God-Inspired Scripture

[Riverwolf]

I can't claim personal rights over God's word! But what I can say is that the prophecy as a whole (The Bible) took about 1500 years to write. That alone should make you wonder at the immensity of the spirit that lies behind this 'book'. Persons wishing to create a deception can sometimes achieve their deception within their own lifetime (such as the Qur'an, I believe) but to do so over a period of 1500 years is just not humanly possible.

I don't think any of it is a "deception," necessarily, because I do believe that the writers truly believed every word they wrote. That doesn't, however, make it "true," just that the writers believed it to be true.

Stonehenge took about the same amount of time to construct, and inspires far more awe in me, personally, than pretty much any book (including those in the Bible.)

I don't believe that other holy books make the claims that the Bible makes. The Bible is quite unique in its plan, its prophecy, and, above all, in the power of its WORD.

I can say the same about several other books, holy and otherwise, in that they're unique in "plan" (layout), claimed "prophecies", and the power they contain with their use of language.

Being unique is not, itself, unique.

 

[paarsurrey]

That comes in versions with more or less writings, some substantially different than others in what they include. Then there are the translations into and between different languages, and the acknowledged differences in the different originating texts, and then different interpretations of those originals (oh, sorry, we don't actually have any "originals"...) and translations....
Not to mentioned the related texts that were left out of most modern versions, although they were embraced by early followers...

Nothing in original, the Christianity has scripture of second or third hand accounts.
Regards

 

[paarsurrey]

What we call the "Bible" was a conglamerant of writings decided upon by a group of men, under the direction of Constantine, as being the "word of god", from which the books were "nominated" by mere popularity of each of the writings in its day, and was "canonized" by a show of hands where dissenting voters were executed or banished. Wish such a colorful history and under such shady circumstances, it's illogical to assume that these writings comprises the "word of god", if there were even such a thing as either god or a "book" that he wrote.

You are very right.
Regards

 

[McBell]

Hopefully post 21 answers this objection.

Nope.
Though I suspect that your appeal to incredulity will be pointed out at some point.

 

[Ingledsva]

What we do know is that for hundreds, even thousands, of years dedicated men and women have looked at the integrity of religious texts. Above all else, the desire amongst scholars has been to discover the truth. It benefits no-one, in the long-term, to deceive, or promote a lie. ...
So if the words of the Bible are, in their origin, words of God, and perfect, the matter is more one of ironing out small unintentional errors than one of grappling with a great deception.

That isn't true. It definitely benefited groups, governments, and individuals, to fudge it into certain beliefs.

And as has been shown by us - over-and-over, - there are far more then "small unintentional errors."

They actually misunderstood Tanakh texts and wrote the error into their Jesus story, and other NT texts.

No fallen evil Satan and his angels.

No "virgin" birth prophecies for the Hebrew Messiah.

Jesus never claimed to be God, or part of any trinity.

They turned words meaning a Sacred Prostitute (Qadesh) into a homosexual.

*

 

[Ingledsva]

The great test of whether the New Testament is a natural continuation of God's revelation is the fulfilment of past scripture and the completion of divine purpose. Both these things are found in the New Testament.

