote, is a
powerful reminder. While we often focus on Jesus' crucifixion, His
resurrection and ascension are equally significant aspects of His work.
Recognizing the impact of Christ's ascension in our daily lives is essential
for every believer. It signifies His victory over sin and death, and it
empowers us to live transformed lives by the power of His Spirit.
The quote highlighting the significance of being the right kind of husband
and father is a timeless truth. The influence of men within their families
extends beyond the home and has a profound impact on the church and
the community. Building loving families through positive fatherhood is crucial
for fostering healthy relationships and ultimately creating a thriving church
and community.
The reminder to be honest with God and express our true emotions is
both comforting and empowering. God already knows our hearts, and through
moments of emotional honesty, we can experience His presence and find
solace in His Word. The Psalms, in particular, provide a beautiful example
of expressing a range of emotions to God and discovering His comfort,
guidance, and healing in return. You provided some great analysis and in-
depth thinking that made me think more into them as well. I think it is
paramount that we all understand that God has a plan for all of us. We
may think we have a plan in mind for what we want to achieve in life,
but God has His plan and there is no other plan. "Our failure to execute
our plan stretches our minds to consider a God who is sovereign over the
affairs of his creation" (Cartwright & Hulshof, 2016, p. 4). We as humans
like to be in control of everything, especially our goals we set out to
achieve on a daily basis. We need to understand that in order to achieve
our goals, focusing on our faith in God needs to be a primary focus in
order to discover our goals in life God has intended for us to achieve.
"His rule and reign are not reactionary in nature. It yy underscores his
purposeful plan to bring his created world back into a proper relationship
with him" (2016, p. 4).
I too was interested in the perspective of adopting a "live verse" mentality
regarding the Bible. I hadn't really thought of this but am guilty of doing
it. Sometimes I feel like I overthink the Bible and feel as if there is
some cryptic message in every verse. While there are lessons to be taken
from the Bible, it is simply a story about God and not a guide book of
how to be as a person. When taking a "live verse" mentality, we have
moved ourselves to the central character slot and have moved God to the
supporting cast member role" (Cartwright & Hulshof, 2016, p. 3). yy “It may
be challenging to think through Scripture in these terms because we are so
used to our plans going astray. We dream, hope, and strategize only to be
caught off guard by something we did not foresee happening.” (Cartwright,
and Hulshof, 2019 p. 4). You explained how God is always in control
and even through the chaos, he has a plan. yy I can relate to this right
now because most of my plans the last year, have been shook up in a
bag and dumped out, so to speak. However, I know God is in control
and has great plans in store. It is fun to dream, and hope and
meticulously calculate what we want in our lives and for our family and
future. yy And so I am learning, being flexible and understanding that it is
His will and calculations that we must go by, to live a fulfilling life is
crucial. yy Like the song says "Jesus take the wheel" right? yy I sometimes
say, I can only see the trees around me in the forest, but God sees the
whole forest. yy I don't know what is coming but I know it will be for
His glory. I think it is almost a weight of burden lifted when you realize
God foresees everything and you only have to live for today for Christ. yy
One of the first things I read about when I started studying for myself
back in about 2011 was similar to the quote you picked. "Another
significant early translation is the Latin Vulgate. Vulgate comes from a
Latin word that basically means “common.” The Latin Vulgate was produced
near the end of the fourth century AD by Jerome, a Christian theologian
and historian. There were two primary reasons for producing the Latin
Vulgate. First, although Greek was the dominant language, there were many
people who spoke Latin rather than Greek. Second, there were several
substandard Latin manuscripts circulating, and there were concerns that these
manuscripts were corrupt." (Cartwright and Hulshof, 2016, p55). I had
learned that in the Latin Vulgate is where Satan is called Lucifer, but so
was Jesus (Revelation 22:16). Since Lucifer in latin translates to morning
star. This among a few other "problems" arose that I couldn't understand
and I doubted my faith. That is mostly why I decided to respond to your
thread. Studying and learning about God's word it what gave me the
answers to my doubts and why my faith is solid today. I pray and hope
you continue to learn more, and not just in this class because it is a
great joy and prepares us for when our faith is under attack. The quotes
you chose here as well as your thoughts on them are very insightful.
