If you believe all of the Bible to be Gods word you would proudly quote all of it not just parts of the New Testament you like while ignoring awful parts of the Old testament such as Hosea 13: 16 " Samaria must be punished for rebelling against me, Her people will die in war, babies will be clashed to the ground, and pregnant women will be ripped open "|||I don't cherry pick, but I do read the Bible in context.
The quote you gave is God's judgement upon sinful people.
If you read the whole chapter you'd see God's Mercy mentioned:
14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?
It appears to me like you are looking for the sour grapes in the Bible instead of ignoring the cherries and reading it all.|||1) Christians why do you cherry pick parts of the Bible you like to justify being a Christian?
(Sigh) It is almost always the case that people who ask this question have not actually read the Bible. It is always the case that people who ask this question have not read the Bible *carefully*. In fact, Christians believe the entire Bible but realize that not all parts of the Bible are relevant to living a Christian life - as the Bible itself clearly teaches!
2) If you believe all of the Bible to be Gods word you would proudly quote all of it not just parts of the New Testament you like while ignoring awful parts of the Old testament
a) Ridiculous statement. Why would I proudly quote all of it? Are you going to sit still and listen while I do so?
b) I (and many other Christians) do not ignore any part of the Bible, including the parts that are - from our modern perspective - "awful". The verse you quote is actually not nearly the most horrible; it merely prophesies a horrible event that did, eventually, occur. History is full of horrible events, and the Bible is not remiss about reporting many of them.
- Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/|||I have to confess I prefer cherries to sour grapes, so I go for anything in Gods Word that applies to today's society and my personal walk and encouragement.Yes there are some tough things in the new Testament too but then life just isn't a bowl of cherries and we have to face all the muck slingers and nay sayers that it throws at us.
I admire soldiers that fight to preserve freedom of thought and conscience and that may involve those that destroy others being destroyed by their own folly and hate.
God bless everything you do today.|||I opened this Q to see what christians would say and guess what? I was right, they're deflecting again.
Most of the bible is unread and unreadable. A lot of it is really violent ,and incoherent. The last thing they want is an honest discussion about theology that most people do not want to read over and over again.
I would have more respect for them if they actually defended the quote rather than bash you.
But even they don't believe it.|||Before I say anything, let it be know that as a Christian, I do believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God.
Now, I must agree with you. Christians, myself included, do pick and choose from the Bible what verses on which to focus. Why do we do this? First, because we can not be impartial. No human being has the capability of being perfectly impartial, Christians included. Second, because our tradition, denomination, culture, and a host of other factors influence us to be drawn to specific passages more than others. For example, many Protestants (myself included for a long time) are put off by the passage in James 2:17 that describes "faith without works is dead." This is because of a long Protestant Tradition that emphasizes the importance of works being insufficient to provide salvation. Thus, the passage is brushed away because the human interpretation of it is flawed and misunderstood. This is my interpretation as to why Christians "cherry-pick" from the Bible. Simply put, we're human.
Please, do not hold us at fault for this. As humans, we are all do this. We regularly ignore ideas, simply because we do not like them. As I believe to be apparent within my argument, the issue is not the Bible, nor Christians, it is the subjectivity of human existence. This subjectivity is especially an issue in our culture today, because we are still caught up in eighteenth century rationalism that teaches us that we can know things absolutely. Sadly, we can not know things absolutely, which leaves us to experience our existence as subjective individuals.|||I will quote it all, but it must be quoted in context, not taken out. The scripture you mentioned in Hosea 13:16 was what was going to happen to Samaria, and God was revealing it through His prophet to Israel. Notice it didn't say God was going to do this, but the enemies of Israel. Under the OT, this was the price for idolatry and rebellion, and Samaria was full of idol worship. Romans 10:8-10 is how anyone can be born again.|||Why do YOU pick and choose which laws to adhere to?
It is a normal human weakness, but in the end, every Christian knows they will be judged by the whole law, or by God's grace.
As for Samaria, those things did happen to her. And, those that did such things were even more severely punished for doing them! You might have noticed that God wiped the purpetrators all out.
There are no more Assyrians, nor Babylonians as a nation or people.|||Shane Prem, wait just a minute. The New Testament is the Christian book. The Old Testament is of the Jews but we use it for its richness of wisdom and knowledge, its revealing of God as he deals with a stubborn people. The social laws given to Israel are not ours, but the moral laws of the Ten Commandment are useful for civilization regardless of being a Christian or a Pagan. However, in all fairness to the Jews, the Old Testament social laws have been altered by the now inclusion of the Gentiles to God's salvation. Jesus proved that following the old laws were impossible for man so that his coming as sent from God to be the perfect sacrifice to atone for sin was possible only because Jesus was the perfect lamb, the perfect sacrifice,. We Christians use this knowledge of the old way of God and his chosen people to understand more fully this new contract Jesus brought into being.
