Does God have a favorite sports team? That’s what John Walters asks in his article “Does God care who wins the Super Bowl?” He asks:
After all, who knows what He cares about? Who knows if He is even a He or a She or a Who Am? Or if He even is.
Who knows?
Does God care that Kurt Warner, the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, is more likely to be spotted carrying his bible than his playbook? Does God care that Ben Roethlisberger, Warner’s counterpart in Super Bowl XLIII this Sunday, used to adorn his armbands with the letters “PFJ”, an acronym for “Playing For Jesus” (The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback stopped only after the NFL fined him for violating its uniform policy)?
Does God care?
Can a being that probably doesn’t exist, yet is believed in, care about people throwing a ball back and forth?
Hmm. Tricky.
I’d have to go with “no.”
Surely the real question is do I care who wins the Super Bowl or come to that even know who was in it before I read this post?
:-)
I’m going with the big N O because when they play football, they are wasting precious worship of as-understandably so called probably fictional character time :).
… and another thought — what happened to all that it’s a sin to work on Sunday stuff?
Their god should already know the outcome anyway… How much fun is that?
If an omnipotent God exists, there can be no truly contingent events. Thus, God is by definition required to care who wins, since He has pre-ordained its outcome.
On a less flippant level, it is possible that if there were a God, He would care who won the Super Bowl for reasons that are not related to the Super Bowl as such. The world contains several systems sufficiently sensitive to initial conditions that their outcomes and behaviors may be effected by minute events in the past. So, it is possible that who wins the Super Bowl could affect who gets into a car accident tomorrow, where a hurricane strikes ten years from now, or the genetic makeup of a future human being of importance, or the evolution and propagation of a critical meme.
If there is a God, and He is omniscient, then it is possible that He has a subtle enough grasp on the minutiae necessary to predict the behavior of such chaotic systems, and manipulate them through subtle changes, like favoring the occurrence of seemingly unrelated prior events.
Jabster
You beat me to it.
Nice analysis LMNOP! But for my part I say, not even a little. I don’t care either. IMHO, football is a pointless waste of time. But so is Legend of Zelda, and I love it. To each their own I guess.
Heh, I like the way you think, Daniel :))) Really like it ;)
If He does care, then He cares about as much as he cares about animal slaughter houses, deforestation, murder, rape, marriage, divorce, and everything else in this world.
Which is to say, not enough to effect the outcome one way or the other. Prayer wont do anything about it. If it did, then shouldn’t football teams be recruiting from Nuns and Priests? Or village shamans. Then again, it’s not like Prayer does anything beyond a placebo effect anyways.
Well, most people think he cares BEFORE the game. But AFTER the game only the winners keep holding that opinion.
Football, charity, skydiving, rape… A religious person expects that somehow, god is supposed to automatically give a crap about everything s/he does. How can these people not see how absurd, how contradictory, how outright pompous that is??
Does God care as you might care or as he, God, cares?
@Alex
So please tell us how god cares … nope you’re just going to say that we can’t understand how god cares i.e. we don’t even know if god cares at all — which to be honest seems to be the most likely.
@ Alex Guggenheim
We don’t really know anything about “god” do we?
If your god can be known, please give us some qualities and characteristics. If your god cannot be known, then why are you telling us about it?
Jabster
@Alex
So please tell us how god cares … nope you’re just going to say that we can’t understand how god cares i.e. we don’t even know if god cares at all
______________________________________
Do you always ask questions that you believe you already know the answer to? Maybe this is part of the formula that goes into one becoming an atheist. It certainly isn’t part of the formula for discovery.
Then teach us how God cares about football, Alex, and tell us how you have this connection to him so that you know and all the other people who also claim to know but disagree with you are wrong.
Weren’t you the one who was claiming that we can’t know how, or why, or whether God does anything, because that would be putting limits on omnipotence, which we (as limited, finite beings) are unqualified to do?
So, do you feel qualified to say that God does care about the Superbowl?
Of course he cares! Ask any one of those Olympic athletes who, upon winning their event grab their neck chains and kiss their crosses or fall to their knees in praise of allah and then blather on about god to sports reporters. They all know that the creator of the entire universe chose THEM to win.
wintermute
Does God care as you might care or as he, God, cares?
