Bible discoveries
TODO: organize this garden into broad categories (bible-meta, imago dei, God, etc.) In hopes that themes will emerge and understanding deepen, here is all the content from discoveries I’ve made in the Bible.
Idol creation and worship was forbidden because we’re God’s icons.
catholic devotion to the blessed virgin has this reality in mind when it elevates Mary’s godliness.
Biblical sacrifice isn’t only about cost
A better definition of biblical sacrifice is so helpful when thinking about the relationship between the Old Testament sacrifices and references to sacrifice in the New Testament.
The Bible is a composition of real kinds of literature as they are found elsewhere
The Bible is not at odds with macro-evolution
Caveat: this is a work-in-progress, and my thoughts on this topic change regularly. I have found this exploration has led to new insights like genetic repair in the new creation
The Sabbath is a delight
This comes both from the Bible and from personal experience. It’s a constant iteration to keep the Sabbath well so, stealing the word “remix” from Isabella Burton, I’ve got a keep the sabbath remix.
Is the marriage covenant like God’s, reaching to many generations?
Less of a discovery and more of an open question, is it true that the marriage covenant extends many generations?
Tithes should go first to the Levite
Most money goes to fund other things than the people who serve in what we’d call “fulltime ministry.” This might be a mistake since the tithe goes to the levites
It may be worth exploring Paul’s collection for the Jerusalem saints. If my understanding of priesthood is correct, the New Testament standard returns us to the “kingdom of priests” that the LORD describes to Moses, the image of God realized. Among other things, it would mean that every believer qualifies as a Levite, which would further generalize tithes from their current model, a kind of church-building-replaces-temple situation, to a shared pool for everyone. Hmmm, isn’t that what Acts 2 describes?
There are numerous views on the Bible and its composition
Who knew there were so many, but the way you view the Bible has a dramatic affect on what you expect from it. See ways to define the bible
All biblical roles and gifts are expressions of the Imago Dei
Jesus fulfills the Imago Dei in surprising ways
Jesus' Word Brings Life
Research in John 5
In the story where jesus heals a crippled man near the sheep gate, Jesus uses His relationship with the Father as the basis for numerous arguments.
- Jesus performs miracles because the Father loves him and shows him what he’s doing (implied, that the Father performs miracles with/through Jesus)
- The Father leaves all judgment to Jesus because the Father wants him to receive equal honor.
- The crippled man was healed because the Father has given Jesus life in himself in the same way that the Father has life in himself.
Jesus sees a crippled man. He takes note that this man has been waiting many years for healing (implication: his faith has grown very weak from deferred hope). He decides to offer life to the crippled man, the same life that the Father has made to dwell in himself. The Father alone supplies life, but he grants Jesus the full rights to decide so that Jesus will receive equal honor when the crippled man is made well. The Father’s mission and Jesus' are the same, so Jesus can say that the Father shows him this work to do and at the same time Jesus decides to do it.