John 14:6

 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Why is the Bible important?

 I think we should start this conversation with.. what is the Bible?

"The Bible is the holy scripture of the Christian religion, purporting to tell the history of the Earth from its earliest creation to the spread of Christianity in the first century A.D. " www.history.com

So why would that be important?

A historical document that goes all the way back to the beginning of physical life with eye witness accounts of historical events and the possibility of their being someone who is the savior of the world, not mention foresight into the end of existence. I would think that would be an amazingly important document, or collection of documents collected into one book. 

Now imagine that the documents are correct in their entirety, even give or take a "jot or tittle". Wouldn't this mean that the contents of this collection are feasibly true? 

Wouldn't that make them ... Truth? 

So please tell me.. why is the Bible important?

what does common sense mean?

What is common sense?

How common is this ..  sense? 

"sound practical judgment concerning everyday matters, or a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge in a manner that is shared by nearly all people."

"good sense and sound judgment in practical matters."

"sound and prudent judgment based on simple perception of the situation or facts"

It doesn't seem like this is very prevalent right now. 

Can we go back to this, please? People all in agreement about what is practical and understandable?

Amy Grant song "El Shaddai" got me thinking

"El shaddai, el shaddai,
El-elyon na adonia,
Age to age you're still the same,
By the power of the name.
El shaddai, el shaddai,
Erkamka na adonai,
We will praise and lift you high,
El shaddai. "

But what do these names mean?

I've always been curious about why I've seen YWH and G-D, too. 

different religion?

supposed to be more respectful?

That's what I've heard in years past.

(answers from www.gotquestions.org)

El shaddai: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.

El-elyon: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.

Yahweh/Jehovah: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3).

Adonia: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15). used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles. (ahhhhhhh.)

Erkamka na adonai: the expression means “We will love You, Oh, Lord.” taken from Psalm 18:1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 

Elohim: the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).

what's the difference? sin

So a sin is based on acting against divine law,

a transgression is an act or violation of a law or command IN GENERAL,

and iniquity is based on wickedness, so coming from a larger more serious moral scale.

I always wondered what the difference was between the words that the Bible used for sins. 

"He was crushed for our iniquities"

"He was pierced for our transgressions"

But they all come from a place of doing something against divine law = sin

So on the cross, Jesus bore the weight of ALL types of  sin, no matter how we define them as human beings. He took all of that on the cross with him.. no wonder God the Father had to look away.

it applies to me.. it applies to you.

Matthew 5:43-48

Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. 

- that you may be children of your Father in heaven. we are to focus on how he loves unconditionally.. in order to love people that don't love you back, you must love them with God's love. our human nature would have nothing of that. 

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 

- we are all equal in His eyes. none of us is better than the other. we should not act like any of us deserves more or better than the other. 

46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 

- if you do only what you want to do, stick to your comfort zones, stick to what you know, and never push outside of that, expand yourself, learn and grow and change, you don't allow yourself fullness of life. God wants our lives to be full and for us to spread his unconditional love everywhere. you can't do that living in a bubble and hiding behind other people.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Forsaken on Easter

refers to: the opening words of Psalm 22, translated as "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me" in the King James Version. one of the Sayings of Jesus on the cross, quoting Psalm 22.

In Luke, Jesus says “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” And I don’t think Jesus gets any more vividly portrayed in the Psalms than in Psalm 22, likely written a thousand years before he came on the scene.

www.isjesusalive.com

On the cross Jesus said “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34b). Jesus felt abandoned, forsaken, because He really was abandoned in fulfillment of the Scriptures. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin on behalf of all who would believe (2 Corinthians 5:21a)

www.theexaltedchrist.com

When Jesus hung on the Cross and died, at that time, he was carrying all the sins of the world, and God the Father had to look away from His son.. abandoning Him.