HOW GOD IS SPEAKING
How God is speaking and has spoken is explained in a "Bible" although God is not restricted to communicate through a Bible.
Bible comes from a Greek word "Biblos" which means books. The books in a Bible are from ancient scrolls and parchments copied over many centuries written by people who believed they were communicating a message they had received from God - which they often describe as "the Word of God".
I was taught the Bible is the Word of God. Now I believe the writings in a Bible are about the Word of God. The Word of God is about a Timeline whose principal subject is Yeshua Messiah, -the Jewish name for Jesus . Many of my problems in understanding how God is speaking to me are resolved by not thinking of the Bible as the Words of God but as an overview of God's Timeline and focusing on the context in which each writer inspired by Gog has recorded their particular messages then comparing with how other writers inspired by God contribute to the Timeline
Yeshua Messiah was raised from death is alive and has sent the Holy Spirit. The implications that Yeshua Messiah did not remain dead 2000 years ago AND of the Holy Spirit being present are that when concentrating on the actual word of God - the subject of the Bible you and I can experience the Holy Spirit making "the Word of God" "living and active" For example Bible Jeremiah 24:6 "For I will set my eyes on them for good" These words are recorded as brought from God to a people in captivity -"the captives of Judah" but I take great comfort and joy from applying the words to myself; that God has set his eyes on me (and you)for our good. Another example Bible Exodus 2:25 God saw the children of Israel and God understood. God sees US and understands. The implications are life changing!
I aim to develop this more fully in the section "God will keep His promises through Yeshua in US"
Both Jews and Christians use a Bible. Each faith teaches that a Bible provides reliable evidence of communications from God.
A Christian Bible contains more books than a Jewish Bible because Christians have added further books to the Jewish Bible to expand on information in the Jewish Bible in order that changes are explained which followed the death and resurection of Jesus (Yeshua).
A Bible used by Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians has more books than a Bible used by Protestant Christians becaue after "the Reformation" (often connected to a protest started by Martin Luther 1517) Protestants removed books they had previoiusly used.
So what is a Bible? Very simply, a Bible is a library of writings about the "Word of God", about how God has spoken, and may speak to you. You can access a Bible for your self in many versions at www.bible.com My wife and I use the facility to receive a daily verse with helpful comment in a short video from Christians of diverse backgrounds. If you decide to download there is no obligation to pay. Other than making a small voluntary monthly donation I have no connections with www.bible.com
History of the Bible
The oldest documents in the Bible are known as the "Tanakh" an abreviation for the various writings contained, see below. The writers of the parchments which comprised the Tanakh (Bible) were Jews from various locations throughout Asia and Europe, in different centuries commencing from around 6OO BC (600 years before Jesus)
Christians have renamed the Tanakh as the "Old Testament" because it is written in the context of various Covenants /promises God made with the people making up the community called to follow God (Jews) during the period in the timeline before the special Jew called "Jesus" was born as a baby to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem.
The world changed when Jesus introduced the "New Covenant." as is recorded in the Bible The New Covenant impacts all of us because it shows how God has expanded/redefined the worldwide community to whom God has made promises in Jesus. After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christians added further writings explaining the changes Jesus had introduced in introducing the "New Covenant.". These writings are known as the "New Testament." (The word "Testament " arose due a language change in the translation of "Covenant.")
At the time Jesus was preaching in Palestine the parchments making up the Tanakh comprised the Torah (Law) Neviim (Prophets) and the Ketuvim (writings). These hand written parchments/scrolls were in ancient Hebrew and Arabic. There was also a Greek translation- "the Septuagant" written around 300BC at the time "Alexander the Great" (336BC to 323BC) conquered the known world setting up the Greek empire with Greek language. One of the books in the Tanakh "Daniel"contains prophecies given to king Nebuchadnezzar predicting International political upheavals. The prophecies are remarkable due to their accuracy in predicting future empires. and are worth reading for your self in Daniel:2. In the vision recorded there is a statue with body parts symbolizing future empires; head of gold -Babylon (626-539BC), chest, and arms of silver- Medo-Persian, (530-330BC) Belly and thighs of bronze Greek (Alexander the Great) 336BC 323BC) and legs of iron, feet of iron and clay -Roman Empire.509BC to 476AD,Eastern Roman Empire /Byzantine Empire to 1453AD I plan to examine this further under the section "Evidence"
The Septuagant (Greek) translation includes additional writings not in the Tanakh (Hebrew/Aramiac.) For example, "Daniel" provides more information in the Septuagant than the Tanakh. However both the Tanakh and Septuagant provide the same "Timeline" recording God's intervention over centuries and include other prophecies foretelling God's plans.Much is only now being understood being explained by modern day prophets such as www.ntwrightpage.com I have no links business or otherwise to this fabulous resource.