In fact, I did go to some trouble to list some of the parallel references. I don't expect you to read them all, but they should provide you with evidence that the New Testament is 'woven' with Old Testament references, all of which are totally compatible.
Genesis 1:1 Hebrews 11:3
Genesis 4:4 Hebrews 11:4
Genesis 5:24 Hebrews 11:5
Genesis 6:14 Hebrews 11:7
Genesis 12:1 Hebrews 11:8
Genesis 14:18 Hebrews 7:1
Genesis 15:6 Romans 4:3,22
Genesis 19:25 2 Peter 2:6
Genesis 19:26 Luke 17:32
Genesis 22:1-10 Hebrews 11:17
Genesis 48:15 Hebrews 11:21
Genesis 50:24 Hebrews 11:22
Exodus 2:2 Hebrews 11:23
Exodus 3:2 Acts 7:30
Exodus 12:7 Hebrews 12:24
Exodus 16:15 John 6:31
Exodus 17:6 1 Corinthians 10:4
Exodus 24:6-8 Hebrews 9:19-22
Exodus 19:6 1 Peter 1:9
Exodus 19:12 Hebrews 12:18-20
Leviticus 4:21,22 Hebrews 13:11
Leviticus 16:14-16 Hebrews 9:13
Leviticus 18:5 Romans 10:4,5
Leviticus 19:17 Matthew 18:15
Leviticus 19:18 Galatians 5:14
Leviticus 26:12 2 Corinthians 6:16
Numbers 8:17 Luke 2:23
Numbers 11:4 1 Corinthians 10:6
Numbers 14:29 Hebrews 3:17
Numbers 19:3 Hebrews 13:11
Numbers 20:8 1 Corinthians 10:4
Numbers 21:5,6 1 Corinthians 10:9
Numbers 21:9 John 3:14
Numbers 22:21-28 2 Peter 2:15,16
Numbers 26:65 1 Corinthians 10:5
Deuteronomy 6:4,5 Matthew 22:37
Deuteronomy 6:13 Matthew 6:13
Deuteronomy 6:16 Matthew 4:7
Deuteronomy 8:3 Matthew 4:4
Deuteronomy 9:19 Hebrews 12:21
Deuteronomy 10:17 Acts 10:34
Deuteronomy 10:17 Romans 2:11
Deuteronomy 17:6 Hebrews 10:28
Deuteronomy 18:1 1 Corinthians 9:13
Deuteronomy 18:15,19 Acts 3:22,23
Deuteronomy 18:15,19 Acts 7:37
Deuteronomy 18:18 John 1:45
Deuteronomy 19:15 John 8:17
Deuteronomy 21:23 Galatians 3:13
Deuteronomy 24:1 Matthew 5:31
Deuteronomy 25:4 1 Corinthians 9:9
Deuteronomy 25:5 Matthew 22:24
Deuteronomy 27:26 Galatians 3:10
Deuteronomy 30:12-14 Romans 10:6-9
Deuteronomy 31:8 Hebrews 13:5
Deuteronomy 32:17 1 Corinthians 10:20
Deuteronomy 32:21 Romans 10:19
Deuteronomy 32:35,36 Romans 12:19
Deuteronomy 32:35,36 Hebrews 10:30
Deuteronomy 32:43 Romans 15:10
Joshua 1:5 Hebrews 13:5
Joshua 2:1 Hebrews 1:31
Joshua 2:1 James 2:25
Joshua 6:20 Hebrews 11:30
Joshua 6:23 Hebrews 11:31
Joshua 14:1,2 Acts 13:19
Joshua 24:32 Acts 7:16
Judges 2:16 Acts 13:20
Judges 6; 4;15;11. Hebrews 11:32
Ruth 4:5,6 Matthew 12:24
Ruth 4:5,6 Matthew 1:3
Ruth 4:18 Luke 3:31-33
1 Samuel 13:14 Acts 13:22
1 Samuel 15:22 Mark 12:33
1 Samuel 16:7 2 Corinthians 10:7
1 Samuel 21:6 Matthew 12:3,4
2 Samuel 7:12 Acts 13:36
2 Samuel 7:16 John 12:34
