Biblical hermeneutics

The universe is the Word of God.

Originally Posted by Triner

I think that's simply not true. If you look at Jesus' first commandment, it was "Love God with all your heart..." It says nothing about fear. Since love and fear are pretty much opposites, fearing God seems to be the antithesis of this commandment.

Yes, I know there are verses that say you should fear God. Since those violate Jesus' 1st commandment, they should be discarded.

To fear God does not violate God's 1st commandment as much as hating one's neighbor or father or mother when they should be honored. Or loving them a little less, or loving one's self a little less than God. Fearing God, would also entail fearing mankind a little less. The Scriptures that view fear are plentiful, and they give to us benefits, consequences, and promises to those that do and do not. We are not asked to fear God, but Commanded. And the various Scriptures dealing with the proper fear of the Lord, mainly evolve around blessing, love, adoration, knowledge, and wisdom.

My understanding of the Bible taken as a whole is that God loves us all unconditionally. Period.

It is sin that God hates because it harms us. Sin is sin, all of it. There is no such thing, I think, as a little sin. It is basically to not love and trust God, to not love others, to not love our enemies. The bad actions that come from sin are merely the symptoms of the fatal illness. (The soul that sins, it shall die). We sin the way Eve did, by using our free will to refuse to love and trust God, basically choosing to believe God is a liar.

You don’t cure smallpox by draining the symptomatic pustules. We are not saved by our works., we are saved by grace through faith upon which God can give us a new spirit in place of the diseased one.

If we are sincere and motivated by Love, we will perform good works, some people more than others according to the grace God gives us. But these works do not save us. Compared to the Glory of God they fall exceedingly short.

God sometimes disciplines us, but not out of wrath, rather as a means of urging us to choose what is right. I totally reject the idea that God takes any pleasure in the death (spiritual destruction) or suffering of the wicked. To sentence one to everlasting torment (without hope of salvation) is totally unlike the God I have experienced.
I believe we choose our fate by choosing to trust God or not.

Originally Posted by Mary Baker

To sentence one to everlasting torment (without hope of salvation) is totally unlike the God I have experienced.

I do not believe that God takes pleasure in "convicting" someone to hell as God's ultimate statement in love is Jesus, but moreso it is because Scripture says so. Mary, your statement reminds me of a rule of thumb, and that is to base faith and practice on Scripture, not experience or sentient; an appeal to one's sincerity to settle matters of interpretation.

Ezekiel 33:11
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

[Triner]

Originally Posted by TeeHee

To fear God does not violate God's 1st commandment as much as hating one's neighbor or father or mother when they should be honored.

It still violates it, so simply don't do it.

Originally Posted by TeeHee

Or loving them a little less, or loving one's self a little less than God. Fearing God, would also entail fearing mankind a little less. The Scriptures that view fear are plentiful, and they give to us benefits, consequences, and promises to those that do and do not. We are not asked to fear God, but Commanded. And the various Scriptures dealing with the proper fear of the Lord, mainly evolve around blessing, love, adoration, knowledge, and wisdom.

If there are places in the Bible that say one should fear God, then the last part of Jesus' 2nd commandment tells us that those things are wrong because they violate the 1st commandment. It's really quite simple. You can try to obfuscate it or quibble about it. But it all comes down to "Love God with all your heart". There's no mention of fearing him because that's the opposite of Love. There are no exceptions to it. It's just Love.

Originally Posted by Triner

It still violates it, so simply don't do it.



If there are places in the Bible that say one should fear God, then the last part of Jesus' 2nd commandment tells us that those things are wrong because they violate the 1st commandment. It's really quite simple. You can try to obfuscate it or quibble about it. But it all comes down to "Love God with all your heart". There's no mention of fearing him because that's the opposite of Love. There are no exceptions to it. It's just Love.

I don't agree with you and think that your line of thinking is incoherent with the proper definition of fear. Fear is not as you are assuming in Biblical context or synonymous with terror. But we will agree to disagree on this matter as: A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

[Triner]

Originally Posted by TeeHee

I don't agree with you and think that your line of thinking is incoherent with the proper definition of fear. Fear is not as you are assuming in Biblical context or synonymous with terror. But we will agree to disagree on this matter as: A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

I know what fear is. And I know what "fearing" God is purported to be. I was raised Christian.

I think your line of thinking is contradictory and simply used to support your biases and bigotry that you've espoused here before (see homosexuals). While you continue to try to espouse Christianity is about fearing God, I'll continue to espouse that Christianity is about Love. Let each decide what works for them.

........ enough said.

My understanding of fearing God is to deeply respect God. To trust God completely rather than follow Eve's example of embracing the idea of God having ulterior motives and not being truthful with us. Most people have a better opinion of their earthly, imperfect father than that.

As for God's wrath I think of anger as a form of losing control of one's self or a situation. I don't believe God has that fault. I believe God hates sin because it is innately hateful and destructive, but I believe God loves the sinner "enough to die for".

God made us with free will which must be very important or such risk as our using it to reject God and his love and nurturing and perhaps choose to destroy ourselves would not, I think be made.

I believe God hates sin, but never the sinner.

BTW, I much enjoyed your essay on Proverbs. However, I am so glad that The Holy Spirit can teach the simplest of us. Surely God loves the simple as well as the wise and makes what is vital to understand understandable to us all, iin spirit if not in eloquent language.

Love God.
Love others.
Love our enemies.
Love ourselves as precious to God.

I agree with Mary's interpretation of fearing God. I think the word 'fear' conjures up a lot of emotion and images which are mainly influenced by Hollywood movies. I think the fear that we should have of God should be more of an obedient and humble attitude. We should be afraid of living without Him, which is what will happen if we are not willing to obey Him. I would much rather be afraid of living without God, than to be afraid of living without money (which is the fear that most of the world's population is subject to)