Chapter 1: The Bible and Development of Christianity
The Bible as the Word of God
Many Christians believe that the Holy Scriptures, or the Bible, are the inspired Word of God in written form. The Scriptures can be viewed as divine communication or self-disclosure to humanity. They identify God as the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and are an invitation to a relationship with this transcendent Being. They include information unattainable through science or reason, addressing life’s ultimate questions, such as the purpose of life and the hereafter.
However, the Bible is not literally the Word of God – its contents weren’t just dictated by God for individuals to write down word for word. Nevertheless, the book expresses, sometimes in metaphor or in the words of human instruments reflecting their culture and personality, God’s past, present and future actions.
God-given inspiration is affirmed in the pages of the Bible itself. Phrases such as “the word of the Lord came to me” appear numerous times and indicate that some of the Old Testament writers knew that they were commissioned by God to write what they did. New Testament writers affirmed the inspiration of the Old Testament writings – the only Scriptures they had – referring to them as the words of God pertaining to historical and prehistoric realities (for example, 1 Kings 12:22; Jer. 18:5(1); Hebr. 11:7(2)).
Jesus too affirmed the divine inspiration and authority of the Old Testament. Calling the Scriptures the “word that comes from the mouth of God”, he quoted various passages to refer to himself and to predict his death, burial, and resurrection. He also spoke about significant events and persons mentioned in the Old Testament as past realities. After his resurrection, Jesus used Scriptures to show his disillusioned disciples that he was indeed the prophesied Messiah (for example, Matt. 4:4; Luke 17:26-27; 24:13-27(3)).
Because of the limitations of language and the incompatibility between language as a human phenomenon and God as Divine Spirit, some have suggested exploring the term “Word of God” as also metaphorical. This allows many concepts to have both a literal and metaphorical meaning, and to be interpreted at several levels. It makes room for imagination to search for depths of meaning beyond the literal. As a result, it enables a range of interpretations and insights, which are also influenced by the understanding, experiences, and prejudices that readers bring to their Bible reading and study. The Holy Bible, like other spiritual writings, remains a living word for people around the world – a treasure chest with endless possibilities of new discoveries.
How the Bible Came to Us
The Bible, while undoubtedly inspired, is also a very human document. It was written over a period spanning fifteen hundred years by people from different walks of life, different time periods, different locations, and in three different languages. It has since been translated into hundreds of modern languages. The writers wrote in their own style, influenced by their background, education, culture, and political situation of the time. Using a range of literary genres, they compiled legal precepts and histories; recorded their joys, sorrows, frustrations, and praises addressed to God; recounted stories; wrote epic poetry; and verbalized dramatic symbolic dreams and visions. New Testament writers interpreted the Old Testament in light of the life of Jesus and their own experiences. A large part of this re-interpretation of the scriptures included confirming Jesus’ messiahship and making sense out of his unexpected and shocking death. In trying to do this, texts were sometimes seen as messianic though in reality they may have applied only to the time in which they were written.
Furthermore, the Bible is the product of a complex process of document selection, copying, editing, compilation, and translation – all human activities subject to error. Those who allegedly reproduced the originals (now no longer in existence) added and took away ideas according to their own understanding and motives. As a result, false teachings have been interpolated. There are also intertwining strands of teachings from various sources, and even contradictions. Because of these factors and the complexity of the canonization process, the Bible is a set of writings with great diversity and not always true to the inspired teachings that Jesus brought from the Father.
It is a well-documented fact that the New Testament wasn’t finalized until the 4th century – a full 300 years after Jesus’ death. At that time the church was recognized as the official religion and came under the control of the Roman Emperor Constantine with the pope and a hierarchy of clergy under him. Because of different strands of Christian beliefs existing side by side – by that time, Christianity was not just a unified set of beliefs – several church councils were called by the emperor to establish orthodox beliefs for the purpose of enforcing unity. More often than not, doctrines were decided following long debates spanning decades or longer. There was never just one opinion on such matters as the nature of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit. However, the idea that most of the attending clergy agreed with became the official orthodox doctrine sanctioned by the emperor. At the same time, other ideas (equally or more valid) were branded as heresies. As time went on, the popes and cardinals of the state-controlled Roman church also introduced non-biblical, even pagan, ideas, such as the Trinity, celibacy for the clergy, purgatory, indulgences (payment for supposedly shortening time in the purgatory), and others.