2 Samuel 12:24 Matthew 1:6
2 Samuel 15:23 John 18:1
1 Kings 2:10 Acts 2:29
1 Kings 2:10 Acts 13:36
1 Kings 8:46 1 John 1:8-10
1 Kings 10:1 Luke 11:31
1 Kings 17:1-9 Luke 4:25,26
1 Kings18:42 James 5:17,18
1 Kings 19:10-18 Romans 11:3,4
1 Kings 21:10 Acts 6:11
1 Kings 21:10 Acts 6:11
2 Kings 1:10 Luke 9:54
2 Kings 4:42-44 Luke 9:13-17
2 Kings 5:14 Luke 4:27
2 Kings 6:22 Romans 12:20
1 Chronicles 17:14 Luke 1:33
1 Chronicles 23:13 Hebrews 5:4
1 Chronicles 29:9 2 Corinthians 9:7
1 Chronicles 29:11 1 Timothy 1:17
1 Chronicles 29:12 Romans 11:36
2 Chronicles 1-9 same as 1 Kings 1-11
Nehemiah 9:6 Revelation 14:7
Nehemiah 9:13 Romans 7:12
Nehemiah 9:19 1 Corinthians 10:1
Nehemiah 9:29 Galatians 3:12
Job 1:7 1 Peter 5:8
Job 2:10 James 5:11
Job 5:13 1 Corinthians 3:19
Job 5:17 Hebrews 12:5
Job 12:10 Acts 17:28
Job 19:25 2 Timothy 1:12
Job 19:26,27 Philippians 3:20,21
Job 12:6,7 Matthew 25:42
Job 42:8 James 5:16
Psalm 2:1 Acts 4:25,26
Psalm 2:7 Acts 13:33
Psalm 2:7 Hebrews 1:5, 5:5
Psalm 8:2 Matthew 21:16
Psalm 8:4 Hebrews 2:6
Psalm 16:10 Acts 13:35
Psalm 18:49 Romans 15:9
Psalm 19:4 Romans 10:18
Psalm 22 Matthew 27:
Psalm 31:5 Luke 23:46
Psalm 32: 1,2 Romans 4:6-8
Psalm 40:6 Hebrews 10:5
Psalm 41:9 John 13:18
Psalm 44:22 Romans 8:36
Psalm 68:18 Ephesians 4:8
Psalm 69:21 John 19:29
Psalm 91:11 Matthew 4:6,7
Psalm 95:7-9 Hebrews 3: 9,15
Proverbs 20:9 1 John 1:8
Proverbs 22:6 Ephesians 6:4
Proverbs 25:6,7 Luke 14:8-10
Proverbs 25: 21,22 Romans 12:20
Proverbs 27:1 James 4:13,14
Proverbs 28:5 1 Corinthians 2:15
Proverbs 30:8 Matthew 6:11
Ecclesiastes 3:17; 7:14 2 Corinthians 5:10
Ecclesiastes 6:12 James 4:14
Ecclesiastes11:9 Romans 2:6
Ecclesiastes 7:20 Romans 3:23
Ecclesiastes 7:20 1 John 1:8
Isaiah 1:9 Romans 9:29
Isaiah 6:9,10 John 12:40,41
Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23
Isaiah 8:14 1 Peter 2:8
Isaiah 8:18 Hebrew 2:13
Isaiah 9:1,2 Matthew 4:16
Isaiah 9:7 Luke 1:32,33
Isaiah 11:10 Romans 15:10-12
Isaiah 13:10 Matthew 24:29
Isaiah 22:22 Revelation 3:7
Isaiah 28:16 Romans 9:33
Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 25:8,9
Isaiah 40:3 Luke 3:4
Isaiah 40:6 1 Peter 1:24
Isaiah 40:11 John 10:11
Isaiah 42:1-4 Matthew 12:18-21
Isaiah 45:9 Romans 9:20
Isaiah 45:23 Romans 14:11
Isaiah 49:6 Acts 13:47
Isaiah 51:6 2 Peter 3:10-13
Isaiah 52:7 Romans 10:15
Isaiah 53:4 Matthew 8:17
Isaiah 53:5 1 Peter 2:24
Isaiah 53:10 2 Corinthians 5:21
Isaiah 53:12 Hebrews 7:25
Isaiah 54:13 Galatians 4:27
Isaiah 58:7 John 6:45
Isaiah 59:20 Matthew 25:35
