FAILURES OF SCHOLARS IN UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE/Jesus and Politics

– Many Christians and non-believers have this same question: Why Christianity has only one Bible but many denominations? One of the reasons for this division is the way Christians understanding the Bible.

– The best way to study and understand the Bible is: Have a strong faith in God and in His Word (no less than 100%), have basic knowledge of the Bible, praying to the Holy Spirit for guidance, and use the whole Bible to understand any subject, both big and small.

– We will write about strong faith (100%) in another post, but in this one we will only focus on the subject of using the whole Bible to understand God’s Word for mankind.

– The division in Christianity has happened because those are called biblical scholars have not used the whole Bible to understand and to present biblical subjects in the right way to Christians. Moreover, when their seminary students became ministers, they lead their churches astray from the correct path that God intended for His children. To illustrate this point, we will consider what Professor Marcus J. Borg wrote in his article about Jesus and Politics. You can read the article here and come back to this page later.

– Before we go into the details of mistakes that Borg wrote in his article, we like to sum up the reasons that lead to those mistakes first then when you read our post further, you will understand all the points we state here.

– The first reason that made Borg wrote wrongfully about the center of Jesus’ story is the lacking of studying the whole Bible carefully. He only used some verses to come up with the idea. And secondly, in his article, he had showed to readers that he did not have much faith in Jesus and in the Bible. That small faith has made many, including him, are wrong on many biblical subjects.

– To begin, we should remember that the whole Bible was inspired by God and because of that, whenever we study it to understand a subject, we must use the whole book, not just a few verses. That’s the reason we stated above that we must have a strong faith (100%) in God and in His Word to understand it wholly.

2TIMOTHY 3: 16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Because we have only one Bible to understand God and His plan for mankind, so Satan has used all his tricks to deceive Christians into not believing the Bible wholly and from there leading them into different paths as we can see today.

And because we don’t have anything else to understand God, so we must believe it with a strong faith, that God has used His power to keep the Bible as correct as it must be. We must pay attention to the main theme that goes through the book, from Genesis to Revelation. The translations can be different, and they do, but the main theme is still the same for thousands of years. That’s what we want to emphasize here. If you cannot believe God has that kind of power, there is no point to become Christian. Let think about it for a minute: If human publishers can be able to keep their books free of mistakes, why God could not? Now you already know how Satan’s tricks work on Christian’s faith.

Professor Borg started his article with this phrase ‘Politics are at the center of the story of Jesus’ when he quoted Mark 1: 14-15. But they are just two verses in one book. He forgot what Jesus had said why He came into the world:

MATTHEW 5: 17 – Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

MATTHEW 9: 13 – But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

So, in both verses Jesus said that He came to the Earth to fulfill the law that lead to the salvation for mankind, not because He came for a political reason.

We should remember that after Adam and Eve committed the first sin of not obeying God, they were cast out of the Eden and God had made clothes for them from animal skins to cover their naked bodies. They lost God’s glory that covered them like angels when they ate the forbidden fruit.

GENESIS 3: 21 – Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

GENESIS 3: 6-7 – And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Animal skins is the symbol of sacrifice that satisfies the Lord to forgive sinners and makes them being sinless in His eyes. The Israelites were ordered to practice that law until the Messiah comes. And Jesus came to the Earth to be the Lamb that was sacrificed for the sins of the whole world. John the Baptist had recognized Him right away when he met Him:

JOHN 1: 29 – The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Jesus also proclaimed the reason that made Him came into this world:

JOHN 3: 14-15 – And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

In His words and John the Baptist’s words, it’s clear that Jesus came into this world for the salvation of mankind, not for any political reason.

Jesus’ ministry on Earth as a Lamb sacrificed for mankind’ sins was mentioned again by Paul:

GALATIANS 3: 27 – For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (like animal skins put on Adam and Eve).

To make certain that we all understand that Jesus’ ministry was not for politic, we should remember His words when He said that He came into the world to do God’s will:

JOHN 6: 38 – For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.

And the will of God to save all mankind from sins had been stated clearly in Paul’s letter to Timothy:

1TIMOTHY 2: 4 – For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

That was the center of Jesus’ ministry and because of that He left the people who wanted to make Him a king:

JOHN 6: 15 – When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

(will be continued)