Weren’t you the one who was claiming that we can’t know how, or why, or whether God does anything, because that would be putting limits on omnipotence, which we (as limited, finite beings) are unqualified to do?
____________________
Show me again where I made this EXACT statement or its equivalent or is it another hysterical overreaction to something a Christian said? I don’t recall ever implying or stating emphatically we “can’t know how, or why, or whether God does anything”.
But of course I never said that, you just made that part up but that really doesn’t matter, eh?
@Alex
“Does God care as you might care or as he, God, cares?”
“Do you always ask questions that you believe you already know the answer to?”
Don’t you just hate it when your words are turned back on you?
Daniel Florien
Then teach us how God cares about football, Alex, and tell us how you have this connection to him so that you know and all the other people who also claim to know but disagree with you are wrong.
_____________________________________
Our Lord taught:
Luke 7
6Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
While you may not be satisfied with the way in which God cares, however the point of the lesson is that all matters have relevance to God.
Jabster
@Alex
“Does God care as you might care or as he, God, cares?”
“Do you always ask questions that you believe you already know the answer to?”
Don’t you just hate it when your words are turned back on you?
______________________________________
Where is it I claimed to know the answer as you did earlier? Ah yes, another swing and a miss.
I wrote in my blog about this same thing a couple days ago. Why would god care? If he has nothing better to do than rig a sporting event, that is really sad. God has no problem with children starving throughout the world, but needs to make sure the most openly christian team wins the Super Bowl. Give me a break.
If the Cardinals win today, I can only imagine the increased number of players pointing to the sky after touchdowns. My question is why the players get paid the big money if god is in control? NFL teams should give their salaries to local churches.
Hrm, let’s see if we can refresh your memory:
– Alex Guggenheim, 22nd Jan, 2009
–ibid
–Ibid
If I had the time and the inclination, I could find fifty examples of you telling people that they’re not qualified to decide what God can or cannot do in that one thread alone. Do you really not remember that? Have you recently suffered a nasty blow to the head causing a limited amnesia?
You claimed I said about our understanding of God that we“can’t know how, or why, or whether God does anything”.
Then you quote me saying, “Now as to the comprehension of omniscience, we have some capacity”
Case closed. I clearly said we have some capacity for understanding and you asserted I said we had none.
@Alex
Deary me — case closed indeed. Just how’s it coming along wiht the blind faith/deluded bit?
god does not care about football, he is not American, he is brazilian, so he loves soccer!!!!
Alex: I’m sure you remember the context for these quotes. In each case someone had said that “God, being omniscient, must know X”, or “God, being omnipotent, must be able to do X”, and in each case you would complain that, not being God ourselves, we could not possibly say what God could or could not do or know; that any such claim was putting arbitrary limits on God.
If you meant anything other than that it’s impossible for humans to know anything about God, you utterly failed to communicate your intent. Please try again, and feel free to limit yourself to words you know the meaning of.
wintermute
Alex: I’m sure you remember the context for these quotes. In each case someone had said that “God, being omniscient, must know X”, or “God, being omnipotent, must be able to do X”, and in each case you would complain that, not being God ourselves, we could not possibly say what God could or could not do or know; that any such claim was putting arbitrary limits on God.
If you meant anything other than that it’s impossible for humans to know anything about God, you utterly failed to communicate your intent. Please try again, and feel free to limit yourself to words you know the meaning of.
____________________________________________
Apparently you utterly failed to read where I wrote about our ability to understand God:
“Now as to the comprehension of omniscience, we have some capacity”
I can’t cure you of your inability to distinguish between my statement, that we have “some capacity” to understand God and your belief that “some capacity” to understand God means, “it’s impossible for humans to know anything about God” but let’s hope at some point such an epiphany comes your way.
Alex, you say that the Bible says that God cares for football like God cares for sparrows (at least that’s what you appear to be saying). But how does God care for sparrows? Kids shoot them with BBs. They get eaten by eagles. Plagues hit them and they die. They freeze to death. They drown in backyard pools and rivers. They starve to death.
What does that have to do with football?