Isaiah 61:1 Romans 11:26
Isaiah 63:1,2 Luke 4:18
Isaiah 65:1 Revelation 19:13
Isaiah 66:24 Romans 10:20
Jeremiah 2:30 Acts 7:52
Jeremiah 6:16 Matthew 11:29
Jeremiah 21:13 Matthew 21:13
Jeremiah 7:11 1 Corinthians 1:29-31
Jeremiah 9:23,24 Romans 9:20
Jeremiah 18:6 1 Corinthians 1:30
Jeremiah 31:15 Matthew 2:17,18
Jeremiah 31:31 Hebrews 8:8-10
Jeremiah 31:31 Hebrews 10:16,17
Jeremiah 33:16 1 Corinthians 1:30
Lamentations 3:33 Hebrews 12:10
Lamentations 3:45 1 Corinthians 4:13
Lamentations 4:13 Matthew 23:31-37
Ezekiel 1:5 Revelation 4:6
Ezekiel 1:10 Revelation 4:7
Ezekiel 1:13 Revelation 4:5
Ezekiel 1:27 Revelation 1:13-15
Ezekiel 1:28 Revelation 4:3
Ezekiel 1:28 Revelation 1:17
Ezekiel 9:4 Revelation 7:1-3
Ezekiel 9:6 1 Peter 4:17
Ezekiel 12:22-27 2 Peter 3:4
Ezekiel 27: 27 Revelation 18:19
Ezekiel 34:23 John 10:11
Ezekiel 38:2 Revelation 20:8
Ezekiel 47:1-8 Revelation 22:1,2
Hosea 1:9,10 Romans 9:25,26
Hosea 1:9,10 1 Peter 2:10
Hosea 2:23 Romans 9:26
Hosea 2:23 1 Peter 2:9,10
Hosea 6:6 Matthew 9:13
Hosea 10:8 Luke 23:30
Hosea 10:8 Revelation 6:16
Hosea 10:12,13 Galatians 6:7,8
Hosea 11:1 Matthew 2:15
Hosea 13:14 1 Corinthians 15:54-56
Joel 2:28,29 Acts 2:16-21
Joel 2:32 Romans 10:13
Joel 3:17 Revelation 21:27
Joel 3:18 Revelation 22:1
Amos 3:7 John 15:15
Amos 5: 25-27 Acts 7:42,43
Amos 9:11 Acts 15:15-17
Obadiah 3 Revelation 18:7
Obadiah 21 Revelation 11:5
Jonah 1:17 Matthew 12:39,40
Jonah 1:17 Luke 11:29,30
Jonah 3:5 Matthew 12:41
Jonah 3:5 Luke 11:32
Micah 2:10 Hebrews 13:13,134
Micah 3:5 Matthew 7:15
Micah 4:7 Luke 1:33
Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:6
Micah 5:2 John 1:1; John 7:42
Micah 7:6 Luke 10:21,35,36
Micah 7:20 Luke 1:72,73
Nahum 1:15 Romans 10:15
Nahum 3:4 Revelation 18:2,3
Habakkuk 1:5 Acts 13:41
Habakkuk 2:4 Romans 1:17
Habakkuk 2:4 Hebrews 10:37,38
Habakkuk 2:4 Galatians 3:11
Zephaniah 1:7,8 Revelation 19:17-19
Zephaniah 2:11 John 4:21
Zephaniah 3:12 James 2:5
Zephaniah 3:16 Hebrews 12:12
Haggai 1:13 Matthew 28:20
Haggai 1:13 Romans 8:31
Haggai 2:6,7 Hebrews 12:26
Zechariah 3:1 Romans 8:33
Zechariah 6:1-8 Revelation 6:2-4
Zechariah 6:12 Hebrews 3:1-3
Zechariah 6:12 Matthew 16:18
Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 21:4,5
Zechariah 11:13 Matthew 27:3-10
Zechariah 12:10 John 19:34-37
Zechariah 12:10 Revelation 1:7
Zechariah 13:7 Matthew 26:31
Malachi 3:2,3 Matthew 3:10-12
Malachi 4:2 Luke 1:78
Malachi 4:2 Ephesians 5:14
Malachi 4:2 2 Peter 1:19
Malachi 4:5 Matthew 11:14
Malachi 4:5 Matthew 17:11,12

