Dwindling In Unbelief: Every Jot and Tittle: The 1304 commandments in the Bible

06 May 2015

Every Jot and Tittle: The 1304 commandments in the Bible

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19.

The list is in biblical order, with a link to the commandment's first appearance in the Bible.

38 comments:

Unknown said...: Perhaps A.J. Jacobs could hand you his list? http://www.ted.com/talks/a_j_jacobs_year_of_living_biblically; Sun Jun 29, 04:49:00 AM 2014
Steve Wells said...: Thanks Nina,

I enjoyed reading A.J. Jacobs' book (The Year of Living Biblically). So far I don't think I've missed anything that he mentioned, but if I do, let me know and I'll include it.; Thu Jul 03, 06:48:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: You have failed to make a distinction between the general commands given to all of mankind, and some of the numerous and seemingly odd commands which were specific and unique only to the tiny nation of Israel in the time of Moses (Mosaic laws) in the Old Testament i.e. in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

The reason for these numerous laws, rules and regulations, was that, being the nation through which the Messiah, the Christ, was to enter the world, Israel needed to be kept separated from, and undefiled by the idolatrous and often vile practices of the pagan tribes that surrounded them.

In other words, Israel needed to be kept in one piece in order to get Christ to the cross (in order to restore his great name [Joshua 7:9] by redeeming his creation from sin and death). This can be seen in the genealogy of Jesus in Mathew 1:1 and also in Luke 3:23-38, which goes all the way back to Adam.

And Satan, being well aware that the Son, the Redeemer, Christ, had been promised through a line of the descendants of Israel, did his best to sabotage this line by any means possible. This being the central theme of the Old Testament, from when Adam rebelled against God, all the way through to the New Testament (advent of Christ). And this is also the reason for God’s sometimes severe judgement and even extermination of some of the surrounding pagan tribes, whom Satan had recruited and was working through in trying to ruin God’s plans for the redemption of mankind.

Many of the Mosaic purity laws concerning food, drink, etc. were specifically put in place for Israel only (even then, some rules or standards were only for the priesthood, so that they were clean enough to enter into the inner sanctum of the temple, the holy of holy’s, where God’s presence resided. In other words, the peoples representatives before God were required to be neat and tidy out of respect to God) until the time of Jesus and in no way apply to anyone today. Only those universal commandments and prohibitions in the Old Testament which are also found in the New Testament apply in today’s world.

For example, some prohibitions that universally apply to everyone are:

Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10

Whereas, Mosaic rules concerning food and drink are dealt with as follows:

So he (Jesus) said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” Mark 7:18, 19

It is what is in a man’s heart that defiles him, not what he eats or drinks.

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23; Thu Aug 07, 03:23:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Steve, as far as "every jot and tittle" goes (Matthew 5:18, which Jesus himself came to fulfill on our behalf, since we are unable to fulfill “every jot and tittle” ourselves), you didn't have to waste your time digging them all up. All you had to do was go to the two commandments in Matthew 22:37-40 spoken by Jesus which summarize/encapsulate the whole lot.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." [Deuteronomy 6:5] Mat. 22:37

"And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself." [Leviticus 19:18] Matt. 22:38

(Verse 22:38 is the same in meaning as Matthew 7:12 where Jesus says, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets”)

"On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Matt. 22:39

("Prophets" meaning Isaiah to Malachi); Fri Aug 08, 07:07:00 AM 2014
Steve Wells said...: I worry about you, Jimothy. According to Jesus you will be called "least in the kingdom of heaven" for breaking "one of these least commandments" and teaching others to do so.

I'm not sure, of course, but I suspect that those who are called least in the kingdom of heaven suffer the greatest torments in hell. It's hard to say for sure, since Jesus said it, and he never said what he meant or meant what he said.

In any case, I'm going to be called great in the kingdom of heaven, whatever the hell that means.

"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:19; Fri Aug 22, 09:29:00 AM 2014
Anonymous said...: Steve, where have I broken or taught anyone to break the least of any of the commandments?

