Board index ‹ Assorted Bible Questions

[ShaQ]

Hello,

I have many questions. So, I Have fallen in and out of church for various time periods during my life. The last attempt at going to church was going well. Until my 4th visit when we were told that church would be closing due to covid. ironic enough. So, my faith was pretty solid for the most part. I was attempting to get established back into a churn for my children. Although I was secure in my faith. I had not instilled the same upbringing my family did with me. So, since church shut down and I now have a job that conflicts with the hours of church services, I decided to turn to the internet. The biggest mistake ever. My faith has been shaken loose however I was still holding strong and then I went to my grandparents for support and they also added to the storm. which allowed for my faith to somewhat be plucked from the roots. Now I'm starting over and need assistance re-establishing myself. I decided I need to understand religion and get all the tedious questions out of the way. Then I can begin laying a new foundation for me and my children. So, to kick this off. I guess my first question is Do we even need church or the bible. I have learned over the years through my life cycle how to come to God naturally and never needed to depend on these items. my mother taught me at a young age. god is within me. which means my alter lies wherever I bow before him and pray.

[jimwalton]

I would be so glad to talk to you about whatever you want. And if i say something that brings up more questions, then please ask. And if i say something you disagree with, feel free to discuss it with me.

It’s helpful to hear at least a little bit about your story.

I agree that the Internet can be a very confusing place for biblical information. Obviously there is a lot there that is good and helpful, but there are lots of lies there also.

So, your first question is: Do we even need church or the Bible? Let’s talk about that. I would say “yes” to both, and now I’ll be glad to explain.

What the Bible is is God revealing Himself to us. Were it not for the Bible, we would hardly know ANYTHING about God. We need the Bible so that we can know God. I know that Romans 1:20 says we can see part of who God is from nature, but that is such a small picture it doesn’t help us as much as we need it to. Nature doesn’t tell us anything about God’s love, Jesus’ nature, Christ’s death on the cross, how to get saved—nature doesn’t tell us ANY of that. In addition, while there are parts inside of me that have spiritual information, I know that the spiritual information coming from inside of me can be just as misleading as the Internet, in some respects, and it can also be just as inadequate for understanding some important things about God in other respects. In other words, nature gives me a tiny glimpse of God as if through a keyhole, and what is inside of me gives me a glimpse of God as if through a cracked door, but what is inside of me may not be reliable.

The Bible, on the other hand, is given to us to reveal God to us. Through it we learn about His power, majesty, holiness, love, standards, right and wrong, forgiveness, salvation, and thousands of other things. We need it because it gives us 95% of the picture. Nature reveals God, and Scripture reveals God. Both are God’s “book” so to speak, but we need the Bible for the theological truths about salvation—probably the most important piece.

Feel free to discuss any of this with me.

As far as the Church is concerned, it was God’s design that we grow in our faith by interacting with other people who believe as we do. While I can certainly worship God by walking through the woods, and I can pray by myself in my home, Church is where we learn how to love one another, how to get along with people who don’t agree with us, how to forgive those who who hurt us, and how to be kind to all people. The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts, and they are to be exercised in the Church. If we don’t go to church, those gifts don’t get used. Church is where we learn to live as a community of God’s people.

In the Old Testament, people used to just bring their sacrifice, give their offering, and go home. Only three times a year did the whole nation assemble for a festival. When Jesus came, He taught us that from now on, we were to gather together as God’s people and ALL COME AT THE SAME TIME. That was radical. The believers starting meeting once a week, learning how to share, how to love, and how to live out their faith. It was different than living out their faith out in the neighborhood. Now they really had to figure out how to get along with each other as Jesus taught in John 17. It was a pretty wild ride, and it still is.

God meant the Church to be His body on Earth. If we don’t align with a church, we are not doing one of the most important things that God called us to do which we live out our lives on Earth.

So, I’ve laid out some ideas to think about and for us to talk about. Or we can move on to other questions if you like.

Thanks for writing.