Unless you mean that God isn’t involved at all, which then I’d agree with you.
Two weeks ago, you were claiming that any attempt to understand how god acted, or what he was capable of was utterly beyond finite, limited humans. If your position has now changed from that, it would be appropriate to admit that and (if we’re really lucky) explain why you’ve changed your opinion. A less honest option would be to pretend you never claimed that we could not understand god.
Or, when you say “some capacity” do you mean “a tiny amount which is practically indistinguishable from zero”? That would mean that both your positions could have been accurately described without any inconsistency, but in that case, why are you arguing the point?
As I say, if you didn’t actually mean what everyone involved in the conversation thought you meant, you have to at least consider the possibility that the fault is with your ability to explain yourself, and not with the ability of everyone else in the whole world to understand you.
Feel free to clarify what you originally meant, rather than simply claiming that we’re wilfully misunderstanding you. I would appreciate having a more accurate understanding of your position, as it’s very frustrating to have a discussion with someone who appears to contradict themselves every other sentence. If you are actually capable of expressing your beliefs in a coherent manner then please do so.
Daniel Florien
Alex, you say that the Bible says that God cares for football like God cares for sparrows
______________________________
That is NOT what I said. I said to you:
“Our Lord taught:
Luke 7
6Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
While you may not be satisfied with the way in which God cares, however the point of the lesson is that all matters have relevance to God.”
In no place did I directly or indirectly state God cared for football like he cares for sparrows. What I did say is that “all matters have relevance to God”.
As for kids shooting sparrows that would be KIDS not caring, not God.
Let us all pray for a thunderstorm or tornado so all those evil people will learn to fear god’s wrath.
And as for the drowning, freezing and starving that Daniel also mentioned and you forgot to address? Whose lack of care is that?
wintermute
Two weeks ago, you were claiming that any attempt to understand how god acted, or what he was capable of was utterly beyond finite, limited humans.
______________________________
Obviously your inability to make distinctions continues. I never said “ANY ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND GOD….was utterly beyond finite, limited humans”.
In fact, and for the third time, I said:
“Now as to the comprehension of omniscience, we have some capacity”
Hint hint….secret clue….”some capacity”.
That is quote from the two weeks ago discussion. When you develop a frame of reference that will allow you to make the distinction between “some capacity” which means ability to some degree, and your belief it means”any attempt to understand God…was utterly beyond finite, limited humans” we might have grounds for further consideration.
But as it stands at this point you still believe that “some capacity” to understand God which is what I state humans have, albeit finite or limited, means “utterly beyond finite, limited humans” or no ability. The two are not synonymous and again let’s hope your epiphany comes soon.
Alex: So, when someone makes a comment about what God is or is not capable of, or what God does or doesn’t want, they can have a basis for that opinion, and you wouldn’t be capable of saying that they can’t understand God?
Is that about right?
@Alex:
Okay, well then what was the point of the sparrows verse? So God cares about football, but not like he does about sparrows (however that might be, because it doesn’t appear he cares about them, either). But he does care about football in some way that you can’t explain because he cares about everything, which somehow you know in spite of how things look.
And we’re just supposed to take your word on that, I guess?
I think I understand Alex’s point, which is more along the lines that we can’t know how God “cares”, because every little aspect of the world is under his control, and it’s all for some “greater plan”. Basically, a butterfly effect except that God is making the butterfly flap it’s wings. The immediate effect is, to our view, left to chance. But if the Superbowl is a butterfly, then the effect of who wins will have an effect on someone, and that was God’s decision.
Am I right?
However, this then begs the question. Does -prayer- do anything at all? When it comes to football games, it seems dreadfully random. They’ve all been praying for decades, and it doesn’t seem to matter who prays the most or the hardest. So, in that light, it’s more in that God doesn’t care about what we want.
But! What we want isn’t necessarily what’s best for us, right? And God, being good and loving, wants to do what’s best for us.
So, prayer serves no purpose. God doesn’t respond, as has been shown time and time again. In that sense, the problem with football games and prayers has more to do with the reporting on it. The observance on major news networks. In the end, it doesn’t do a damn thing where God’s concerned, but it makes churches grow big rubbery ones to get that free marketing.
