What Is Biblical Faith?

[URAVIP2ME]

Then you have more than one version of the Bible. why?

I mostly use the King James translation here, what version do you use ___________

Please find at Luke chapter 4 where Jesus prefaces his statements with the words, 'it is written..' at Luke 4:4; Luke 4:8; Luke 4:10; and ' it is said' at Luke 4:12 is in reference to Deuteronomy 6:16.

 

[Audie]

I suppose there are lots of people who think studying the Bible is credulity.
I can't find where the teachings of Jesus are wrong, or that Jesus did Not use logical reasoning on the old Hebrew Scriptures as the basis for his teachings.
Jesus often prefaced his statements with the words ' It is written....' meaning already written down in the OT.
In other words, Jesus did Not base his teaching on credulity (blind faith) but based his teachings on the old Hebrew Scriptures explaining them, expounding them for us.

No other book besides the Bible is translated into more languages, and what other book has more earth-wide distribution than the Bible________
With all the enemies the Bible has if it were Not from God the Bible would have been destroyed long ago.
Even modern technology has made rapid Bible translation possible from remote translation offices so that people even in remote areas of Earth now have access to Scripture in their own mother tongue or native languages.

Well, as my grandmother would say
( translated to English)
" if you dont have a good reason, you
will need a lot of reasons" : D

 

[Audie]

Jesus came to ' fulfill' the Law. Christians do Not live under the old Constitution of the Mosaic law.
Jesus gave a 'New Commandment' found at John 13:34-35.
That is to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as he has.
In other words, we are now to love neighbor MORE than self, more than the Golden Rule of Leviticus 19:18.

What problem with the trinity, or a trinity because there is No triune God in the Bible.
I find Psalms 90:2 teaches that God (singular) is from everlasting ( that means No beginning for God )
Jesus taught at Revelation 4:11 that his God is Creator.
In the Bible, it teaches that pre-human heavenly Jesus was "IN" the beginning. Not before the beginning.
There is No Scripture that teaches God was in any beginning, but God was ' before' the beginning.
Please notice Revelation 3:12 because it is about the resurrected ascended-to-heaven Jesus who thinks he still has a God over him. Then notice Revelation 3:21 because there are No three thrones (trinity of thrones) mentioned.
Also, at Hebrews 9:24 the resurrected-to-heaven Jesus appears before the person of his God.
Paul did Not change any of that because please read Colossians 1:15 because Paul believed pre-human Jesus was the firstborn of all creation as did John at Revelation 3:14 B.
So, I see No where that Paul changed things - Hebrews 1:3 - heavenly Jesus sits down at God's right hand....

Speaking of good reasons- after reading
Paul's snake story I would not believe anything
he said.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

This is faith .. Matthew 25
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
URAVIP2ME the Righteous are those who do right.. They have Faith PLUS Works of the heart!
These people have "Faith ALONE" they do Nothing! Faith ALONE does NOT save these people with Faith ALONE are the goats!
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
James 2:24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
1 John 3:7
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
URAVIP2ME Do you see it? DOING RIGHT saves!
Look...
Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Yes, do good 'spiritual' works such as Jesus instructed to do at Matthew 24:13-14; Acts of the Apostles 1:8.
The righteous would declare 'God's Kingdom' (Daniel 2:44 ) as the solution Just as Jesus instructed.

 

[Dogknox20]

Yes, do good 'spiritual' works such as Jesus instructed to do at Matthew 24:13-14; Acts of the Apostles 1:8.
The righteous would declare 'God's Kingdom' (Daniel 2:44 ) as the solution Just as Jesus instructed.

Yes Preaching is a Good work!
Praying is a good work..
Alms giving is a Good work.. EVEN...

URAVIP2ME even giving a glass of water to a child is a Good work!

What MUST you do to be saved?
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Jesus did not lie.. You MUST LOVE to be saved! MUST Give from the heart like the Sheep do.. These Sheep are judged Righteous at the last Judgement!
URAVIP2ME The Goats are those who say "All you need is faith ALONE" this teaching is a Man made TRADITION! The idea of "Faith ALONE" was unheard of for the first 1700 years it came about in the "Great De-Formation"! These Goats are Protestants!

 

[Link]

No one professing to be a Christian believes that the demons are saved, but even they believe that Jesus is the Son of God!

