Basic Doctrine

Matthew 5:17-19 — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Basic Doctrine, For Skeptics, Fusion Theism Movement, Obsolete Laws, Progressive Christianity, Simplified Scriptures Series

The most-often misinterpreted Scripture I see on Twitter, is Matthew 5:17-19, where atheists twist this passage out of context in order to have a pretext to claim the Bible contradicts itself, and provide a reason for atheists to focus 95% of their attacks on the Old Testament instead of the New.

But it’s not just atheists misinterpreting this passage, it’s also Christians who use this as support for keeping the Old Law of Moses.

Here is Matthew 5:17-19 in the NIV Bible:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Correct Interpretation of Matthew 5:17-19, In Context:

We can find the correct interpretation by comparing Luke’s account of the words Jesus spoke at Matthew 5:17-19:

LUKE 16:16-17 (NET): “The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter in the law to become void.”

Jesus’ words are clearer and easier to understand in Luke’s Gospel than in Matthew’s, on this particular topic. When compared together, we can see Jesus teaching us that (in God’s eyes) the Law of Moses was only in force until John the Baptist (compare Matthew 3:15), and since the time of John, Jesus the Author of the New Covenant, is able to change, edit, remove, or keep any parts of the Law He chooses. That is why we see Jesus editing, updating, and removing the Laws of Moses in Matthew 5:21-41, 19:7-9, and Mark 7:19.

Jesus did NOT say “heaven and earth would be destroyed before the Law is abolished,” no, rather, what He actually said is that it is easier for heaven and earth to be destroyed than for the Old Law to be abolished WITHOUT being fulfilled. Reading comprehension is very important when studying the Bible; equally important is reading in-context.

Jesus is promising to preserve the written words of the Old Testament until every prophecy and allegorical foreshadowing is fulfilled (brought to completion). He came to earth to fulfill the written words and bring them to completion. In Matthew 5, Jesus nullifies some of the Laws of Moses, edits others, and keeps some in force, while giving the true, original, deeper meaning of them.

Jesus did keep many of the Laws of Moses in force (albeit, in somewhat different forms) up until His death and Resurrection, at which time the entire written Law of Moses was “nailed to the Cross,” “taken out of the way,” and “made obsolete.” (Colossians 2:14; Ephesians 2:14-16; Hebrews 8:13)

The Law of Moses was never intended to be permanent, but was always just a temporary stopgap until the Messiah arrived (Galatians 3:23-26; Jeremiah 31:31-33), and it contained things which were NOT God’s ideal standards (Matthew 19:7-9; Hebrews 8:7-8).

The Apostle Paul forcefully and repeatedly drove home the point that Christians are NOT obligated to obey the Law of Moses (Romans 4:13-14; Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:1-14; Galatians 4:8-12).

I’ll wrap this up by quoting Paul’s words from Galatians 5:1-6 (NET):

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery. Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be declared righteous by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace! For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight—the only thing that matters is faith working through love.“

The Living Word of God — Simplified Scriptures Series

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Basic Doctrine, Simplified Scriptures Series

Many people see a contradiction when they read Psalm 19 or 119, which seem to say that God’s “Law” or “Word” is eternal, and then compare that to Hebrews chapter 8 or the epistle of Galatians in the New Testament, which says that God’s Law from the Old Testament has expired. Upon closer examination, this is not a contradiction at all.

There is a misunderstanding in too many churches today, where they teach that the “Word of God” refers just to the written Scriptures or the Law of Moses.
Let’s look at what the Holy Bible actually has to say about what “God’s Word” really is:
The Living Word of God
  • The Apostle Peter wrote that the “Word of God” created the world, brought the Great Flood, and will one day bring about the Great Tribulation. (2 Peter 3:5-7) The epistle to the Hebrews also says that God’s Word created the universe and that the powerful Word of Jesus sustains the universe. (Hebrews 11:3; Hebrews 1:3)
  • The Psalms in the Old Testament proclaim the same thing: The universe was created by “The Word of God.” (Psalm 33:6)
  • In addition, according to John the Apostle, Jesus Christ’s name in heaven was “The Word of God.” (John 1:1-3; Revelation 19:13)
  • Hebrews 4:12-13 declares that “the Word of God” is alive and powerful, and that we will stand before Him to explain our actions.
So we can see that the phrase “Word of God” or “God’s Word” can have different meanings in different contexts.
In some contexts, “The Word of God” means God’s creative power or dynamic energy to accomplish His purpose, or to His principles and commands He gives us in our consciences. Sometimes it is the intuition or leading of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. In other contexts, the phrase refers to Jesus Christ. In still other places, “the Word” does refer to the written Bible. But none of the verses above make any sense if they are referring only to the written Scriptures or to the Law of Moses. This is why “context is king.”
Now we’ll check out Psalm 19 and 119 to determine what is meant by “the Word of God” in those contexts:
Psalm 19:1-4 (NET): “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon.”
MY COMMENTS: Here is a beautiful and poetical way of expressing the idea that God’s creation reveals His glory. In this context, God’s “Word” is being “spoken” without actual audible words by nature itself. This is not speaking of the written Scriptures. So “God’s Word” can refer to God’s created universe revealing His majesty and power to us.