Despite these limitations, the Bible is still a book that has inspired millions, pointed them to their Creator, and set them on the way to salvation. Without the guidance and inspiration of the Spirit of God within the vast and varied range of human endeavours, such result would be highly unlikely to be achieved by humans alone. The inspiration of the Holy Scriptures is further attested to by the fulfilment of prophecies; the confirmation by history, archaeology, and science; and above all, the changed lives of individuals. Through the message of the Bible, people from all levels of society have been led from darkness to light, received new life, and become transformed.
Further Development of Christianity
Beside the church in Rome under the jurisdiction of Emperor Constantine and his successors, a differing strand of Christianity existed in the East (Turkey, Syria and spreading as far as China at one time). These Christians felt that they had retained the original teachings of Jesus and his disciples and called themselves Orthodox. Besides these, numerous other groups, often persecuted by the official church and forced to flee to deserts and mountains, gathered for group worship with their own understanding.
As Christianity spread to various parts of the world, it changed the prevailing culture, but also adapted itself to it – sometimes absorbing untruths and elements of paganism. In the 16th century, a few courageous men, aware of the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, stood up and demanded reform. The best-known are Martin Luther in Germany, Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and John (Jean) Calvin, originally from France, who fled to Switzerland from Catholic persecution. But, while they agreed that the Catholic Church needed change, they significantly differed on what the reformed church should look like.
With time, a sizable Protestant movement developed as a result of the reformation attempt. However, with the Scriptures having become available to the lay people, whereas before only the clergy dictated approved dogma, interpretations multiplied. Groups continued to split and there are now thousands of different denominations and sects – each believing they have the truth and that they interpret the Bible correctly.
The Ultimate Revelation
The ultimate divine revelation was in the coming to earth of Jesus Christ who brought the message of God’s Divine Love as the way to salvation, the Kingdom of God, and at-onement with the Father. In teaching this vital truth, he also exemplified It by his life (for example, John 17:21-26(4)). This is the crux of this book and one of the threads clearly running through the Bible. It will be explored in subsequent chapters.
Contrary to common beliefs, traditional Christianity as taught by most mainstream churches is, in many aspects, not what was taught by Jesus and the early disciples. Careful study of the Bible will show that several strands of beliefs are intertwining in its pages – some reflecting early teachings of Jesus’ disciples, an alternative form of Christianity, and others added subsequently.
For example, while the Bible asserts in many places that Jesus’ blood washes away sins, satisfies the demands of an “angry God”, and redeems humanity from eternal suffering, even this was not in the original teachings and writings of those whose names are on the books. Having come from Jewish backgrounds, the disciples would have found the idea of even symbolically drinking blood and eating flesh of their saviour utterly abhorrent based on their Old Testament upbringing, which forbade any consumption of blood (Lev. 17:12-14). An alternative to this teaching is presented as we proceed.
This book strives to uphold the Bible wherever possible, but also draws on less known subsequent revelation from beyond received about a century ago and interpreted by some as Jesus’ Second Coming. It has been published under the titles of True Gospel Revealed Anew by Jesus, Volumes 1-4, originally published by the Foundation Church of New Birth, and Angelic Revelations of Divine Truth, published by the Foundation Church of Divine Truth (see References).
Individual Responsibility
Ultimately, no reasoning or argument can prove the authority, inspiration, and trustworthiness of the Bible or any other writings, or even the existence of a Creator God. Eventually, each person must test for themselves whether the claims of any spiritual writings are true and relevant in today’s world, and whether there is a God who answers prayers and helps us in our time of need. These are all matters of faith based on personal experience.
Those who desire to learn about God and to have Him change their life can ask Him to do so. The evidence strongly suggests that earnest petition will be supernaturally and encouragingly answered.
As far as the almost overwhelming choice, and even confusion, among Christian groups, I have come to believe that no church is ideal or perfect (being made of humans, it cannot be). By the same token, no church will teach exactly what each individual believes. Therefore every person needs to find a group where they feel comfortable worshipping and fellowshipping with others of like mind, bearing in mind the above-mentioned limitations.
One key Protestant doctrine in contrast to the Catholic belief is that salvation needs to be worked out by each individual – it is not in the power of the church (Phil. 2:12-15(5)). Each person is responsible for their own relationship with God and their own salvation. With that in mind, let’s explore with open hearts and minds both the traditional teachings and the alternative ideas that this book proposes. Based on our personal understanding and faith, let us all walk with God to the best of our ability, live by the Golden Rule and Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he has loved his disciples, read widely, and hold on what sounds true to us – what speaks to our heart and develops our soul in God’s Love.