The other day I was reading one of my favorite blogs and that day she chose to write a stream of consciousness post. I tucked the idea away thinking first....how cool and second....I'm going to do that when the time is right. Well, today seems right. Here is just excerpts of what I have seen and apparently committed to memory this week about God, religion, the Bible and all things religious/spiritual. Here goes.....
In the beginning.....there was God...omnipotent, strong, generous. Then there was man...singular, dual, weak, selfish. God good, the devil bad and the apple eaten. Sin created. God and false gods. Ten Commandments. Jesus. Jews and Christians. The Bible. Gods word, mans interpretation. Israel. Prophets. Saints. Catholics, Protestants, Buddhist, Muslims, Jews. One God...many names. One faith...many religions. Religion without God. God without religion. God without Jesus. Love, hate, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, faith. Love the sinner, hate the sin. Gods word, mans interpretation.
In the name of God we love, hate, fight, curse, kill. We believe, don't believe, mock, shame and degrade in the name of whatever we choose to believe. Christians hate Christians who are not Christian enough. Others hate Christians who are too Christian. Christians mourn atheists and atheist refuse to acknowledge Christians or God. Muslims hate Christians. Christians must die. Jews ignore Jesus and Scientologist worship themselves.
Jesus began Christianity and man began religion. Religion equals church. Church is for believers, the weak, sheep, lions, hypocrites, the faithful. My soul is renewed, restored, born again, lost, never had one. Preachers, priest, ministers, clergy, scandal, respect, dead. Gods word, mans interpretation. Christian bashing, gay bashing, bullying, hate crimes, color, race, hate, acceptance, tolerance, "What would Jesus do?"
Angels, saints, sinners, repentance, forgiveness. Prayer, faith, despair. Lost, lonely, in need. "God are you there?" Unanswered prayers. God's time. Man's will. God's will. Man's ego. Heretic, false god, people of faith. Bible equals...reasons to love, reasons to hate. Gods word, man's interpretation. Evil, good, God without religion, religion without God.
God, Jesus, Mohamed, Buddha, Allah....... In the name of_________I kill, I hate, I judge. Tears, sadness, prayer. I love, I pray, I have faith. War, evil, Holy War. Chips, 666, end of times. Faith. Prophets, bombs, I believe. My God, your God, no God. Are you there God? God is alive. God is dead. God never really existed. God's word, man's interpretation.
Heaven, hell. Sinners, saints. Love, hate. Prayer, mockery. Belief, non-belief. Religion, spirituality, no religion at all. Faith, faithlessness. Good, evil. God, satan. I worship.....self, ego, my grilled cheese, God. A simple God, a complex man. God's word, man's interpretation.
I believe.
Great blog. Count me speechless. No wonder you say your head is always so full of thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThat is some stream of consciousness. Religion is the current hot button of the time and we are on the verge of a Holy War. This blog was excellent!
ReplyDeleteDID THE 1ST CENTURY CHURCH HAVE NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES? BY STEVE FINNELL
ReplyDeleteThe prevailing thought of many is that since the Bible was not canonized until sometime between 300 and 400 A.D. that the church of Christ did not have New Covenant Scriptures as their guide for faith and practice. That is simply factually incorrect.
The Lord's church of the first 400 years did not rely on the man-made traditions of men for New Testament guidance.
Jesus gave the terms for pardon 33 A.D. after His death and resurrecting. (Mark 16:16) All the words of Jesus were Scripture.Jesus did not have to wait for canonization of the New Testament in order for His word to be authorized.
The terms for pardon were repeated by the apostle Peter 33 A.D. on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:22-42) The teachings of the apostles were Scripture. The words of the apostles were Scripture before they were canonized.
The apostle Peter said the apostle Paul's words were Scripture. (2 Peter 3:15-16...just as also our beloved brother Paul , according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand,which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures...
The apostle Paul's letters and words were Scriptures when he wrote and spoke them. Paul did not have to wait for canonization to authorize his doctrine.
John 14:25-26 'These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to you remembrance all that I said to you.
The words and writings of the apostles were Scripture and they did not have to wait for canonization to be deemed authoritative. The apostle did not use man-made creed books of the church or man-made oral traditions to teach the gospel of the New Covenant.
Did the early church have written New testament Scriptures? Yes, and they were shared among the different congregations. (Colossians 4:16 When the letter is read among you, have it read in the church of the Laodiceans and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodica.) Paul's letters were Scripture and they were read in different churches.
They were New Testament Scriptures long before they were canonized.
WRITTEN
Matthew A.D. 70
Mark A.D. 55
Luke between A.D. 59 and 63
John A.D. 85
Acts A.D. 63
Romans A.D. 57
1 Corinthians A.D. 55
2 Corinthians A.D. 55
Galatians A.D. 50
Ephesians A.D. 60
Philippians A.D. 61
Colossians A. D. 60
1 Thessalonians A.D. 51
2 Thessalonians A.D. 51 or 52
1 Timothy A.D. 64
2 Timothy A.D. 66
Titus A.D. 64
Philemon A.D. 64
Hebrews A.D. 70
James A.D. 50
1 Peter A.D. 64
2 Peter A.D. 66
1 John A.D. 90
2 John A.d. 90
3 John A.D. 90
Jude A.D. 65
Revelation A.D. 95
All 27 books of the New Testament were Scripture when they were written. They did not have wait until they were canonized before they became God's word to mankind.
Jesus told the eleven disciples make disciples and teach them all that He commanded. (Matthew 28:16-19) That was A.D. 33, They were teaching New Covenant Scripture from A.D. 33 forward. The apostles did not wait to preach the gospel until canonization occurred 300 to 400 years later.
THE WORDS OF JESUS AND THE APOSTLES WERE SCRIPTURE WHEN THEY WERE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN. THEY DID NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR CANONIZATION TO BE THE AUTHORIZED WORD OF GOD.
MAN-MADE CREED BOOKS AND MAN-MADE ORAL TRADITION WAS AND IS NOT SCRIPTURE.
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