You seem to have missed what I pointed out in the last comment concerning the two commandments (in Matthew 22:37-40) which cover ALL commandments i.e. "On these two commandments hang ALL the Law and the Prophets"

The two commandments in Matthew 22 sum up God’s universal (for all people, for all times) commands.

E.g., Matthew 22:37 encompasses the first four of the Ten Commandments and honors God directly. Matthew 22:39 encompasses the last six of the Ten Commandments and is a directive to treat others with respect (Since we are all made in God’s image Genesis 1:26) and is the same in meaning as Mathew 7:12. The last commandment concerning covetousness (Exodus 20:17) is a summary of the previous four (Exodus 20:13-16), since covetousness (Luke 12:15) can lead to murder, adultery, theft etc.

And as far as many of the commands that we find in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, they concern the covenant between God and Israel only (See below in Leviticus 26) at a particular time and place in history. (Unless you want to advise people to become Israelite's, and be at war with pagan tribes which have not existed for thousands of years).

These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the Lord made between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses. Leviticus 26:46

You said,

"I'm not sure, of course, but I suspect that those who are called least in the kingdom of heaven suffer the greatest torments in hell."

How does being the least in the kingdom of heaven equate to being in hell? That's like saying you can be in heaven and hell at the same time.

You said,

"In any case, I'm going to be called great in the kingdom of heaven, whatever the hell that means."

Not that you would care, but you sound like a Pharisee. Matthew 5:19 says "whoever does" not just whoever "teaches" (Matthew 5:20; Luke 12:1); Sun Aug 24, 12:44:00 AM 2014
Admiral Ratbeard said...: "...but whosoever shall do AND teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (emphasis added)

Actually Steve, since I'm pretty sure you're only teaching them, not following them (after all, I haven't heard of your arrest for murdering sabbath-breakers yet, and I'm pretty sure you know some), your fate is unclear. But you're certainly not least like jimothy b.; Wed Aug 27, 12:47:00 AM 2014
Admiral Ratbeard said...: Hmm. Number 88 (Ex 22:21) instructs us to be kind to strangers. Yet number 132 (Ex 31:14-15) commands the death of anyone who works on the sabbath.

So what are we supposed to do if we encounter a stranger working on the sabbath?; Wed Aug 27, 12:59:00 AM 2014
Anonymous said...: Ratbeard,

You have seem to have missed where it was pointed out that much of what God spoke through Moses (including Ex 31:14-15) as being between Him and the children of Israel only, at a certain time and place in history, as you would also have seen had you read the verse immediately before Ex 31:14 (V. 13) "speak also to the children of Israel", and immediately after Ex 31:15 (V.16) "therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath"; Wed Aug 27, 04:32:00 AM 2014
Steve Wells said...: Yes, you're right, Admiral Ratbeard. I wasn't entirely serious when I said that I'd be called great in the kingdom of heaven. There is no kingdom of heaven, and I don't try to follow the any of the Bible's commandments or suggest that anyone else do so either. I'm just listing them, so people can see how absurd, nasty, and cruel they really are.

It's fun, though, to see the (non)reaction of Bible believers. They not only refuse to follow the Bible's commandments but are embarrassed and disgusted by them, as well. They don't even pretend to believe that the commandments are moral, just, or reasonable. They just ignore them entirely and hope everyone else will too.; Wed Aug 27, 12:24:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Steve, you said,

"They not only refuse to follow the Bible's commandments but are embarrassed and disgusted by them, as well. They don't even pretend to believe that the commandments are moral, just, or reasonable. They just ignore them entirely and hope everyone else will too."

Why would we follow commands that are not for us? And why would we even take advice off an atheist who does not know what he is talking about?

If the commandments come from God then they are, under the circumstances of the time, moral, just and reasonable. They are given by God to make the best of a bad situation, and which man has ultimately brought on himself. Given man's sinful nature, they are the best thing available at the time, as much as possible, for the general good. In fact, if it weren't for God, the world would actually be in a far worse state than it is, and which demonstrates what a bunch of ratbags we really are. Without God’s intervention the whole world would have burned down long ago.

And many of the commands, which were given to a constantly rebellious people, quite often went against His kind, patient and loving nature (for God is love. 1 John 4:8). The rebellion and testing of God’s patience eventually incited His righteous anger and forced his hand, but which really goes against His kind nature.