I do not know where the "@ No Chance Without Jesus" reference came from but the statement is still true--salvation or atonement for sin or the reconciliation with God is only possible with acceptance of Jesus as Savior.|||No cherry picking here. I read, study and try to show others the whole Bible because Christianity is based on the whole of God's inspired word. The Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God made tremendous use of the Old Testament Scriptures which were what he read in the Synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus gave us a fuller understanding of his Father's word as well as fulfilling the Scriptures himself.
Jesus said if they had known the words of Moses and the prophets they would have known him.|||lol. i think it is hilarious that is the only passage you yourself can 'cherry pick' in order to put us to shame and to slander the Lord, God. just because truth is spoken by God does not mean He is the one to carry it out. He is talking about two nations and their dealings. but back to your question, we can't win with you people... we cite one passage and you say we're cherry picking, we cite many passages and you automatically ignore it. idiot.|||I believe the Bible. Jesus is the apex of the Bible, the fulfilled prophecy of the old Testament. In His words he reduced Moses' 643 rules for Orthodoxy to two: Love G-d with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself. Peace!|||God judges sin. He'll allow other nations to rise up and come against a nation steeped in sin.
Remember this physical realm that we now abide in is only temporary. God is building a more lasting kingdom that is not of this world.|||I don't ignore the "awful" parts. I just understand them for what they actually are instead of thinking that they are something to make God or the Bible evil.|||Why do you cherry-pick scripture?
God judging a people does not automatically become a moral for humanity - derp derp.|||If you had read the bible...instead of visiting some cut and paste atheist resource site....
You would know how silly this question sounds
Smarmy silliness 1
Understanding 0|||The Jewish religion for salvation came to an end when Jesus died on the cross. We are all now under the Christian dispensation.|||It's been years since I had any opportunity to pick at a cherry...|||All the bible is inspired, and God knows better than you what He did and why He did it.|||i am already a Christian....we are not jewish. Jesus fulfilled the law. Legalism is gone now.|||GOD SHOULDA NEVER CREATED THIS WORLD IN THE FIRST PLACE..END OF DEBATE... THE WHOLE THINGS RIDICULOUS....|||I am giving you an outline on what the Bible is about. If you really want to study it, you will see that you are cherry picking. Please note that the books from Exodus to Esther are about the history of the nation of Israel. these were rules, laws and the history of the Israelites, not us today.
The Book of Hosea can be divided into two parts: (1) Hosea 1:1-3:5 is a description of an adulterous wife and a faithful husband, symbolic of the unfaithfulness of Israel to God through idolatry, and (2) Hosea 4:1-14:9 contains the condemnation of Israel, especially Samaria, for the worship of idols and her eventual restoration.
The Bible is God's written Word to us.
It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“Above all you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21. (New International Version)
Breakdown of the Bible
36 human authors inspired entirely by God over 1600 years.
66 separate books
39 Old Testament
Genesis- The creation of the world, sin, flood and birth of Israel
Exodus to Esther- History of the nation of Israel
Job to Proverbs- the books of poetry and wisdom
Isaiah to Malachi- Prophecy or foretelling of the future events to come.
27 New Testament
Matthew to John - Four Gospels representing the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ now with all authority in Heaven and earth.
Acts- Birth of the Church (The Bride of Christ)
Romans to Jude - Letters to the Churches
Revelations - The ultimate future plans for: The Church, Heaven, Hell, a New Heaven and a New Earth.
Here are some Bible Study Resources for anything you may want to look up:
http://www.Biblegateway.com
http://www.Ntgateway.com
http://www.Bible.org
http://www.bible-history.com
http://www.answersingenesis.org/
Now, please go and study some more correctly instead of what other Atheists who do not understand the bible tell you. God Bless.|||The Old Testament is about the need for obedience to God, or face God's wrath. We can avoid the wrath of God by knowing Jesus Christ, God's Son, as our Lord and Savior and living God's ways. God is a god of justice and a god of love, and we need to be His love to avoid the justice.
