Noah and the Ark

[Esther]

Originally Posted by pelathais

Upon what basis do you believe it?

Failing to answer that would result in your abandonment of all evangelism. What basis would we offer to others to believe "our Book" over the many other books that have made similar claims of divine inspiration?

Then what was the motivation behind the original miracle? Surely there were people in that day who wanted to "dissect and discredit" everything God was doing. That was the primary impetus behind Elijah's display at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18) during the same period of time.

And yet, despite the sneering skeptics, Elijah kept right on doing miracles. Why should our skeptics of today have such might as to over power the miracles that God would otherwise want to do? Has God become weakened in the intervening years?

I'm afraid that if the Bible were nothing but a story book full of such silly tales as that I wouldn't believe any of it.

I believe the Bible for what it does say and the message it actually imparts; not whatever silly notions "some preacher" wants to attach to it.

And you either accept it on its own terms or you make up stuff like "if Jonah had swallowed the whale..."

I'm afraid that from this testimony so far, that I probably can safely say that I have more confidence the Bible as God's inspired word than you or that "some preacher."

Sorry, not to boast, but if you can't accept the Bible for what it says and accept the real world within which we live then I have to question the measure of faith on display. To accept this approach to Bible apologetics I have to accept the idea that "Jonah might have swallowed the whale" if that helped to move the story line along?

This sounds more like something the desperate prophets of Baal might have been saying about their "books" just before they gave up and started to cut themselves.

I don't mean to be harsh Esther, especially not to you. But the "just believe the Bible no matter what" line of thinking is the kind of stuff that got the "Died While Fasting" thread started and contributes to the people who let their own children die when a simple shot of insulin would have saved their lives.

I know you'd never be so callous about innocent human life. I'm just trying to suggest that there's probably a lot of good exegesis, hermeneutics and plain old common sense within you that you haven't even begun to tap yet.

Pel YOU might be able to question things in the Bible yet still believe it, but how many are questioning and can't find the answers they think they want and say it is not true, since it doesn't prove out according to their way of thinking?

I find it hard to believe you think you believe the bible more than I do when I am not the one questioning it. I don't see the need to question it. I believe it as written.

I would not want to be the stumbling block to cause someone to doubt the Word and therefore doubt God and become lost.

I think many of you are being deceived and "think" you are being dilengent in proving God's Word. I don't see where it needs proving. It has always been proven out.

As to the Reed Sea iinstead of the Red Sea is nonsense IMO. In fact, I heard Bro. Treece say he read where someone found the wheels from the chariots in the Red Sea, proving Moses crossed the Red Sea. That would dispell any Reed Sea, which I have never heard of.

What would be the miracle in crossing a marsh land?

You need to be very careful you and others don't become deceived in trying to prove the Bible to be what it says.

I still say you either believe the Word of God or you don't. Believing it does not cause people to fast until they die. Some people do ignorant things and blame God all the time. That doesn't mean there is something wrong with the Bible nor God.

Again, I caution all of you to be careful in trying to "prove" the Bible to suit your own understandings.