He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon – that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act. Isaiah 28:21

But the atheist, often being willfully ignorant, refuses to see anything in context, while mixing all kinds of unrelated things together in confusion, and so he completely misses the whole meaning of the narrative.; Wed Aug 27, 11:30:00 PM 2014
m-y said...: so much hard work, when you can visit any jewish site and get a list of the commandments already compiled for you
;-D; Wed Sep 10, 04:53:00 AM 2014
Steve Wells said...: No you can't, m-y.

There are no Jewish sites that list the commandments as they are written in the Bible. They all claim that there are 613 commandments, listing the watered-down, sanitized list that Maimonides came up with 800 years ago. There are no honest lists of the commandments on any Jewish website or book, at least not that I've been able to find.

Here, for example, is the commandment given in Deuteronomy 25:11-12 in Maimonides list:

#487 Save someone being pursued even by taking the life of the pursuer

And here is the actual commandment in the Bible.

"When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her." Deuteronomy 25:11-12

The commandment is to cut off a woman's hand, without pity, if she grabs the genitals of a man who is fighting her husband.

Maimonides made up something that sounds OK to replace the Bible's nasty, cruel, and misogynistic one.

For more than two thousand years the rabbis have been finding creative ways to cover up the crazy shit in the Bible while everyone else has looked the other way. I think its time to honestly list them. So that's what I'm doing with EJ$T.; Wed Sep 10, 05:35:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: So what's the lesson? Don't grab a man by his secrets. pretty simple really.; Thu Sep 11, 02:44:00 AM 2014
Steve Wells said...: So you're okay with cutting off a woman's hand without pity, eh Joe z?

Then the Bible is your kind of book. (Although you might like the Quran even better. "Cut off their hands. It is ... an exemplary punishment from Allah. 5:38); Thu Sep 11, 07:42:00 AM 2014
Anonymous said...: It was obviously a necessary ruling in the time and culture when it was given.

But as usual your argument ignores the historical and cultural context in which these rulings were given and tries to place them in a peaceful suburban setting.

Such a ruling was obviously given in response to such incidents happening, otherwise it would not have been necessary to give it in the first place.

And any ruling, e.g. don't grab a man's secrets, must also come with a punishment otherwise the ruling carries no weight or power.

If there was no punishment attached to laws, then every man and his dog would be running around doing whatever they pleased at the expense of the whole society.

And since there is no record of any woman having had her hand removed for injuring a mans family jewels in all the centuries that followed, then the ruling was a very good one and the incentive to keep the hand intact worked.

But even if one or two lost their hands, overall it still saved thousands of these of incidents from occurring, which, being the owner of such equipment yourself, is a good thing, wouldn't you say?

What is a couple of missing hands in comparison to possibly thousands of crushed and mangled testicles? Just do the maths, like the One who gave the ruling, and you might be able to see the big picture.; Thu Sep 11, 11:11:00 PM 2014
Steve Wells said...: joe z,

Would it be wrong to obey God's command in Deuteronomy 25:11-12 today?; Sat Sep 13, 05:33:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: And the fact that you would even put the Quran, which was patched together from plagiarized bits and pieces of the scriptures of the Bible, twisted and/or taken right out of context, together with other pagan superstitions, by that old criminal and false prophet Muhammad (who really prophesied nothing anyway) 600 years later, just highlights how unqualified you are to say anything about the Bible.

For a start, and despite Islam’s claim to the contrary, the god of the Quran and the God of the Bible (who is Christ, the Creator. John 1:1-14; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:8-10; Revelation 1:8 etc.) are quite obviously not one and the same, since the Quran falsely states that Jesus was just an ordinary man, and not the Creator Himself in the flesh (John 8:58; 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47; 1 Timothy 3:16).

Any doctrine that denies that Jesus is God is a doctrine of devils (with no salvation). In other words the god of the Quran, Allah, is none other than Satan himself.