The majority of those do nothing but parrot what Tanakh says.

And how exactly does a NEWER book, parroting an OLDER book, that Jesus whom was Jewish - as a teacher taught, - mean, "the New Testament is a natural continuation of God's revelation is the fulfilment of past scripture and the completion of divine purpose" ???

According to the Jews, whose book Tanakh is, - Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies for their Messiah.

And the Isaiah verses have been misunderstood/mistranslated by others after Jesus's death. No "virgin" birth there, etc.

*

 

[Ingledsva]

I believe that the Jewish sages were right when they saw in Genesis 1 a form of prologue to the whole of human history. Each day in the Genesis account is interpreted as a period of a thousand years ( as indicated in Psalms) with the first two thousand years being a period of void (no Torah); the second two thousand years is seen as the flourishing of the Torah; then there was an expectation of the next two thousand years as being the Messianic era. Finally, there was the sabbath, or millennium of rest.
....

Who says that?

That a day to God, can be as a thousand years to us, - in no way means the seven day creation story means seven thousand years.

In fact it tells us the seventh day is specifically the Holy Sabbath. Since when is the Sabbath a thousand years long?

It also uses the Jewish formula for a regular day -

Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

*

 

[arthra]

I can't claim personal rights over God's word! But what I can say is that the prophecy as a whole (The Bible) took about 1500 years to write. That alone should make you wonder at the immensity of the spirit that lies behind this 'book'. Persons wishing to create a deception can sometimes achieve their deception within their own lifetime (such as the Qur'an, I believe) but to do so over a period of 1500 years is just not humanly possible.

Being a Baha'i I would take issue with your remark about the Qur'an being a deception. As Baha'is we do accept the Bible as inspired but in some respects inaccurate. Overall though for me you have to consider the inspiration or revelation of the Words. The Gospels appear to be based on "Logia" or sayings of Jesus that are variously clothed in the Gospels... The Qur'an as much as we can tell was revealed and soon thereafter set to writing. The Qur'an also recognizes Jesus so in a sense it is a continuation of revelation we believe from earlier Holy Scriptures:

"He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel."

(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 3 - The Family Of Imran)

 

[Redemptionsong]

Anyway, Bart Ehrman (the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) posits:

1. At least 11 of the 27 New Testament books are forgeries.
2. The New Testament books attributed to Jesus’ disciples could not have been written by them because they were illiterate.
3. Many of the New Testament’s forgeries were manufactured by early Christian leaders trying to settle theological feuds.

There will always be two camps in the theological debate. The Truth, however, lies in the Word, and in the power that that Word has to change lives for the better.
The argument that the New Testament contains forgeries is only convincing if you can provide scriptural contradictions to support your argument. As far as I can see there are no contradictions.

 

[Redemptionsong]

Based on that logic, I guess that means that the Hindu "scriptures," which took a similar long period to complete, must also be true.

The Quran also claims, and is claimed, to be perfect and the word of Allah. On what basis are you so certain that it's a deception?

I suggest you look into this a bit more closely. The Hindu scriptures are not 'one scripture', with a common or consistent theme.
The Qur'an was written down over a period of 23 years, and cannot be compared to the Bible. It's only link to prophetic legitimacy are its biblical illustrations, many of which are inaccurate.

 

[Sapiens]

Codex Sinaiticus contains the Epistle of Barnabas and The Shepherd Of Hermas. Why would God put them in and take them out later? Did God make a mistake? The first New Testament contained only the Gospel Of The Lord and 10 epistles of Paul. No old testament. Did God make a mistake here too?

Your answer assumes facts that are not in evidence.

 

[Sapiens]

There will always be two camps in the theological debate. The Truth, however, lies in the Word, and in the power that that Word has to change lives for the better.
The argument that the New Testament contains forgeries is only convincing if you can provide scriptural contradictions to support your argument. As far as I can see there are no contradictions.

Circular reasoning drenched in clap-trap.

 

[Redemptionsong]

My Point: There is nothing to judge to base your claim on. If there is, it cannot be the Bible.

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

My claim is based on the belief that the Holy Spirit has inspired the writing of the holy scriptures. Prove that the scriptures can 'be broken' and I will happily seek Truth elsewhere.

The reason that the Bible stands above all other books in its authority is that it has proved itself to be the work of the Holy Spirit. It also points to the one, Jesus Christ, who in his life and works proves himself to be our Lord and Saviour. I believe His spirit governs the course of history, and everything that has happened, and will happen, is under His control.

There are many that scoff at this assurance, but the deeper one digs the more certain one becomes. It's quite the opposite with a deception.

Let it be said, there are many truths in this world. They can be found in religious, moral and scientific spheres. But Truth is quite another thing. Truth with a big 'T' has to be true for all mankind, and that is the claim that Jesus made about himself. 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life'.

 

[Ingledsva]

..
The reason that the Bible stands above all other books in its authority is that it has proved itself to be the work of the Holy Spirit. It also points to the one, Jesus Christ, who in his life and works proves himself to be our Lord and Saviour. I believe His spirit governs the course of history, and everything that has happened, and will happen, is under His control....