They witness the chosen status of God's instances of his holy spirit and those who occupy that position, but they don't believe it's power is from God, but self-acquired, and they recognize Angels are in control of this world, but think they can defeat them one day as well as the person holding the position of the holy spirit. They acknowledge history of destroyed cities and nations, yet believe, they can overcome in the final battle, because they believe they are good and they will triumph for that reason.

Evil Demons don't see themselves as evil, not even Iblis.

When people die, they go to hell or heaven, but this is a lesser hell and lesser heaven, it's still not clear, truth and falsehood. And so when people die blind, they take side of Satan, and when they die seeing they take side of God's Forces, the Prophets, chosen leaders, and Angels, and, they maybe able intercede by permission of God's chosen ones who command per command of God.

Only on day of judgment will the truth of Jesus, Moses etc, be so clear that people will know they deviate from God's oceans of light when they turned away from God's appointed ones.

Till then, even dead disbelievers, while they witness Angels and God's holy spirit in his chosen humans, they don't believe.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Speaking of good reasons- after reading
Paul's snake story I would not believe anything he said.

Snake story ? Acts of the Apostles 28:3-6 - what snake story _________

 

[Audie]

Snake story ? Acts of the Apostles 28:3-6 - what snake story _________

Thats the one.

Credulity, blind faith, no questions asked,
or its spoilt.

The story has so many holes its laughable.

 

[Nakosis]

By this I mean, what does the Bible say faith is, and what it entails?

Faith is belief that comes from hearing or reading the testimony of others. I have never seen Paris, New York City, or Beijing, but I have faith that they exist because I have read about them from reliable sources. Faith is also, more broadly, the foundation of our hope as Christians. Because of our belief in the testimony of those long past, written for us in the Bible, we have hope and look forward to the fulfillment of its promises. (Heb. 11:1, paraphrased)

Hebrews 11 gives us a picture of what faithful men did because of their faith.

By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.
By faith, Noah prepared the ark.
By faith, Abraham went left home without knowing where he was going, dwelt there as a foreigner, sacrificed his son.

So, Biblical faith is faith which causes obedience to God.

James 2:14-26 says, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

So what do we learn by these passages about faith? We must believe, we must obey, and we must do good works, all to have a faith that saves us. Notice that belief is not enough. No one professing to be a Christian believes that the demons are saved, but even they believe that Jesus is the Son of God! Many say this is enough to save someone, but this passage directly refutes that!

Faith and obedience are inextricably linked. But so many say that only faith is required. Should we believe God or men? Must we obey as well as believe to be saved from our sins?

To me, everyone starts out ignorant. The baby has to have faith in their parents that they will me taken care of. There is no guarantee one's parents will.

From our ignorance about God, we pick whom to have faith in to teach us what is true. You in your ignorance have no idea who is righteous and who is not.
Of course if you hear the testimony of others about their own experience folks are more likely to trust the one who taught them.

However faith must eventually lead to knowledge. I don't believe God would expect any to live in a state of perpetual faith. What you experience must support what you were taught. One's works creates the experience to confirm that your faith was properly placed. Faith needs to become knowledge in order to validate faith. Without validation, without knowledge one is left with only blind faith. Certainly God would not ask of us blind faith.

 

[Link]

To me, everyone starts out ignorant. The baby has to have faith in their parents that they will me taken care of. There is no guarantee one's parents will.

From our ignorance about God, we pick whom to have faith in to teach us what is true. You in your ignorance have no idea who is righteous and who is not.
Of course if you hear the testimony of others about their own experience folks are more likely to trust the one who taught them.

However faith must eventually lead to knowledge. I don't believe God would expect any to live in a state of perpetual faith. What you experience must support what you were taught. One's works creates the experience to confirm that your faith was properly placed. Faith needs to become knowledge in order to validate faith. Without validation, without knowledge one is left with only blind faith. Certainly God would not ask of us blind faith.

You are largely correct, but God exists in the horizons and within ourselves both, and so it's about witnessing, and calming oneself to see God. Most people won't believe on formal arguments but rather depend on the mystical link to God with the soul.

There are good arguments for God, but nobody believes or disbelieves on those, at most, they are a starting point in the journey.

 

[MyM]

Jesus came to ' fulfill' the Law. Christians do Not live under the old Constitution of the Mosaic law.
Jesus gave a 'New Commandment' found at John 13:34-35.
That is to have the same self-sacrificing love for others as he has.
In other words, we are now to love neighbor MORE than self, more than the Golden Rule of Leviticus 19:18.