And all the distortions and false arguments of the Scriptures of the Bible invented by atheists are often used by Muslims in their arguments against Christianity. So if or when Islam gets the upper hand in western society, and its adherents, as commanded by their doctrine concerning unbelievers/kafirs, come through your window to kill and steal (as we see in the news), then remember that it was you yourself that contributed to that situation.; Sat Sep 13, 06:09:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Steve, you ask,

"Would it be wrong to obey God's command in Deuteronomy 25:11-12 today?"

If it is not the law of the land, as given by those in the office of government which is ordained by God, then of course it would be wrong.

The basic duty of a government is to maintain administrative order and to uphold the law, and to uphold order, for the peace and wellbeing of the citizens by means of the authority and power invested in it by the Creator.

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

Therefore whoever resists the authority [temporal government] resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves [for criminal behaviour].

For civil authorities are not a terror to good works (abiding by the law), but to evil (crime). Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword (law enforcement) in vain; for he is God’s servant, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’s sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers (public servants – judges, magistrates, police) attending continually to this very thing.

Render therefore to all their due; taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue, respect to whom respect.” Romans 13:1-7.

But since Israel, at the time that the ruling was given directly by God in Deuteronomy, was always on the move, then punishments would also have had to have been portable, since they could not establish prisons. But since today’s western society is obviously established in one geographical place, then this allows for permanent prisons where those who cause grievous bodily harm can be sent to as punishment. Which is worse? The loss of a hand, or years spent in jail? Either way they are both very good deterrents (which is really the point). Hence, the large percentage of intact wedding-tackle in the past and in today’s societies.; Sat Sep 13, 07:34:00 PM 2014
Steve Wells said...: OK, joe z, I think we're starting to get somewhere.

If the law of the land conformed to biblical law, would it be right to cut off a woman's hand without pity, as God commanded in Deuteronomy 25:11-12.; Sat Sep 13, 09:01:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Steve, you ask,

"If the law of the land conformed to biblical law, would it be right to cut off a woman's hand without pity, as God commanded in Deuteronomy 25:11-12."

Well obviously, otherwise God would not have given such a ruling in the first place. Can you think of a better and more effective deterrent (the threat/promise of removing the pitiless hand that caused the damage) to prevent this kind of thing happening? Or, would you, being a victim of such an assault, with no modern medical facilities in existence, and being in great discomfort and pain for years or even for the rest of your life, not want justice done?

Would you not rather have had the deterrent in place beforehand that might have saved you from a life of pain and misery, and with possibly no ability to father children?; Sat Sep 13, 11:40:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Btw, your attempt at equating Deuteronomy 25:11-12 with the Quran’s "Cut off their hands. It is ... an exemplary punishment from Allah.” (5:38) points to a rather large hole in your knowledge.

The actual reason for the deterrent of Deuteronomy 25:11-12 bears no resemblance to Islam’s outright gratuitous violence against all people outside of Islam (known as “pigs”, “dogs”, “the worst of creatures”, “unbelievers/kafirs”). Muhammad simply distorted the meaning of the Biblical scriptures for his own ends, i.e. to conquer the world. And just like the atheist does with his agenda of making God seem evil, Muhammad applied his own context to the Scriptures in order to get them to say whatever he wanted (as the papacy, which came into existence at about the same time as Islam, also did). But the events in the Old Testament had absolutely nothing to do with Muhammad (And after 1400 years, and despite the claims of Muslim scholars, Muhammad is not found predicted anywhere in the original scriptures which are found in the Bible [except in the category of false prophet]).; Sun Sep 14, 12:35:00 AM 2014
Steve Wells said...: Thanks joe z!

You think it'd be just fine to cut off a woman's hand without pity as required by Deuteronomy 25:11-12.

Heck, I bet you'd be willing to do it yourself, if God or the government told you to do so.

Would you burn the strange threesome in as God demands in Leviticus 20:14? (Assuming you got your way and it was the law of the land.); Sun Sep 14, 10:55:00 AM 2014
Steve Wells said...: joe z,

>Btw, your attempt at equating Deuteronomy 25:11-12 with the Quran’s "Cut off their hands. It is ... an exemplary punishment from Allah.” (5:38) points to a rather large hole in your knowledge.