Really, though. If I was right about Alex’s point, it’s a cop out and not something that can ever be disproved. Even if we record all of history and refer to it constantly from here on out (to make up for our comparatively short lifetimes), we still wont be able to see the patterns because we wont be able to see what could have been, or what was prevented by some team winning the Superbowl.
Oh, and further. The point still stands. God doesn’t care anymore about football than he does swallows. He cares about both, but as butterfly effects.
Same thing can be said about nuns getting raped, or priests getting murdered. He doesn’t care. If he did, then being able to know anything and everything that ever could be or will be, then he could butterfly effect everything from start to finish to protect those who’re most loyal and faithful. But, you know, he doesn’t.
Which also, then, means that free will is an illusion. But that’s a topic for another day.
The sparrows thing is a cop-out, more or less.
So “god” lets sparrows freeze to death? No, he doesn’t, that’s just nature, will probably be Alex’s response.
Then aren’t you agreeing with us that natural explanations are inherently better than supernatural ones?
Either the sparrows freezing to death are a part of his plan, or nature is just working itself out without divine interference. Which is it?
Now, if it is his plan to just let nature take care of itself, then haven’t you moved to a deist god? What exactly is your position?
(Matthew 6:26) “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”
I think the point of the whole God will take care of you like he does the sparrows teaching is to make you realize that sparrows, really all birds, work hard for their food EVER DAY. No, they don’t store up food in barns, but that’s because they’re always hopping around the grass pecking at bugs with their beaks–all day long, every day. So Jesus point is actually that God isn’t going to magically feed you anymore than he does the sparrows, so get to work you lazy bum. I could be wrong though. It is generally taken the opposite way…but only by people who have never actually observed the birds in the wild, I suppose.
“Which also, then, means that free will is an illusion. But that’s a topic for another day.”
You’re an idiot, Sock. If God doesn’t care about anything, as you claim, then free will would have to be real because he must care so little that he wouldn’t care to pre-script the world. In fact, even if he does care, free will must still be real, because the whole notion of a pre-scripted universe is just moronic. No God would create such a thing. Its just stupid and boring. Why would God want to bore himself? That’s moronic.
“Now, if it is his plan to just let nature take care of itself, then haven’t you moved to a deist god? What exactly is your position?”
I believe in a deistic God who will burn everyone in hell in proportion to their sins then they will cease to exist. So, salvation only consists of minimizing your sins so they you minimize your stay in hell. Its impossible to avoid it altogether, unless you’re still born.
WTF? Ano is a moron. That completely made no sense. Not even a little intellectual discussion in there. Just the same ol’ burn-in-hell crap that isn’t remotely provable. Also, Ano clearly has no understanding of what a deistic (read:rational) god is. Further, to imply in any way that ANY child (of course other than still born) would burn in hell is complete idiocy.
Ano, are you a troll? Suspicious.
By deistic I mean more or less doesn’t interfere in the world till its over. And as to provability, I don’t care about that. The concept is based on the human hope and rationale that all evil will eventually be punished (not on any scriptures or book). As to children burning in hell, you will note that I said everyone will burn in hell in proportion to their sins then cease to exist. So, a kid who steals a candy bar from the store will get at least a millisecond in hell. Its all proportional. This is just a just religion made up by me. No proof. I don’t care to prove it, nor can I. It needs no proof. You’ll find out its true when you get there.
My made up religion is that Ano is a complete moron. I feel no need to prove it, nor can I. It needs no proof. You find out by reading any of his posts.
And Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, has there ever been a bigger mass of epic logic fails than any random Alex G post?
Seriously, Alex, just stop.
“I believe in a deistic God who will burn everyone in hell in proportion to their sins then they will cease to exist. So, salvation only consists of minimizing your sins so they you minimize your stay in hell. Its impossible to avoid it altogether, unless you’re still born.”
How disgusting.
If everyone ceases to exist whats the point in torturing them?
“No proof. I don’t care to prove it, nor can I. It needs no proof. You’ll find out its true when you get there.”
Must be some of that Divine Relivation crap that Kemp was talking about in another thread.