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Psalm 19:4-7 (NET):“In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun. Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber; like a strong man it enjoys running its course. It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other; nothing can escape its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the Lord are reliable  and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.”

MY COMMENTS: But now the imagery shifts and “God’s Word” or “law” is referring to the laws of nature God established by His Holy Spirit. These natural laws control the rotation of the earth, bringing about the rising and setting of the sun. This same “law” of God’s Spirit also breathes life and imparts wisdom into human beings. This is not speaking of the written Scriptures. So “God’s Word” can refer to the power of the Holy Spirit in establishing the natural laws, giving life to humans, or imparting wisdom to us (for example, through our consciences).
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Psalm 19:8-11 (NET):“The Lord’s precepts are fair and make one joyful. The Lord’s commands are pure and give insight for life. The commands to fear the Lord are right and endure forever. The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy and absolutely just. They are of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold; they bring greater delight than honey, than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb. Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; those who obey them receive a rich reward.”

MY COMMENTS: The meaning of “God’s Word” shifts again here. Now the discussion changes to focus on the “Word of God” speaking moral guidance into your conscience through the Holy Spirit. This can refer to God’s written Scriptures, but more likely, in this context, is speaking of the human conscience being enlightened by the Holy Spirit (compare also Psalm 19:12-14).
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Psalm 119:89-96 (NET): “O Lord, your instructions endure; they stand secure in heaven. You demonstrate your faithfulness to all generations. You established the earth and it stood firm. Today they stand firm by your decrees, for all things are your servants. If I had not found encouragement in your law, I would have died in my sorrow. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have revived me. I belong to you. Deliver me! For I seek your precepts. The wicked prepare to kill me, yet I concentrate on your rules. I realize that everything has its limits, but your commands are beyond full comprehension.”

MY COMMENTS: In this context, “God’s Word” or “Instruction,” is speaking of the natural laws which govern the universe and by which God formed the earth. God established these natural laws by His command. The psalmist here expresses his desire to follow and obey the commands of God, which, as we will see below, include God giving a special message and promise to the psalmist.
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Psalm 119:114-117 (NET): “You are my hiding place and my shield. I find hope in your word. Turn away from me, you evil men, so that I can observe the commands of my God. Sustain me as you promised, so that I will live. Do not disappoint me! Support me, so that I will be delivered. Then I will focus on your statutes continually.”
 
MY COMMENTS: Here, “God’s Word” refers to a special promise which God made to this psalmist, to save his life. So the “Word,” “law,” “statutes,” and “commands” in this passage are God’s messages and promises given directly to this psalmist. This is not speaking of the written Scriptures.
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Psalm 119:122-123 (NET): “Guarantee the welfare of your servant! Do not let the arrogant oppress me! My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, for your reliable promise to be fulfilled.”
MY COMMENTS: Again, in this passage, “God’s Word” is a special promise of deliverance given to this psalmist. This is not referring to the written Scriptures.
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In summary:
Don’t assume that the expression “Word of God” or “God’s Word” refers to the written Scriptures. Instead, examine the context to see what it actually means.

What the… Hell?

Daniel A Fresh View of God, Basic Doctrine, Progressive Christianity

 I think that the widespread Christian doctrine of literal eternal torment in Hell-fire has caused more people to stumble than perhaps any other teaching.

Why I Object to this Doctrine

  1. I object to this doctrine first and foremost because I don’t believe it is supported by the Bible. 
  2. Secondly, I object because it makes God out to be someone who gets pleasure from torturing and causing suffering to billions of human beings for all of eternity. What kind of parent would torture their unruly children in fire?
  3. Thirdly, it is not logical or just to torture someone for all of eternity who only sinned for 70-100 years.

Below we will be examining the Scriptures to see what they have to say on the topic of Hell. 

Before we start, keep in mind that in the Hebrew and Greek, the word “Hell” is never used in the entire Bible. Instead, the words Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus are used, and these words do not all describe the same place. 

The King James Version and other translations have caused much confusion by translating all of these words as “HeIl.”

Eye for an Eye

God told us His standard of justice in Exodus 21:23-25: If someone injures a person’s eye, the offender’s eye must be injured. If someone injures a person’s tooth, the offender’s tooth must be injured. If someone kills someone, the offender’s life must be taken. The punishment must be equal to the crime, in each case.