What problem with the trinity, or a trinity because there is No triune God in the Bible.
I find Psalms 90:2 teaches that God (singular) is from everlasting ( that means No beginning for God )
Jesus taught at Revelation 4:11 that his God is Creator.
In the Bible, it teaches that pre-human heavenly Jesus was "IN" the beginning. Not before the beginning.
There is No Scripture that teaches God was in any beginning, but God was ' before' the beginning.
Please notice Revelation 3:12 because it is about the resurrected ascended-to-heaven Jesus who thinks he still has a God over him. Then notice Revelation 3:21 because there are No three thrones (trinity of thrones) mentioned.
Also, at Hebrews 9:24 the resurrected-to-heaven Jesus appears before the person of his God.
Paul did Not change any of that because please read Colossians 1:15 because Paul believed pre-human Jesus was the firstborn of all creation as did John at Revelation 3:14 B.
So, I see No where that Paul changed things - Hebrews 1:3 - heavenly Jesus sits down at God's right hand....

But loving one another isn't a new commandment. Especially if God is supposed to be Love in the first place. I get really confused as to why in Christianity that you are praying to God and Jesus at the same time. I just thought of something, no one prays to the Holy Spirit why? Isn't that part of the 3-Godhead as well? Paul created the resurrection as he said he did in the new testament.
If Jesus didn't come to change the law and you said he came with a new law which Jesus is telling the truth?

 

[MyM]

I mostly use the King James translation here, what version do you use ___________

Please find at Luke chapter 4 where Jesus prefaces his statements with the words, 'it is written..' at Luke 4:4; Luke 4:8; Luke 4:10; and ' it is said' at Luke 4:12 is in reference to Deuteronomy 6:16.

I grew up on the red lettered kjv

 

[Clara Tea]

By this I mean, what does the Bible say faith is, and what it entails?

Faith is belief that comes from hearing or reading the testimony of others. I have never seen Paris, New York City, or Beijing, but I have faith that they exist because I have read about them from reliable sources. Faith is also, more broadly, the foundation of our hope as Christians. Because of our belief in the testimony of those long past, written for us in the Bible, we have hope and look forward to the fulfillment of its promises. (Heb. 11:1, paraphrased)

Hebrews 11 gives us a picture of what faithful men did because of their faith.

By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.
By faith, Noah prepared the ark.
By faith, Abraham went left home without knowing where he was going, dwelt there as a foreigner, sacrificed his son.

So, Biblical faith is faith which causes obedience to God.

James 2:14-26 says, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

So what do we learn by these passages about faith? We must believe, we must obey, and we must do good works, all to have a faith that saves us. Notice that belief is not enough. No one professing to be a Christian believes that the demons are saved, but even they believe that Jesus is the Son of God! Many say this is enough to save someone, but this passage directly refutes that!

Faith and obedience are inextricably linked. But so many say that only faith is required. Should we believe God or men? Must we obey as well as believe to be saved from our sins?

Urging us to do good works is a sign that you are a very good person. I warmly welcome you to the Religious Forum. I see some possible flaws in your reasoning, so I would like to discuss them. Maybe together we could find a truer path?

IS READING BELIEVING? According to Spock, and other Vulcans, might believe that reading is believing. Of course, we all have faith that Spock is correct because we can read Spock's other words in sci-fi books, and see Spock on TV shows and movies, and we can see that other members of the United Federation of Planets believe Spock to be of good character. Furthermore, Spock, who is of half human and half Vulcan parentage, has chosen to follow his Vulcan side...a side of logic and truth. Should we believe in Spock because we can read about him? Should we believe everything that we read on the internet? Should I buy a bridge in Brooklyn?

The bible was written some time (within a hundred years) of the death of Jesus. While it is vaguely possible that some apostles were still alive, it is likely that they didn't spend the time helping some unknown person write the bible. The bible has been altered by kings and popes since then. The bible has been translated and in many cases incorrectly translated. The bible has inherent contradictions (for example: Genesis 1:25 and Genesis 2:18 contradict each other about whether animals or man was created first). There are numerous religions around the world, and even within the same religion (example: Christianity) there are various versions of the bible and all versions are not the same). Even within Christianity, Catholics believe in the trinity, and many other Christians do not. Much of the bible must be interpreted, and there are many different interpretations.

I know that Christianity is a spin-off of Judaism, so Christians also follow the Old Testament (example: ten commandments). But, how can you quote the old testament while simultaneously maintaining that Christianity is correct (implying that Judaism is incorrect for not accepting Jesus as the prophecized Messiah)?