“If everyone ceases to exist whats the point in torturing them?”
Justice.
“Must be some of that Divine Relivation crap that Kemp was talking about in another thread.”
Nope. Not revelation.
Does God care about football? Depends on whether we’re talking about the evil god or the good God. Which are we talking about?
Ano, again I assert… YOU ARE A MORON and probably a troll. Do you really think some kid stealing a 5 cent candy warrants any time in a place of torture? Seriously? That’s not justice, it’s perverse.
So what is your sentence going to look like? I vote for at least a day in hell for being a troll.
You clearly fail to understand the point I was making.
By being omnipotent, by definition everything he does is already “pre-scripted” as you said. It’s a difficult concept, I know, to understand your own beliefs as per the Bible. Especially where omnipotence is concerned, because it’s not something that we have anything to compare it to. It’s a concept that can only be explained as the knowing of EVERYTHING, in the strictest and most literal sense of the word.
Having this knowledge, coupled with God being infallible is a grand concept. So, God makes no mistakes. As an example, the change he goes through from OT to NT is part of his plan, that we needed a wrathful God in the OT to make us into the people we are today, and it couldn’t have happened any other way. Alright, I’ll give you guys that. A reaction to an event was needed, and God made it so.
My point is that God “planned this” (in the sense that anyone can “plan” something when they already know every possible outcome AS WELL AS what actually WILL happen) from the moment he set us up to take the fall with the forbidden fruit. We had no choice in the matter because God knew that we were going to disobey him. He knew, before he made us, that you would come here and call me an idiot. He already knows what your response to this is going to be. He even knows if you’re going to read this or not. He already knows everything you’re going to do, and my response to it.
You have no choice in matters where God is concerned, because he already knows what you’re going to do, and the effect it’s going to have, and where everyone is going to end up. Your prayers, your worship, your everything has already been laid out by God as a possibility, and beyond the possibility to the actuality. If God actually wanted your faith, then it is well within his ability to influence your life to make you believe.
I honestly feel that if God existed, within the realm of infallible omnipotence that he is portrayed as having in the Bible, then you CANNOT believe in Free Will. They are at odds.
I’d rather be good for goodness’ sake.
If I’m wrong, then do correct me. I’m not confident that I am correct–I am new to this field of debate, and still putting together my arguments.
If only Jesus would stop saying the exact opposite of what he actually meant, people would probably misinterpret him less often…
@Ira364
“Do you really think some kid stealing a 5 cent candy warrants any time in a place of torture? Seriously? That’s not justice, it’s perverse.”
Well I suppose that sort of depends on where you start from. Ano’s version of the afterlife doesn’t sound any crazier than most mainstream religion’s mumbo-jumbo. Still think he’s probably a troll though.
Jabster-
I agree with you. No room for hell in my beliefs.
@ Jabster
Well I suppose that sort of depends on where you start from. Ano’s version of the afterlife doesn’t sound any crazier than most mainstream religion’s mumbo-jumbo.
Ditto.
I’d say this. You have a conscience.
Co meaning with and science meaning knowledge. Whenever you do something wrong, you do it with the knowledge that it is wrong. You can’t control what your conscience says, so why does it only speak on issues of morality? Perhaps because a God who cares more about morality than football placed it in there. Think about it – you don’t control what it says, yet it doesn’t speak on issues of sports or comment on the weather. The truth is that God has written His law on our hearts so the atheists and everyone else will not be able to say “I never read the Bible.” Only one belief system accurately deals with the sin issue – Christianity.
Justin,
“The truth is that God has written His law on our hearts so the atheists and everyone else will not be able to say “I never read the Bible.” Only one belief system accurately deals with the sin issue – Christianity.”
“God” has written law on our hearts? Then why do have so many conflicting and confusing versions of Christianity and wildly varying Biblical interpretations?
Please explain how that divergence is possible is “god” has “written law on our hearts”.
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Teleprompter, there is one Christianity and there is one truth. Differing versions are when man strays from that – and that includes anytime I may say something contrary to truth.
