The Inerrancy of the Bible

It is true that the Bible is a belief. I have maintained and have stated in other posts the belief that in the matter of absolute truth vs relativism, God is the absolute standard and relativism suggests that MY belief in Gods absolute standard is by definition inclusive within the framework of relativism. My side would say that this belief sprang from original sin. I can use the Bible to build a case to support my belief, much as you could "quote yourself" out of the book that you wrote to support your belief and world view. In the end, all that we--you, I or 36 Christian students--are doing in this forum is documenting our beliefs and opinions. No "side" will ever win an argument here, although often one individual or another will frame a discussion more effectively....thus making for good reading!

Absolute Truth...whether tru scripture or thru divine unction..can never be "proven". If I have a relativistic mindset, you can quote scripture to me without impressing upon me the need to believe or accept your truth.As a Christian, I DO believe in the power of God as a living absolute, and I DO believe that He draws all men unto Himself. Thus,
HE can work through scripture to reveal His presence and thus "prove" the Holy Spirit as reality...living and powerful. My argument is that no human can of themselves do this, even with a good Bible.You can show me your skill at Biblical interpretation, for example, but if I don't see god in the details, your intelligence will not impress me. The same goes with me if I use scripture to refute or enlighten further what you have written. In the end, it is God who begins the work in us and completes it according to His timing, His will, and His purpose.In conclusion then, I agree with you on the nature of absolute proof.This message has been edited by Phatboy, 01-17-2005 16:11 AM

Sorry I changed my post...you answered the one that I deleted...but somehow it got on the board...anyway, I do not see Christian good/evil as a dualistic concept. I see it as an expanded spiritual reality from the original. To a person who tells you that they have the Spirit, there is only one truth. They will claim to have an awareness of God through this living, loving, personal truth within them. From a practical standpoint, however, practical in a logical sense, absolute truth is just another relative concept. It takes one (believer) to know one.

Well, does 40,000 mean exactly 40,000? Could not there have actually been 38,456 horses? My point is that the verse indicates that a large number of horses existed. This is the fact that we need to move forward with. The Bible is not a book of exact statistics...the meaning, however, is what must be considered. Do you really expect those people to have access to pocket calculators?

Concerning the Bible as true in literal meaning, we are discussing accuracy. Crashfrog, you and I approach the issue from two different perspectives. I believe God to be living, interacting with me through the text, and able to aid my discernment. You probably see the text as just another attempt by man to influence and control other men and women through made up fables. Lets take a N.T. example. 1) If Jesus were real, and at the end of your life he asked you why you had a grudge against someone and you said that you had forgiven them time and time again...probably way more than 77 times but that you were fed up with them, do you think that you would get off on a technicality seeing as how He specifically quoted 77 as the standard? My point is that numbers in the Bible are exact according to Gods standard and not human measurement. If the Bible were an exact measureable science, it would make no sense for 5 loaves to be able to feed 5000, (1000 to 1 ratio) and 7 loaves for 4000...(571 to 1 ratio) Do you really think that EXACTLY 5000 people were there? Or 4000 EXACTLY? The point is this: A small amount of food went a long way and fed a lot of people. Some say that the miracle was supernatural. Others say that everyone became generous when the Disciples gave up their food and thus all shared what they had. The point is literal and inerrent. The numbers do not matter.

In my opinion, which is ONLY an opinion, mind you...they never had a solid gold calf to begin with. They were able only to heat the gold ornaments enough to soften them and beat them flat, covering another framework. Based on the heat calculations, it is either this or a supernatural miracle that melted the Gold.

Paul, the issue is one of belief. Obvious, correct?1) We can either affirm or deny the reality of God.2) If we affirm, (as Jar has done, for example) we still may deny the applicability of the Bible.3) If we deny this guide, we then have a spiritual concept that is the product of our imagination. This is our right, yet can we really be called Christians without any verifiable reference to the living Christ?