This is the traditional Christian message and prayer -- most important in life, get some prayers and get God in your life. Knowing God can transform your life. When you know God, then pray about your life, God can help you live a better life. As God is love, life is primarily about love and relationships in order to have a rich and full life. Also, you need to know God's Son, Jesus Christ, in your life as your Lord and Savior as Jesus died on the cross as payment for our sins. Having Him with you will give you God's blessing and forgiveness, as you live God's way. We need to know and follow God in this life so we can go to heaven after we die, and so we can get God's help now. Not following God leads to hell, eternal suffering. Instead, there is an important prayer to pray to become a born again Christian. This prayer should be said with faith in God and a sincere heart:
"Dear God, I know that I am a sinful person and I don't want to be like this anymore. I know that Jesus Christ died on the cross as payment for our sins, and I want to accept Jesus Christ into my life as my Lord and Savior so I can receive God's forgiveness, guidance, and go to heaven someday. Thank you, dear God, for your mercy and guidance; in Jesus' name. Amen."
This prayer can take you to a new place in your relationship with God and transform your life. After saying this prayer, you should check out a Christian church like Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran. The church can get you baptized and prayed for, and you can pray for yourself daily. Also, get into their Bible study group so you can learn more about God, Jesus, and God's will for your life. The Bible is God's instruction book about how to live a God-honoring life so you can go to heaven after you die. Ways to stay connected to God's path include loving God and Jesus Christ, obeying God's ways, daily Bible reading, daily prayer for yourself and others, getting to church or getting a church person to get out and visit you, group prayer, fasting with prayer for a higher level of prayer, getting with other Christians and doing a Bible study, singing hymns to God, taking communion with the church, helping and loving others, expressing your gratitude to God for His help in your life by telling others of your progress and helping them draw closer to God too. God guide your life.|||It's going to be extremely difficult for you to ever come to a knowledge of the truth if your motives are not pure. If there is a God and He really did create all that you see in creation do you really think a God of this magnitude and wisdom will fall victim so easily to the whims and fancies of the very things He created. It's like my 6 year old walking into the living room while I'm watching television and telling me, "look here pops....you're going to get up off of that couch and cook me a steak dinner or I'm not only going to renounce my belief that you're my father....I'm also going to get your shotgun out of the closet and blow your head off."
So now what do you think I will say or do to this little 6 year old boy that my wife and I birthed? Shall I cave in to his wisdom?
How, however, would I react to my 6 year old if he came to me and said, "Daddy, I'm really hungry and haven't had any dinner....would you please give me something to eat?"
Shall I say to the one that I love so dearly.....fend for yourself? Certainly I will not. I will feed my little boy that I love so dearly.
And your God shall feed you as well my friend...if you approach him properly because He has declared it and He does not lie.
Yes, you are approaching THE HOLY GOD who created the heavens and the earth. He deserves your respect and honor....not your accusations. He poured out His love for you in His only begotten Son Jesus the Christ. So He has already proven His love for you but what have you done to prove your love for Him? What have you done to show gratitude for the gifts and the wonderful things that He allows you to have. The very breath in your being is owed to Him and yet you rail against him on an internet website? Far be it!
The answers to your questions shall come from above for they are SPIRITUALLY discerned. The answers to your questions will come from love.....not hate.
The answers to your questions are within the very text that you quoted if you look deeply enough into them with a sincere heart. Yes, the answer is right there in the text that you quoted and if you love Him with all your heart He will give you spiritual eyes to see it and spiritual ears to hear it.
Blessings to you on your journey.....to come to know the truth.|||You asked about this verse earlier. I explained to you then that it was a prophecy of violence to come at the hands of men, not God. The Israelites were given a warning by Hosea that they needed to turn back to God. Since they'd left him and his protection, they were in danger. Hosea warned them of this fact.
You can't legitimately characterize this as a threat from God and have anyone except the Biblically illiterate buy it.
I asked before about your translation, too, and didn't get a response. No other translation I checked uses the term "must be punished" (I checked the six most common translations) and so I'm suspect of the version of scripture you use, as well. You not only have to cut this text out of its original context, you also have to carefully choose (or fabricate) a translation to make the charge you wish to make.
Christians aren't hiding from the verse. (Neither are Jews, and it's a Jewish scripture.) Sadly, you're hiding from the legitimate explanations of why the verse exists.
It is also abundantly clear -- despite your claims to the contrary -- that you are not studying this text on your own. If you were, you'd understand the context of the verse. Either you don't, and that indicates you're not reading the relevant text, or you're deliberately excising this one verse and forcing it to stand on its own, and you're dishonest.
So you show yourself to either be ignorant or malicious. Which is it?|||But also:
Kill people who work on the Sabbath.
Kill people who commit adultery - and Jesus said that people who get a divorce and remarry are adulterers (Mark 10:11-12)
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