God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son (Isaac), watched as Abraham prepared to do it, then told him that it was not necessary. Some view this as a test of loyalty to God. I view it as a test of morality. One can't get into heaven by hurting someone else so they can get into paradise forever. If heaven was filled with people like that, it would be hell. You wrote that Abraham sacrificed his son. He did not....but he prepared to do so.

Apostle James: "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

All those who studied the bible knows "thou shalt not kill" yet, they continue going to church and many are fine with wars and torture camps. This openly defies God.

Mafia members go to Catholic churches devoutly, yet continue to murder, extort, sell, and do other immoral acts. They feel that they will be forgiven. They have faith, but not works.

"show you my faith by my works." The TV miniseries, Roots, showed that Kunta Kinte's master was too busy reading the bible to talk to him while he was being beaten into accepting the name Toby. That is an example of someone who knows a lot about the bible, and someone seeking more knowledge about the bible, but someone who has not chosen to following the teachings of the bible. We must not only know, we must also practice what we know.

If you go to a Black church, watch them sing Gospel music, and see them react to the words and music, you will see what true faith is about. You will see that after their ancestors have been enslaved, beaten, and debased by their Christian captors, they have not turned away from Christianity, but have embraced it, and exceeded their former master's command of the religion.

"Biblical faith is faith which causes obedience to God." So, Revelation said not to attack Iraq or face God's wrath (example: Revelation 15: seven plagues). The ten commandments said "thou shalt not kill." When the 911 attack happened, we should not have been guided by Satan's fear of future terrorist attacks, we should have obeyed God and turned the other cheek and not killed. We should have had the faith that God would take care of the terrorists in his own way.

If someone is faithful, can they jump off of a tall building and be saved by God? Stand in the middle of a busy freeway? Eat poisoned Kool Aid (Jonestown)? Eat poison to have their souls ride around the solar system on the Hale-Bopp comet (Reverend Applewhite's Heaven's Gate cult)? To what extent are our actions governed by fear and to what extent are our actions governed by faith, and to what extent are our actions governed by common sense?

Who gets into heaven....theist without works or atheist with works?

Satan believes that there is a God, but doesn't tremble. Why not? Why doesn't God destroy hell and Satan? Could it be that God sees the future, and knows that, in his misguided way, Satan is doing God's work? Imagine how horrible it must feel to be in hell for all eternity, burning in the fires. If suddenly God offered them a reprieve if they would repent, it might be that all of hell would repent and become good, if they had a chance for eternal bliss in heaven? So, maybe it is God's plan to roast souls for a long time, only to redeem them in the end?

 

[Colt]

By this I mean, what does the Bible say faith is, and what it entails?

Faith is belief that comes from hearing or reading the testimony of others. I have never seen Paris, New York City, or Beijing, but I have faith that they exist because I have read about them from reliable sources. Faith is also, more broadly, the foundation of our hope as Christians. Because of our belief in the testimony of those long past, written for us in the Bible, we have hope and look forward to the fulfillment of its promises. (Heb. 11:1, paraphrased)

Hebrews 11 gives us a picture of what faithful men did because of their faith.

By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.
By faith, Noah prepared the ark.
By faith, Abraham went left home without knowing where he was going, dwelt there as a foreigner, sacrificed his son.

So, Biblical faith is faith which causes obedience to God.

James 2:14-26 says, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

So what do we learn by these passages about faith? We must believe, we must obey, and we must do good works, all to have a faith that saves us. Notice that belief is not enough. No one professing to be a Christian believes that the demons are saved, but even they believe that Jesus is the Son of God! Many say this is enough to save someone, but this passage directly refutes that!

Faith and obedience are inextricably linked. But so many say that only faith is required. Should we believe God or men? Must we obey as well as believe to be saved from our sins?

Faith is an inexplicable gift.

 

[Clara Tea]

I grew up on the red lettered kjv

KJV is the earliest English translation, so it is my favorite, as well. However, I seek earlier manuscripts, in their original language if I find things that don't make sense.

For example, in Matthew, it said that we should avoid temptation by the devil. Looking at the original language, I see that it said to avoid temptation by evil within us. That makes sense, since we have been given freedom of choice, and we choose to be good or bad (heaven or hell). So, the original translation indicated that there was not some external devil tempting us. However, in the Garden of Eden, the snake tempted Eve, and that snake "might have been" the devil.

