Thank you for your channel. I have a question. Why didn't God make the Bible so clear and exhaustive that there was no way to distort it or pervert it. Thank you
Thank you for a great question! I think there are a multitude of responses that different people of different beliefs would have to this question. I think one persuasive answer is that God simply didn't make the Bible. The Bible is written by many people at different times and at different places, whose works they had no intention of being compiled into a "bible", and who were only trying to capture, as best they could, truths (as they saw it) about the divine. As a result, the Bible preserves a process of theological development and discussion. It is why Moses states that punishment for one's sins will be visited unto the third and fourth generation; but why Ezekiel argues, at length, that one is not punished for the sins of their father. The righteous are rewards, and the wicked are punished. In turn, the books of Job and Ecclesiastes challenge this view also. If this is true, they ask, why do the righteous sometimes suffer, and the unjust go unpunished? Jesus's message can be seen as a response to this question. The Bible is a dialogue, and as a result it challenges us to engage with the scripture, to look deeper into its meaning instead of shallowly accepting its statements at face-value. This perspective, I think, enriches the text, and as such the text can be enjoyed by anyone no matter their beliefs. I think that is one plausible answer to your question.
Thank you for your channel. I have a question. Why didn't God make the Bible so clear and exhaustive that there was no way to distort it or pervert it. Thank you
Thank you for a great question! I think there are a multitude of responses that different people of different beliefs would have to this question. I think one persuasive answer is that God simply didn't make the Bible.
The Bible is written by many people at different times and at different places, whose works they had no intention of being compiled into a "bible", and who were only trying to capture, as best they could, truths (as they saw it) about the divine.
As a result, the Bible preserves a process of theological development and discussion. It is why Moses states that punishment for one's sins will be visited unto the third and fourth generation; but why Ezekiel argues, at length, that one is not punished for the sins of their father. The righteous are rewards, and the wicked are punished. In turn, the books of Job and Ecclesiastes challenge this view also. If this is true, they ask, why do the righteous sometimes suffer, and the unjust go unpunished? Jesus's message can be seen as a response to this question.
The Bible is a dialogue, and as a result it challenges us to engage with the scripture, to look deeper into its meaning instead of shallowly accepting its statements at face-value. This perspective, I think, enriches the text, and as such the text can be enjoyed by anyone no matter their beliefs.
I think that is one plausible answer to your question.