How would torturing someone for eternity in fire possibly harmonize with God’s standard of justice described in Exodus 21:23-25?

The Thought Never Entered God’s Mind

God told Jeremiah that the disgusting thought of burning children at “Gehenna” (“Valley of Hinnom“) never entered into His mind, and He was outraged to see Israelites doing this abomination.

Jeremiah 32:35 (NET): “They built places of worship for the god Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. Such a disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do! It never even entered my mind to command them to do such a thing! So Judah is certainly liable for punishment.'”

If God viewed it as a “disgusting practice” to burn humans in fire now for a moment, how could God possibly get pleasure from, or declare it to be righteous, to burn humans in fire for all of eternity?

The Soul will be Totally Destroyed

Both Jesus and Paul used a Greek word meaning “total destruction” or “annihilation,” to describe God’s future punishment on the evildoers.

“Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy [totally destroy; annihilate] both soul and body in Gehenna.” (Matthew 10:28, WEB)

“when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction [“total destruction; annihilation”] from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, WEB)

Notice, Jesus said both body AND soul will be totally destroyed in Gehenna (“Hell“) at some point, and Paul said the punishment for the evildoers when Jesus returns will be eternal annihilation, not eternal torment and pain.

“Gehenna” means Trash Dump

In the New Testament, the Greek word which is most often translated as “Hell” in modern English Bible translations, is actually the word “Gehenna,” which refers to “The Valley of the Son of Hinnom,” that, in Jesus’ day, was used as a Trash Dump where they would throw the dead bodies of unrepentant evildoers to totally destroy their bodies with fire.

The Jews had developed certain ideas of punishment from God in the afterlife as well, but these were usually limited in nature and not eternal torment– similar to the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory.

I personally can see how it would be just and fair to punish Adolf Hitler 70-100 years for each life that he took and to punish him with the same torture he used on others.

Revelation and Daniel are Symbolic

The book of Revelation does actually speak of God punishing certain evildoers in a Lake of Fire forever, eternally tormenting them. These include a 7-headed dragon, a fiery red beast, a beast that looks like a lamb, and all of their followers.

Right in the first chapter, Revelation announces that it is a book of “signs” and “symbols.”

If you interpret the Lake of Fire literally, why don’t you interpret that Jesus is literally a lamb and a lion or that Satan is literally a 7-headed dragon and a snake?

Daniel is also a book full of symbols and apocalyptic stories, with visions of beasts and horns and giant trees. At first, Daniel 12:2 seems to speak of eternal punishment in the afterlife for the wicked.

Other parts of the Bible speak about the annihilation of wicked cities as being “eternal punishment” because they are destroyed forever and will never return. This doesn’t mean that God is still eternally tormenting buildings or houses, but instead, that the destruction will last for all eternity. Those cities won’t be rebuilt. (Jude 1:7)

Daniel 12:2 may be using this same terminology to describe wicked people. They will receive “everlasting punishment” in the sense that their punishment is final and lasts forever, since they’ll be destroyed and will never return. (Compare 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus told a parable about a rich man who refused to help the poor, going down into the fires of Hades, and suffering thirst in the fire as punishment for his evil. (Luke 16:19-31)

A parable, by definition, is a fictional story used to teach moral or spiritual lessons. Notice there are many things that don’t sound literal in this parable, but instead are symbolic or hyperbolic, such as Lazarus being placed in the bosom of Abraham, or people refusing to believe after witnessing a resurrection.

Given the context in Luke 16, the main point of this parable appears to be that in the new Christian Kingdom of God, the rich and proud Pharisees would be brought down while the poor and humble people would be elevated.

I leave it up to you to decide how much of this parable is literal and how much is symbolic or hyperbole– But notice this story does not say the torment is eternal (never-ending).

In summary, I believe there will be a time of punishment after death for some of the wicked, but I do not believe it will be eternal in a literal fire.

Evolution of the Devil

Daniel Basic Doctrine, Progressive Christianity

In Old Testament times, I think it’s safe to say that people did not have the same understanding or viewpoint on Satan the Devil (Serpent) as people in New Testament times did.

Take Job and his 4 companions for example: In the book of Job they all 4 say that Yahweh is the One responsible for all the bad things that happen. None of them say anything about a “satan” or a “devil.”

But, the narrator of the story tells us about a “satan” who instigated the torments upon Job as part of a challenge or test.

The 5 books of Moses don’t really, as far as I know, speak of Satan or a Devil, except for the Serpent in the Garden of Eden.

Then we come to the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 24, which claims Yahweh incited King David to do a gross sin (which would be a violation of James 1:13).

Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” (‭2 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬ NIV)

However, the book of 1 Chronicles, written at a later time period, has come to view this event as being caused by Satan not Yahweh.