Oh, I see. Cutting off a woman's hand as God commands in Deuteronomy 25:11-12 is an exemplary punishment from God, whereas cutting of a thief's hand in Quran 5:38 is an exemplary punishment from Allah.

But at least God, Allah, and you can all agree on something: Cutting off a hand here or there is the right thing to do. It's an exemplary punishment from Allah, God, and joe z.; Sun Sep 14, 11:51:00 AM 2014
Anonymous said...: Steve, you say,

“You think it'd be just fine to cut off a woman's hand without pity as required by Deuteronomy 25:11-12.”

Well of course it is not the ideal situation, but then what would be a suitable deterrent? Remember that this is a world full of sinners that God is keeping under control. What would your punishment for murder be? Execution? Life imprisonment? Either way, they are both good deterrents.

Or would you just let the murderer go? Just as well you are not running the show then.

You say:

“Heck, I bet you'd be willing to do it yourself, if God or the government told you to do so.”

Unless I held the official appointed office of executioner, as it was with Israel at the time, then the government could not tell me to do anything of the sort. And as for being willing to do it myself, wrong bet. Not everyone can be an executioner, and which is just one small part of the law and order system as a whole.

Here is also where we come to the correct meaning and context of: “an eye for an eye” (“Your eye shall not pity; but life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” Deuteronomy 19:21), which refers to the state or government laws ordained and given by God to Israel’s leaders. Even the tiniest nation still needs an official administration and a system of justice. A life for a life in the above verse means the state execution of a criminal for the crime of murder (Accidental killing or manslaughter, being different, is covered in Numbers 35:6, 12).

So these commands in Deuteronomy are definitely not for emotionally distressed or unbalanced private individuals. God does not want everyone running around trying to get revenge and causing harm to each other.

The tendency to keep score of grievances inflicted against us, real or perceived, should be countered with a list of grievances inflicted by us against others, which will help to defeat the anger and gnawing desire for revenge, which can high-jack, swallow up and ruin a good part of our life. Rather, let God, whose wisdom is infinitely greater than ours deal with it (Repay no one evil for evil... do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:17, 19) via the temporal government that has been instituted by him, or by the many other means at his disposal.

If we take revenge, we take something that belongs to God. Besides which, our corrupted and selfish nature and reasoning does not always have the wisdom or foresight to correctly and justly carry out the office of revenge, despite what our opinion to the contrary may be, which is why he forbids it.; Sun Sep 14, 11:55:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Steve you say:

“Would you burn the strange threesome in as God demands in Leviticus 20:14? (Assuming you got your way and it was the law of the land.)”

Again, that was an effective deterrent, to warn Israel against copying and absorbing the customs of the highly corrupted surrounding pagan tribes. If one or two should do it, then some of the others might follow, and then before you know it the whole society is corrupted. Sin is highly contagious.

You say:

“Oh, I see. Cutting off a woman's hand as God commands in Deuteronomy 25:11-12 is an exemplary punishment from God, whereas cutting of a thief's hand in Quran 5:38 is an exemplary punishment from Allah.”

I guess you must have missed the next line, i.e.

“The actual reason for the deterrent of Deuteronomy 25:11-12 bears no resemblance to Islam’s outright gratuitous violence against all people outside of Islam (known as “pigs”, “dogs”, “the worst of creatures”, “unbelievers/kafirs”).”

Notice the difference between “deterrent”, as in the maintenance of law and order, and “outright gratuitous violence against all people outside of Islam” i.e. simply for being unbelievers? (And where in Deuteronomy 25:11-12 do we find the words “exemplary punishment from God”?)

You say:

“But at least God, Allah, and you can all agree on something: Cutting off a hand here or there is the right thing to do. It's an exemplary punishment from Allah, God, and joe z.”

Nice try in blending everything together (no one should fooled by Biblical names in the Koran such Moses, Jacob, Abraham, Jesus etc. because they are just being used as window dressing to try to make the god of the Koran look like the God of the Bible). But as I have already pointed out above, the god of the Koran, Allah/Satan, commands far more than just cutting off a hand here and there (and of course, like any murderer (John 8:44), he might call this “exemplary”). Whereas the God of the Bible and myself agree that to maintain law and order it sometimes requires severe deterrents to keep a sinful/criminal world from descending into chaos, which it quite often does, given half a chance.; Sun Sep 14, 11:58:00 PM 2014
Tom VonOxford said...: Oh you two - how you do go on.

