Tag: bible

Scripture as Witness to the Word of God

I always appreciate the insight and posture of Brian Zahnd, including his latest thoughts on Scripture:

The supreme value of the treasure that is Holy Scripture is that it is the divine witness to the Word of God who is Christ.

If you can’t see the distinction between Jesus and the Bible, you are very confused indeed! And not in a trivial manner either. Biblicism is a rival faith to Christianity. Oh, believe me, I have a high view of Scripture…but Jesus is Lord! It is Christ who rules the nations… not the Bible. Can I give an example of how this distinction might matter? Consider that the Bible does not give a clear denunciation of slavery, but the living and reigning Christ surely does!

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What if it really is that simple?

love hands
IXS_2631 | Photo by Leon Brocard

In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity – HW Longfellow

Last week I asked…

What is really required of “our faith?”

What are the NO COMPROMISE requirements of your faith?

And I received several good responses.

But as I’m reading and thinking and chewing I keep coming back to the question they asked Jesus.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

The wanted the insight, the inside scoop. They wanted a check list of things to follow and do to be sure they spent eternity on streets of gold instead of the fires of Gehenna.

And some days I wish Jesus had said, “You need to do this, this, this and this. And then if you can do all that, do this, this, this and that.”

Because check lists are easy. We can have a goal and a target. And they make things like knowing who’s-in and who’s-out a lot easier.

But instead of a checklist, Jesus responds, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And so I’m left wondering… What if really is that simple?

…but then again – who said love was easy?

No compromise (Rob Bell, hell, faith & theology)

Satan is trapped in the frozen central zone in the Ninth Circle of Hell, Canto 34 (Dante's Inferno) | Image via Wikicommons

This weekend, Twitter and the blogosphere were a flutter over the idea that a Christian pastor might lean towards universalism. GASP!

You can read more here, here, here, here, here and here.

All these folks getting their debate on — over a book that hasn’t even been released yet — and one in which the vast majority of commentators haven’t even read.
Continue reading No compromise (Rob Bell, hell, faith & theology)

10 things you can do with YouVersion on your mobile device

YouVersion

I’ve been using YouVersion for some time, both online and on my mobile devices (first two BlackBerry’s and now on my G1).

It’s amazing how powerful a platform YouVersion is. And there’s a number of cool things you can do with the platform, both online and on your mobile device — all for FREE.

So here are the top 10 things you can do with YouVersion on your mobile device…

10. View comments and contributions from more than 6 million readers around the world.
9. Follow along with one of 22 different Bible reading plans.
8. Replace that 17 pound Bible you’ve been lugging back and forth to church.
7. Bookmark passages for later reference.
6. Tweet your tweeps with links to your favorite Bible passages.
5. Share your thoughts with others by responding to polls and leaving comments through YouVersion Live.
4. Put a massive Bible search engine to work, so you’re no longer left saying, “It’s somewhere in the back…”
3. Find 41 different ways to say “Jesus wept.”
2. Read the Bible, in your favorite translation, anywhere and everywhere.

So what about number 1? Well, that’s for you to tell me.

YouVersion is all about how you put it to use.

So let us know, in the comments below — What’s the #1 thing you do with YouVersion on your mobile device?

Don’t have YouVersion on your mobile device? You can get it for Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, Java, Mobile Web and Palm WebOS.

The Bible in Five Statements

rapture by Marcn

A fun meme has been floating around the interwebs as of late — Summarize the Bible in Five Statements.

I haven’t tracked down the originator yet, but I picked up on it from Michael Morrell’s post and it’s been fun following along as it’s spread from there.

And now I’ve been tagged too by the legendary podcaster himself, Chad Crawford.
Continue reading The Bible in Five Statements