Looking at the first quote from page 3, it is indeed important to not
forget that the Bible is God’s story, and we shouldn’t replace that fact
with our own motives and desires. It’s certainly true that having a “life
verse” is very common in today’s society, and I’ve seen this sort of thing
in households I’ve visited from time to time. Regardless, we should not
forget that God is the central focus of the Bible, no matter the verse
being referenced. As for the third quote from page 19, it's admittedly hard
to resist the urge to analyze a parable from every possible angle. However,
even if there is symbolism in it, the central point of the parable is
usually the most important, and is never to be forgotten. Finally, skipping
ahead to the fifth quote from page 24, this quote also resonates with me
to a certain extent. Back when I was a younger Christian, I didn’t fully
grasp what the verses meant despite them being fairly simple to understand.
Nowadays, however, I’ve come to appreciate the Books of the Old
Testament more than ever before, and the problems I've likely had back
then were likely due to thinking about them too hard. Overall, even though
I only listed a few of them in this reply, the quotes you chose to talk
about for this discussion were all very informative and memorable. I can
see these quotes helping out anyone who isn’t fully confident in their faith,
and I personally found them very enlightening and enjoyable. The second
and fourth quotes and their commentary I found especially interesting. The
second quote dealing with our struggle to try and save ourselves and our
assertions that we know better are something I think everyone deals with at
one point or another. As someone who has struggled with addiction and is
in recovery, I resonated with your response to this quote. The more we
try and accomplish these things ourselves, the more we fail. It also speaks
to one of the main problems with works-based salvation. No matter what
we do, no matter what we intend, we will always mess it up. We cannot
save ourselves, we have to learn to let go and to put everything in God's
hands. Our works, even if they are done with the best of intentions, are
still corrupt and fall short of what God requires. Hence why we need an
intermediary in the form of Christ to be our advocate with the Father, one
who is incorruptible and without sin.
The fourth quote I really liked, and also you response. You're not wrong
in your saying that you saw Christ's miracles as a way for him to prove
that he was the Son of God, which in part they were, and the reading is
also correct because the miracles also show his ability to forgive sin. The
miracles were done, not to show people that he could do these amazing
things, but to show people that the prophecies had been fulfilled. They
were done to show the people that the one whose arrival was foretold,
was finally here. The Son of God walks the earth and yes their sins are
now forgiven.
It is our reminder to move with the Spirit of God and not against him.
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans"
(Proverbs 16 vs 3 NIV).
Throughout the Bible there are stories where man moved according to his
own plan and by doing so chaos and confusion was birthed out of it
because people have a tendency to grow weary in waiting. Sarah did not
wait on God when she was promised a son and took things into her own
hands moving her out of the plan of God. Although Gods plan eventually
manifested the damage from Sarahs decision to move out of the Will of
God still unfolded due to her impatience. " For I know the plans I have
for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future"(Jeremiah 29 vs 11 NIV). I just wanted to
say that the quotes you picked are very inspiring and eye-opening.
According to the first quote you talked about, the Bible is God’s story,
and that is absolutely correct. We shouldn’t read the Bible while keeping
only ourselves in mind, but we should read it to learn more about God’s
Word and have a better understanding of His practices. As for the second
quote, it’s also true that we shouldn’t focus on only our motives and
desires. No matter which specific verses we read from the Bible, we must
never forget the true context and message of said Bible verses. We should
also never forget that this is God’s story, as mentioned above. Skipping
ahead to the seventh quote, human beings are and never were the main
focus in the Bible. No matter the story in the Bible, the focus always
points back to Jesus Christ and His Resurrection, and how it was all part
of God’s plan to redeem us. Finally, as for the ninth quote, it is indeed
important to remember that God loves us and shows patience and mercy
despite our flaws. Once we are redeemed through Him, He takes our sin
and allows us the opportunity to spread His Word to those around us.
Overall, the quotes you chose and your thoughts on them are very well
thought out. Even though I listed and talked about only a few of them
here, I enjoyed reading and found these quotes very enlightening. yy “The
Bible is God’s story. Rightly taking this approach to scripture will place us
in an appropriate relationship to the text” (Cartwright et al. 3). yy I like
how you said we should understand the heart of God when we read
scripture. yy Instead of putting ourselves first in relation to the text and our
own personal situations, we can just take a step back and soak in what
God is trying to teach and show us. yy When we look at his perspective
of the bible instead of our own lens, we can have a deeper understanding.
I am always thinking, how is this related to me or can or did I do
this? When instead I should learn from whatever scripture says and then go
forward giving all the glory to God.
To that end, your other quote, “Mere human beings are not the focal point
of scripture. The focal point is Jesus Christ. Each story points to him and
how God accomplished our redemption through him” (Cartwright et al. 31),
goes along with your first.