But it hasn't proven itself to be the work of any Holy Spirit.

There is also no proof that it points to Jesus.

If it proved itself there wouldn't be people out here saying baloney.

Belief doesn't make it a fact.

*

 

[Sapiens]

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

My claim is based on the belief that the Holy Spirit has inspired the writing of the holy scriptures. Prove that the scriptures can 'be broken' and I will happily seek Truth elsewhere.

Claims are not supported by belief, but rather by evidence, something that your belief is rather short of.

The reason that the Bible stands above all other books in its authority is that it has proved itself to be the work of the Holy Spirit.

That's a reason? You are, as per usual, assuming as facts mere claim, and weak ones, at that.

It also points to the one, Jesus Christ, who in his life and works proves himself to be our Lord and Saviour.

Again you are putting the cart ahead of the horse. Until you prove that there was a Christ who had life and works and demonstrate that supernatural event occur you're just bloviating.

I believe His spirit governs the course of history, and everything that has happened, and will happen, is under His control.

That's nice, more claims with no support.

There are many that scoff at this assurance, but the deeper one digs the more certain one becomes. It's quite the opposite with a deception.

But quite typical of presuppositional self-delusion.

Let it be said, there are many truths in this world. They can be found in religious, moral and scientific spheres. But Truth is quite another thing. Truth with a big 'T' has to be true for all mankind, and that is the claim that Jesus made about himself. 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life'.

And I say that's horse pucky, why should anyone believe you?

 

[Redemptionsong]

Being a Baha'i I would take issue with your remark about the Qur'an being a deception. As Baha'is we do accept the Bible as inspired but in some respects inaccurate. Overall though for me you have to consider the inspiration or revelation of the Words. The Gospels appear to be based on "Logia" or sayings of Jesus that are variously clothed in the Gospels... The Qur'an as much as we can tell was revealed and soon thereafter set to writing. The Qur'an also recognizes Jesus so in a sense it is a continuation of revelation we believe from earlier Holy Scriptures:

"He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel."

(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 3 - The Family Of Imran)

In a nutshell, the reasons I cannot accept the Qur'an as prophecy are:
Muhammad was not an Israelite. It's clear from the Bible that God had a 'chosen' people who became guardians of his Word. The literary prophets were all Israelites. This makes the claims of Muhammad either fraudulant or erroneous.
There are clear inconsistencies between the Bible and Qur'an. So great are these inconsistencies that the claim made by Muslims that the Bible has been corrupted cannot be upheld. I'm thinking specifically of the denial of the crucifixion of Jesus, and the claim that Abraham accompanied Ishmael and not Isaac to the place of sacrifice.

 

[Redemptionsong]

Claims are not supported by belief, but rather by evidence, something that your belief is rather short of.

As already stated, God supplies the evidence in the form of a consistent prophecy. My evidence for God is His Word.

All you have to do is prove the Bible to be a lie and I'll be satisfied that God does not exist.

 

[Redemptionsong]

But it hasn't proven itself to be the work of any Holy Spirit.

There is also no proof that it points to Jesus.

If it proved itself there wouldn't be people out here saying baloney.

Belief doesn't make it a fact.

Hello again!

You're right, belief does not make it a fact. But then again, the most important things in life cannot be established by fact - or visible evidence. Facts can be used to point to the Truth, but the Truth will always be spiritual in character.

Can you prove the existence of love?

 

[metis]

I don't believe that other holy books make the claims that the Bible makes. The Bible is quite unique in its plan, its prophecy, and, above all, in the power of its WORD.

Actually many of them do, and each set of scriptures are "unique" since they don't cover all the same material.

BTW, Thomas Aquinas, who knew a thing or two about the Bible, said that a Christian simply cannot take the "O.T." completely literally since by doing as such Jesus could not have been the messiah. Therefore, he said it's best to view the "O.T." in more figurative terms.

 

[Redemptionsong]

BTW, Thomas Aquinas, who knew a thing or two about the Bible, said that a Christian simply cannot take the "O.T." completely literally since by doing as such Jesus could not have been the messiah. Therefore, he said it's best to view the "O.T." in more figurative terms.

I get the feeling you're trying to put words into my mouth. Do you have any specific passage of scripture in mind?