Jay Z you are talking as though everything in the Bible is the word of god and you believe all of it. You think your God actually said all that shit?

Do yo,u jay Z, believe the sun stood still? Do you believe a shadow moved backwards 10 degrees? Do you believe there was a Noah's Ark? If you believe all of that nonsense, you need help.

Steve's responses are all tongue-in-cheek - pointing out the nonsense of any position that takes the bible literally.; Tue Sep 16, 04:06:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Tom,

“Jay Z you are talking as though everything in the Bible is the word of god and you believe all of it. You think your God actually said all that shit?”

Why not? It all makes pretty good sense, as I have easily demonstrated so far.

You say:

“Do yo,u jay Z, believe the sun stood still? Do you believe a shadow moved backwards 10 degrees? Do you believe there was a Noah's Ark?”

No the earth stood still, since the sun does not move. It was from the point of view of the observer standing on the earth. This is still the way it is described today, e.g. ‘sun rise’ and ‘sun set’.

Moving a shadow 10 degrees is hardly a challenge for the Creator of the universe.

Since there is plenty of evidence of a global flood about 4500 years ago, then there must have been an ark/wooden ship otherwise there wouldn't be any animals or humans around today.

You say:

“If you believe all of that nonsense, you need help.”

Says the man who believes in evolution.

You say:

“Steve's responses are all tongue-in-cheek…”

As were some of mine. Don't worry I'm having fun too.

And:

“…pointing out the nonsense of any position that takes the bible literally.”

Well that depends on what you mean by “literally”; Wed Sep 17, 01:29:00 AM 2014
Aquaria said...: Literally is literally. What part of the word don't you understand?; Thu Oct 02, 08:11:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Aquaria, you ask,

"Literally is literally. What part of the word don't you understand?"

How do you yourself understand ‘literally’ as it applies to the different modes of writing (as with any book) that we find in Bible, such as poetry (e.g. Song of Solomon), clear direct historical narrative (e.g. Genesis), parables (as spoken by Jesus) etc.?

Or are you trying to say that we should believe everything in the same literal sense whether it be poetry, symbolic, historical narrative, parable etc.? If you say yes, then I would ask, is that how you read all books?

Or, are you asking if the message that is being conveyed through the various modes of writing described above (as found in any book) that we find in the Bible, is the truth?; Tue Oct 07, 11:54:00 AM 2014
Unknown said...: "No the earth stood still, since the sun does not move. It was from the point of view of the observer standing on the earth. This is still the way it is described today, e.g. ‘sun rise’ and ‘sun set’."

Actually, the more accurate depiction would be the summer and winter soltices. Where from the earth's perspective the sun seems to sit unmoved from its usual trajectory across the ecliptic. Either way it's still bull.; Mon Nov 10, 04:45:00 PM 2014
Unknown said...: In fact the word, solstice, means sun stands still.; Mon Nov 10, 04:48:00 PM 2014
Anonymous said...: Joe z And believing in evolution is wrong, why? Evolution has actual evidence.; Thu May 07, 08:14:00 AM 2015
Andre Jacobs said...: According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. 8More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! – that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness – a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness.

Philippians 3:6-9; Fri May 08, 02:37:00 AM 2015
Unknown said...: Overall, these 1,000+ commandments provide a woefully inadequate basis for a society's moral system.; Fri May 08, 04:45:00 AM 2015
Unknown said...: Let no man beguile you of ... things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. Colossians 2:18.

Need to remind some of the believers about that verse.; Fri May 08, 12:58:00 PM 2015
Robert Carnegie said...: I wasn't able to find the rule against sex while standing up because it could lead to dancing.; Sun May 28, 04:45:00 PM 2017
João Lucas said...: Hey is pretty good. interesting your post, could list too commandments in Apocrypha?; Fri Jul 19, 04:13:00 PM 2024