Although not bound as one document the scrolls comprising theTanakh tended to be stored together in places used for public worship, either Jewish synagogues or the Jerusalem temple. Around 28-30AD Jesus taught that these scrolls which had existed for centuries were about Him! One of many powerful signs/evidences of supernatural inspiration. Bible Luke 24:27, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets he (Jesus) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself"
As set out above the Old Testament comprises books written by Jews who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Who actually wrote the New Testament?
History Saul/Paul The following events happened around AD 50 regarding a Jewish teacher called Saul whose name was changed to Paul. ;The words in italics are quotes from scripture, non italics is my commentary;
Acts 15:1-6 Saul, still breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, (Saul had been involved in the stoning to death of an early follower of Jesus called Stephen.) went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, (following Jesus) whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he travelled, he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him. He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He said who are you, LORD?" The Lord said "I am Yeshua, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, then you will be told what you must do"
A man called Hananiah is instructed to meet Saul who had been blinded by his experience. Paul was given a vision that Hananiah would "lay hands" on Saul whose sight would be restored. Acts 15:17 Laying his hands on him, he said Brother Saul, the Lord who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit
After his encounter with Jesus Sauls name was changed to Paul. Paul very successfully promoted the cause of Jesus writing a substantial part of the New Testament, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, and Romans.
Other New Testament writings are accredited to disciples of Jesus called Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Jude, and Peter.
The above is a summary of who has written the individual books which would become the Old and New Testament.
How was the Bible actually was assembled?
To understand how the Bible was assembled we need to introduce a concept called "The Cannon of Scripture"
The idea of a Cannon of Scripture is a popular view held by many Christians. The theory is that a "Cannon" determines which of the above books are included in a Bible. Introduced by an early church leader called Marcion (140-160AD) the word "Cannon" is derived from a translation of the word water reed which in past times was used as a rule of measurement" (think of a ruler used in a school)
Today many Christians will argue that whatever is included in "the Cannon" can be trusted as "Authorative." The argument is superficially plausible but when mixed with a claim that the Bible is the literal Word of God in my opinion the argument seeks to replace the Authority of God with the Authority of church leaders claiming their Bible is the Word of God. History shows this has been a source of confusion and division, because men could not agree on which books to include!
In my opinion it is helpful to have 66 books which comprise the "Protestant Bible" I read although I also ocassionly read a Roman Catholic Bible. However creating a "Cannon" gives power to whoever constructs the "Cannon" because stating what is included in the "Cannon" empowers religous leaders to interpret their meaning of what is Gods Word, so as . to justify ideas they wish to impose to gain power and control over others. I believe such practice led to incorrectly applying scripture as a tool to wrongly supress women, wrongly justify apartheid/abusive slavery, and even to dupe the German church to support Hitler .So whilst the idea of a "Cannon" is supposedly to establish that the Bible is "the Authority," history tragically shows Authority being assumed by religous leaders who mis-applied scriptures for their own ends..
Marcion's Cannon
Marcion'sincluded only some of Paul's writings and Lukes gospel doctored to remove references to the Old Testament/Tanakh/Septuagant which Marcion taught was obsolete Marcion ignored quotes by Paul such as; Romans 14:24,25
"Now to him who is able to establish you according to my Good News and the proclaiming of Jesus the Messiah, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret through long ages, but now is revealed, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known for obedience of faith to all the Nations."
and Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through perseverance and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope
Ignoring the references to
"Mystery which has been kept secret through long ages,"
"The scriptures of the prophets"
"Whatever things were written before"
In my opinion Marcion attempted to corrupt what God was saing by supressing the importance of Jewish history in Gods timeline
Jerome's Cannon- the Vulgate
Around 300AD Latin was the language of the Roman Empire but Greek remained widely used in the Eastern Mediterranean; Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.