@Justin
But this is what it always comes down to when someone ask a difficult question … oh we can’t understand what god really wants but it’s our fault and not his. Well I suppose a few things spring to mind with the type of defence — why is that a god that is claimed to be so powerful is so consistently bad at communicating and are honestly claiming that it’s fair that you are to judged for an eternity when god can’t even make the rules clear; if it is so easy to make a mistake how do you knew that you’ve made the correct interpretation and how do you knew that god doesn’t actually want you to be a lot more OT and the NT wasn’t just a mistake?
Justin,
You state clearly that there is “one Christianity and one truth”.
However, I find Christianity to be in general, poorly defined. Roman Catholicism vs. Orthodox vs. Protestantism, for example. Arminianism vs. Calvinism, for example. Hell as eternal torture vs. annihilationism, for example. Literal interpretations of the Bible vs. partially metaphorical interpretations, for example. Preterism vs. futurism, for example. Transubstantion vs. non-transubstantiation, for example.
And the list goes on and on and on and on….
Would you like me to continue, or have I made my point?
How can you say that there is “one Christianity” when it is obvious that Christians have yet to decide on a uniform application of many of the religion’s core tenets.
Even Christians don’t know exactly what Christianity is.
There is a line:
Does “god” specifically reveal his nature to us, so that we can know specific characteristics and qualities, so that we can know direct things about him? [Option A]
OR
Is “god” essentially unknowable? [Option B]
Justin, which approach do you believe is more accurate?
However, keep in mind that there are fatal flaws for Christianity with either option:
If you choose Option A, please explain why there are so many different versions and interpretations of Christianity, and why your “god” did such a poor job of revelation and explanation. Doesn’t this circumstance render Christian teaching unreliable and indefensible?
If you choose Option B, please explain why “god” would allow himself to be revealed in the Bible, if his nature is essentially unknowable. Doesn’t Option B invalidate evangelism? Doesn’t it also exonerate us from all responsibility for acting according to a divine will, if such will is unknowable, thus invalidating much of Christian doctrine?
It’s simple. The Bible means what it means. It doesn’t matter if I or someone else gets it wrong – it still means what it means.
Justin,
Just because you think it is self-evident what the Bible means, does not make it so.
I have shown you many, many examples of how the Bible’s meaning is anything but clear. I have shown you how its meaning is ambiguous, confusing, and contradictory.
Yet you’ve stuck to the position of “it means what it means” when it is extremely clear that you have no basis for this belief, given the examples which I have shown you.
Even Christians don’t really know what the Bible means, so how can you say that “it means what it means” when no one has any idea what it means in the first place?
On the essentials, every Christian agrees – otherwise, they would be by definition nonChristian. In some areas they are not as clear. Christians have unity in the essentials and liberty in the nonessentials.
@Justin: Christians disagree about the virgin birth. Is that essential? Christians disagree about the resurrection (see Marcus Borg, for instance). Is that essential? Christians disagree about salvation (faith vs works). Is that essential? Christians disagree about the end times. Is that essential? I could go on.
Do you still hold to that “on essentials, every Christian agrees”? What essentials are there that ALL Christians agree on? There are so many sects of Christianity (and have been through the centuries) that I find that incredibly hard to believe.
@ Justin:
Here’s one Christian from this blog who disagrees with you:
http://unreasonablefaith.com/2009/02/05/god-loves-you-and-wants-to-rip-you-open/#comment-13974
Philip:
“this also brings up your view of what hell is. There are hundreds of different views when it comes to hell. there are those that think much like you would that when you die you just cease to exist and that is hell due to you know being with God. There are others that would think that hell is literally a burning lake of fire. My point is that you’ve zeroed in on one interpretation of hell (probably due to it being the most prevalent or loudest promoted)”
“Hundreds of different views” on something so essential as our eternal destiny.
Do we need to elaborate any further?
Daniel and Teleprompter: Here is my answer. GotQestions answers it how I would so I hope this helps clarify what I mean.
From GotQuestions.org:
Scripture says there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5). This passage emphasizes the unity that should exist in the Body of Christ as we are indwelt by “one Spirit” (verse 4). In verse 3, Paul makes an appeal to humility, meekness, patience, and love—all of which are necessary to preserve unity. According to 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God (verse 11), which He reveals (verse 10) and teaches (verse 13) to those whom He indwells. This activity of the Holy Spirit is called illumination.
