Essay on The Word of God

Introduction to the Hebrew Bible has provided me with a critical analysis of the Hebrew Bible and introduced a wide variety of interpretive strategies, including African American, anthropological, feminist, historical-critical, Jewish, and literary perspectives. These approaches were presented by our author’s, L. Juliana M. Claassens, Peter Enns, Walter Brueggemann, and John L. Collins. Each author provides a unique interpretation to help us comprehend how the text is an expression of one’s interpretive understanding. Having said that, the biggest influence has been how I will seek to present Old Testament scriptures more effectively while remembering the context and the audience in which I am presenting. For example, I believe the greatest lessons that I have been reminded of are, the Old Testaments Scriptures from my childhood, which have become a big part of my relationship with God and are based on a childlike faith, which must now grow in the richness of the different interpretations, it is this message that I can apply to life.

Because of aspects like how someone was raised and what type of culture they lived in, individuals interpret the Bible differently. This means that even if an individual believes the Bible is the inherent word of God, they may not have the same beliefs as someone who declares the same claim.

Throughout time biblical scriptures have been interpreted differently by different religions, scholar’s, and languages. Many theologians have provided different interpretations based off their mentors and time they lived. Using works from the Sacra Pagina Series, Norton Bible scriptures, and excerpts from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and teaching of John Calvin this essay will show the vast differences of interpretations in just one biblical scripture let alone throughout the entire bible and its many interpretations.

explaining the relation of Acts 2 to 1 Corn. 12-14. In one instance the tongues were foreign languages and in the other they were heavenly languages, but it was still the same basic phenomenon of Spirit inspired speech. 6 These interpreters have trouble understanding the foreign languages at Pentecost as a miracle, so they suggest that Luke may have added the foreign language motif in order to make the phenomenon more intelligible and rational or in order to emphasize the theological theme that the gospel would be preached to all nations. 7

The bible is an old book written a long time ago for an ancient audience. God is the divine author of the bible and he intended for us to be able to read and understand it, even in these current times. However, those ancient years in the time of the roman empire was were Christianity, as we know it, began its first steps. For this to happen, the authors who were inspired, had to make sure that their audience could understand and relate with their words. While we have learned to translate the language of the bible over the years the words and meanings are still the same. Which is why it is important to understand the context in which the Bible was written.

The unique experience of the Jerusalem church at Pentecost in Acts 2 occurred in similarly public and significant ways for

Prophetic utterances started in Port Glasgow, Scotland. In 1830 speaking in unknown tongues started with a female. When tongues came forth in the middle of a message, she was taken to a small room where she finished delivering the message in tongues. After that happened, the gift of speaking in tongues frequently was displayed in public. People started going to the church to witness this phenomena. Irving authored articles in Fraser’s Magazine stating that the messages were orderly and interpreted. They were delivered in a high key with an eloquence that resembled a noble chant rather than oratorical speaking. He believed they had the sound of the old cathedral chants similar to those practiced in the past at St. Ambrose, a Catholic Church. All who witnessed the experience noted that it was stirred up and delivered by a supernatural

The final commission of the Lord includes a reminder of His authority and His continuing presence with those who would spread His message. God can and does use the “foolishness of preaching” to accomplish His purposes. The theological realities which saw the first-century church stress the preaching/teaching of the Word have not changed. God still reveals Himself and His will for people through verbal propositions. God’s Spirit still empowers the authentic spokesman

Bible as the Inspired Word of God The Bible is the work of various authors, who lived in different continents and wrote in different eras. Furthermore, much of the text does not claim to have been 'dictated' by God and is not always God speaking to people. In parts it consists of people speaking to God, as in the Psalms, and people speaking to people, as in the New Testament letters written by Paul. In light of this, some maintain that it is not possible to treat the Bible as a book of divine oracles, delivered once by God and recorded by its authors through divine inspiration, since biblical authors were products of their time and subsequently their understanding of divine truth was culturally

To interpret the Bible, it is not about simply reading like it is just another book; it takes some common knowledge of the Bible to completely understand. A reader is also an interpreter. A reader can easily read into particular words, phrases, and different scriptures. This is called eisegesis. Eisegesis according to http://www.dictionary.com/browse/eisegesis is “an interpretation, especially of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter 's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text.” In this chapter it is also stated that the scripture of the Bible is given in human words throughout history.

The church of today needs to make sure that it’s speaking the language of the New Testament. Now, I’m not stating that every member of the church should speak Greek to whatever environment you may be in, but rather to proclaim the gospel with the understanding of the message in the original language. In our world today, we have a clash of two languages; one being the secular and the other being the Biblical. In our preaching, we feel we should succumb to modern language and in the end we fail because we have made the language and its message ‘modern’. The Christian preacher and teacher stand in the middle of the clash. Resolving the clash of the languages is the whole art of preaching and teaching the Word of God.

On the other hand, most, modern readers of the Bible think that they are not reading the exact words of Jesus and some prophets from OT because none of them spoke or wrote in English and other languages,

The challenge of distance of both time and geographical location is a major issue when one is interpreting the Bible. The larger of these two is time. The Bible was written centuries ago when everything was different; even the land and cities looked different when compared to modern day. It is impossible to travel back in time and see what is depicted in the Bible or to talked to the author to clarify confusion about particular texts. Research from Archaeological digs and manuscripts will provide a glimpse into the world of the Bible that seems to be lost, but it will still only be a glimpse

Our divinities either need a course in exposition and writing or they never intended to offer us a clear text in the first place. In God's name, why not? For Heaven's sake, didn't they realize what confusion would result from their laxity? Wasn't it Nietzsche who remarked: Isn't it strange that, when God decided to turn author, he should have learned to speak Greek? We have the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which explains how we came to have so many obscure and divergent languages. But surely the heavenly U.N. Security Council could have elected to authorize, and to allow us to speak, only one language, putting all the rest of our vague tongues to shame.

A question that has perplexed humans through the ages is if we have the ability to reach God. The witness of Scripture and leading theologians attest that individuals have a limited knowledge of God through general revelation in the natural world. General revelation can provide valid knowledge that there is a God, which aids in the acceptance of special revelation.