 

[MyM]

KJV is the earliest English translation, so it is my favorite, as well. However, I seek earlier manuscripts, in their original language if I find things that don't make sense.

For example, in Matthew, it said that we should avoid temptation by the devil. Looking at the original language, I see that it said to avoid temptation by evil within us. That makes sense, since we have been given freedom of choice, and we choose to be good or bad (heaven or hell). So, the original translation indicated that there was not some external devil tempting us. However, in the Garden of Eden, the snake tempted Eve, and that snake "might have been" the devil.

I have heard now that the RSV is the earliest. What I don't understand is why isn't there a Book by God Himself claiming exactly what He wants people to know so there would be no confusion. Why have a book with contradictions which Christians claim is from God yet God is infallible?

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I can't find where the teachings of Jesus are wrong

And you never will if you look at them assuming that they must be correct even before reading them. By wrong, I mean immoral, not factually wrong. Here are a few you might be willing to call immoral if Mohammad had said them rather than Jesus:

[1] Matt 5:28-32 - Jesus says marriage to a divorcee is adultery; and a man who ogles a woman has already committed adultery; and that you must cut off your hand or pluck out your eye if it offends.

[2] Matt 6:19-34 - Jesus says don't save money or plan ahead. "Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

[3] Matt 8:32 - Having no regard for private property, Jesus destroys a herd of someone else's pigs.

[4] Matt 10:34 - Jesus says he brings not peace on earth but "a sword": "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

[5] Jesus divides families: Matthew 10:35-37 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes [shall][be] they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

[6] Matt 19:12 - Jesus says the best way for a man to be sure of getting into heaven is to have himself castrated.

[7] Mark 11:13 - Jesus destroys a fig tree for not bearing figs out of season.

[8] Mark 14:4-7 - Jesus says it is more important to anoint him with precious ointment than to give to the poor, who will always be here.(Why not just get rid of poverty?)

[9] Christ categorically says in Mark 16:16 that he who believes and is baptized, shall be saved, while he who does not believe (in Christ and Christianity) shall be damned. That's pretty narcissistic.

[10] Mark 16:18 - Jesus says anyone who believes in him can play with venomous snakes or drink poison without harm.(This act has been often tried, with rather unsatisfactory results.)

[11] Luke 12:47-48 - Jesus fails to condemn whipping slaves.

[12] Luke 14:26 - Jesus says no man can be his disciple unless he hates his parents, siblings, wife, children, and himself as well: "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."

[13] Luke 19:27 - In telling a parable, Jesus insinuates that anyone who denies his rulership must be killed. "But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in front of me."

[14] Luke 22:36 - Jesus wants us to have swords, too. He says to sell your clothes if necessary to buy one: "and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."-

[15] John 15:6 - Jesus says anyone who doesn't believe in him is fit to be burned.

[16] 2 John 1:10-11 - A Christian is forbidden to offer hospitality to a non-Christian, not even to wish him "Godspeed" on parting.

[17] James 4:4 - Christians are not to be friendly with the world: "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."​

These are not my values, nor would I approve of them in others. We can do much better than this and have.

With all the enemies the Bible has if it were Not from God the Bible would have been destroyed long ago.

How about the older holier books? They must also be from God, or they would have been destroyed long ago by those people you imagine trying to collect and burn Bibles, right? Why does the Qur'an still exist?

Whatever your answer, likewise with the Bible. It's success in the number of translations and books given does not reflect just its its popularity, but also, its value to those promulgating the religion. I suspect that more Bibles are read free of charge by somebody that wants others to read it than after purchasing a copy.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

By this I mean, what does the Bible say faith is, and what it entails?

The Bible is not a dictionary -- it does not define words. It USES words. Generally speaking, when the Bible says "faith" it is referring to one of two things: either it is referring to belief, or it is referring to trust in God. In some instances, it is not clear which of these two meanings is being referred to.

 

[Link]

The Bible is not a dictionary -- it does not define words. It USES words. Generally speaking, when the Bible says "faith" it is referring to one of two things: either it is referring to belief, or it is referring to trust in God. In some instances, it is not clear which of these two meanings is being referred to.

They both imply each other.

 

[Psalm23]

Faith can involve belief, trust , and action. Biblical faith can be big or it can be small. Faith can have doubt as well or fear. Peter when Jesus had called him to walk to him on the water did. But when Peter saw the waves he was afraid and began to sink. He called out, " Lord , save me" and Jesus caught him.( see Matthew 14:25-31 )