In a perfect world, every believer would dutifully study the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) in prayerful dependence upon the Holy Spirit’s illumination. Alas, this is not a perfect world. Not everyone who possesses the Holy Spirit actually listens to the Holy Spirit. There are Christians who grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). Ask any educator—even the best classroom teacher has his share of wayward students who seem to resist learning, no matter what the teacher does. So, one reason different people have different interpretations of the Bible is simply that some do not listen to the Teacher. Here are some other reasons for the wide divergence of beliefs among those who teach the Bible:
1. Unbelief. The fact is that many who claim to be Christians have never been born again. They wear the label of “Christian,” but there has been no true change of heart. Many presume to teach the Bible who do not even believe the Bible to be true. They claim to speak for God yet live in a state of unbelief. Most false interpretations of Scripture come from such sources.
It is impossible for an unbeliever to correctly interpret scripture. “The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit . . . neither can he know them” (1 Corinthians 2:14). An unsaved man (someone who does not have the Holy Spirit) cannot understand the truth of the Bible. He has no illumination. Further, even being a pastor or theologian does not guarantee one’s salvation.
An example of the chaos created by unbelief is found in John 12:28-29. Jesus prays to the Father, saying, “Father, glorify Your name.” The Father responds with an audible voice from heaven, which everyone nearby hears. Notice, however, the difference in interpretation: “The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, ‘An angel spoke to Him.’” Everyone heard the same thing—an intelligible statement from heaven—yet everyone heard what he wanted to hear.
2. Lack of training. The Apostle Peter warns against those who “wrest [misinterpret]” the scriptures. He attributes their spurious teachings, in part, to the fact that they are “unlearned” (2 Peter 3:16). Timothy is told to “study to show yourself approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15). There is no shortcut to proper biblical interpretation; we are constrained to study.
3. Poor hermeneutics. Much error has been promulgated because of a simple failure to apply good hermeneutics (the science of interpreting scripture). Taking a verse out of its immediate context can do great damage to the intent of the verse. Ignoring the wider context of the chapter and book, or failing to understand the historical/cultural context will also lead to problems.
4. Ignorance of the whole Word of God. Apollos was a powerful and eloquent preacher, but he only knew of the baptism of John. He was ignorant of Jesus and His provision of salvation, so his message was incomplete. Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:24-28). After that, Apollos preached Jesus Christ. Some groups and individuals today have an incomplete message because they concentrate on certain passages to the exclusion of others. They fail to compare scripture with scripture.
5. Selfishness and pride. Sad to say, many interpretations of the Bible are based on an individual’s own personal biases and pet doctrines. Some people see an opportunity for personal advancement by promoting a “new perspective” on Scripture. See the description of false teachers in Jude’s epistle.
6. Failure to mature. When Christians are not maturing as they should, their handling of the Word of God is affected. “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat . . . for you are yet carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:2-3). An immature Christian is not ready for the “meat” of God’s Word. Note that the proof of the Corinthians’ carnality is a division in their church (verse 4).
7. Undue emphasis on tradition. Some churches claim to believe the Bible, but their interpretation is always filtered through the established tradition of their church. Where tradition and the teaching of the Bible are in conflict, tradition is given precedence. This effectively negates the authority of the Word and grants the church leadership supremacy.
On the essentials, the Bible is abundantly clear. There is nothing ambiguous about the deity of Christ, the reality of heaven and hell, and salvation by grace through faith. On some issues of less import, however, the teaching of Scripture is less clear, and this naturally leads to different interpretations. For example, we have no direct biblical command governing the frequency of communion or the structure of church government or the style of music to use. Honest, sincere Christians can have differing interpretations of the passages concerning these peripheral issues.
The important thing is to be dogmatic where Scripture is and to avoid being dogmatic where Scripture is not. Churches should strive to follow the model left us by the early church in Jerusalem: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). There was unity in the early church because they were steadfast in the apostles’ doctrine. There will be unity in the church again when we get back to the apostles’ doctrine and forego the other doctrines, fads, and gimmicks that have crept in.