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. (‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬ NIV)

So, we can see that the idea of Satan developed over a period of time, or became clearer, in Old Testament times.

At the beginning of the nation of Israel, or in Job’s time, people gave Yahweh credit for everything good or bad that happened.

But later in Israel’s development, they began to ascribe evil things as being incited by Satan instead of God.

Could this be a possible explanation for some of the things in the Old Testament we find morally bad? Such as slaughtering children in war? Could it be possible that early Jewish writers were simply attributing EVERYTHING that happened to Yahweh instead of knowing anything about Satan?

In the New Testament times, God and Satan are portrayed as opposites with nothing in common at all and with no harmony between them:

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭15‬ NIV)

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ NIV)

Some Christians view the Devil as merely the poetic personification of the evil thoughts inside of us and not a real person.

This is a valid interpretation. I can definitely see why people hold this view.

For me personally, I lean toward the belief that Satan is an actual spirit person because it seems to make more logical sense in figuring out why God allowed evil — to answer challenges raised by this rebellious fallen angel.

Is the Bible Error-Free? (Looking at the Doctrine of Inerrancy)

Daniel Basic Doctrine, Fusion Theism Movement, Obsolete Laws

For many Christians, the Bible is viewed as the 100% error-free, perfect book straight from God, where every single word was carefully chosen by God for a reason. But, usually, when you have a discussion on the topic, these Christians will end up saying that only the original copies written directly from the hands of the prophets and Apostles were error-free, and all manuscript copies since then are subject to copyist mistakes and other errors.

Since zero original copies are in existence, how do we know the originals were error-free? Why should we think the originals should be error-free to begin with? It’s important to remember that today, all we have are copies of copies of copies of copies of copies, and then, on top of that are translations and re-translations.

Why would God make sure that the originals were 100% inerrant, but then not preserve the originals, and allow all future copies to contain errors?

In the stories within the Bible, we constantly see the perfect God using imperfect, mistake-prone people to do His will. The New Testament shows that the Apostle Peter, even though He was specially chosen by Jesus and given the Keys of the Kingdom, he still messed up big time and had to be corrected by the Apostle Paul. (Galatians 2:11-14) Also, Paul got into a heated argument with Barnabas. (Acts 15:37-39)

My point is, these people God was using to do His will were imperfect just like we are. Why should we assume that, all of a sudden, when they picked up a pen and paper, they became inerrant and infallible?

I view the Bible as containing the Gospel Message of salvation, and the teachings of Jesus, which are infallible, but the rest of the Bible can (and does!) contain many copyist errors, and perhaps, historical or scientific mistakes.

I think we do a great disservice to our own minds and faith, and also to the inquisitive & skeptical outsider, when we rest our entire belief system on whether or not the Bible can have one tiny mistake and still contain the Word of God.

If Peter or King David can make a blunder and still be used by God, then why couldn’t a Bible-writer make a mistake while writing Scripture, and God still use that imperfect Scripture to express His Word?

(Picture Credit: “Gutenberg Bible” by Raul654. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gutenberg_Bible.jpg#/media/File:Gutenberg_Bible.jpg )

Preaching is Important

Daniel Basic Doctrine

In my earlier blog post, There are Good Unbelievers!, I may have unintentionally come across as downgrading or diminishing the importance of preaching the Gospel message. If so, I apologize.

While the Scriptures appear to show that God and Jesus are more lenient in their judgment of people who have never had a good opportunity to hear the Gospel, and that judgment is based on the light that a person has received, including the God-given conscience each one of us has, the Bible simultaneously declares the preaching work to be of the utmost importance and top priority.

The Apostle Paul seems to have the idea that people may not even be able to be saved without hearing the Gospel message:

Romans 10:13-15, 17 (ESV): For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? … So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Paul’s view seems to be in line with Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which shows that there are appropriate time periods for different things, and God may handle things differently depending on the time period.

For example, Paul says:

Acts 17:30-31 (ESV): The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Romans 3:25-26 (ESV): whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Paul has the belief that in the past time periods (before Jesus arrived), God overlooked the sins of those ignorant people, but now, God may no longer be overlooking ignorance (at least in the 1st Century A.D. during the age when Jesus appeared and performed miracles, and empowered His Apostles to do signs and wonders).

Since it is up to God alone on determining the different times and seasons (Acts 1:7-8), we should place top priority and urgency upon the preaching of the Gospel, since it may indeed be the only way God is using to save people in certain time periods — maybe even today.

This doesn’t mean everyone has to preach and teach in the same method, manner, or style.

You can preach and teach in-person, by letter, by phone, through the Internet, or even just by how you live your life and shine the light of the love of Christ on your neighbors.