A Roman Christian theologian called Jerome translated into Latin the writings by Paul, disciples Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and Jude along with the Tanakh.(Old Testament) All these books were bound into one "library" which was known as the "Vulgate." "Vulgate" means "language of the people."
In my opinion Jerome's actions were very helpful in creating a bound library. Unfortunately there was a shifting of the emphasis from an overview of Gods timeline ( as I seek to develop in the section God will fulfill his promises through Yeshua in US) to an emphasis on which writings were and were not included in the Canon. History shows Christian division caused by believing the Book was the Word of God -and not the subject
Prior to the Latin Vulgate the denominations which today are known as "Orthodox" and "Roman Catholic" both used the Septuagant. In what is known as "the "Great Schism" 1054 AD the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches split into separately governed institutions. The Roman Catholic church taught that The Vulgate was the Cannon, the only version of the Bible authorised for use in the Roman empire.
Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic priest who placed an emphasis on scripture with his argument solus scriptus, "scripture alone." Superficially sounds great but who decides what is scripture? Division was caused with sincere Roman Catholic and Protestant dissenters being burnt at the stake over whose version of the Bible was the Word of God
John Wesley (1703-1791)founder of Methodism argued that Authority did not rests on the Cannon. Authority he argued was based on;
-Scripture,Tradition, Reason and Experience.
I feel John Wesley is correct but would add humility to hear other points of view and if necessary being prepared to agree to differ.
In 1534 the Church in England ceased to recognise the authority of the Pope and submitted to the leadership of Henry VIII. I believe God was carrying out his purposes however,cynically I suspect Henry's wishto get a divorce being opposed by the Pope may have impacted Henry's motivation to seperate from Roman Catholicism. In any event whether the Pope or the king is head of the church does not sit easily with a quote from Bible Colossians concerning Jesus "He is the head of the body, the assembly"
The Bibles used in the Church of England were "The great Bible," in English, based on Tyndale's translation and in Latin the Vulgate and they also developed a "Prayer Book".
Prayerbook
I believe God speaks through the "prayerbook" first introduced in 1549 extensively quoting from the Bible and also including statements of belief such as the "Nicene creed" and prayer templates written by Bishops such as Thomas Cranmer
As an Irishman I am particularly interested that in 1662 after the Church of Ireland became independent of the Church of England. The Church of Ireland revised and continued to use a prayer book comparable to that used by the Church of England with the latest revision having taken place in 2004. I think the leaders in the Church of Ireland have provided good management of the two separate jurisdictions in Ireland because in Northern Ireland the prayerbook guides us to pray for the king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland whilst the prayer book used in the Republic of Ireland guides us to pray for the Irish President. There is no contradiction both are following Pauls teaching 1Timothy 2:2 I exhort therefore, first, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high places, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence
Having attended churches without the structure of a prayer book I have observed weekly repetitiion in churches who do not use a prayer book but without the depth which a prayerbook used by leaders led by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can provide
Conclusions
Can God speak through any religon? It would seem reasonable that all religons and therefore all religous writings would call us to do good and that being good is a prerequisite to pleasing God. There are many religous groups each claiming that God speaks or has spoken through their interrpretation of religon. Please see the section "Many faiths and none"
For years my mind was very muddled by my confusing the Bible with its subject- "the Word of God" It came to me that we would not call a Physics book "Physics," a Chemistry book "Chemistry," or a Geography book "Geography." Commonsense tells us a Chemistry book is abour "Chemistry," a Physics book about "Physics," a Maths book about "Maths" We do not stop believing in "Chemistry" because new discoveries make our schoolboy Chemistry book inaccurate, we do not stop believing in "Physics" because new discoveries make our schoolboy Physics book incorrect. The Bible is not the Word of God any more than a Chemistry book is "Chemistry" The Bible we have today as first assembled by Jerome (explained above) may have errors due to translation/meanings of words or sometimes it is our lack of knowledge as under "Evidence" For example have discovered apparent contradictions in the Genesis creation story are our lack of knowing how to understand the presentational style! Genesis 1 overview Genesis 2 specific detail- no contradiction'
Understanding both the message and the way in which the message has been presented provide strong evidence of inspiration by God. See section Evidence.
The Bible is a timeline of the Word of God climaxing in a person, a man called Jesus (Yeshua Messiah) Please refer to the section God will keep His promises through Yeshua in US