Projectile Vomiting Scripture on Gen Z

Practical Spirituality series

The doctrine of salvation chases many away. The idea of Hell for everyone not a Christian seems grossly unfair, not a reflection of a caring God, and not worthy of God. Many instinctively reject this teaching. So why do Christians insist on this idea and make it a trap for any who get close? Let’s try to come to a full understanding.

Clobber verses

Many people have excellent memories. A famous comedian (I can’t remember his name) knew at least a thousand jokes and all it took was a word to bring one to mind. American televangelist Jack Van Impe reportedly memorized the entire Bible. I suppose he could recall passages at will from a single word.

I’ve known Christians who, with a little nudge, could recall a Bible verse and throw it at some unsuspecting victim. And if countered, he could projectile vomit verses. Having a lot of knowledge doesn’t make you intelligent or wise. Encyclopedias and the Internet hold tremendous knowledge, but that doesn’t make them wise.

The exclusivism often taught by Christians is one of the major hangups Gen. Z and others have, and throwing Bible verses at them makes you seem to have unjust views that are unacceptable. Who is in, who is out, who is going to Heaven or Hell? They can’t stand injustice.

Out of context

Jesus said many things that are taken out of context or difficult to understand without additional context:

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” – John 14: 6*

“Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. [or within you]”” Luke 17: 21-22

“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’” – John 3:5

What was Jesus talking about? Did he mean he was the door to Heaven? Was Jesus talking about virtual reality? Was he talking about baptism and the coming of the Spirit? Let’s explore these in context.

Does memorization and quotation mean that people understand the Bible? Or does it mean that people can take any verse out of context to support their point of view? Knowledge is not wisdom. In 50 years of in-depth Bible study, the one thing I know is that the more I know the more I know I don’t know. Our pastor seems to remind of this me every Sunday. Argh!

Context is essential

Knowing the context of Bible verses is essential. For example, we have to know whether Jesus was speaking universally to all people or specifically to Jews about their religion. We have to understand the Apostle Paul in his entirety because he coined words that had no historical context. Paul rarely spoke broadly about subjects, so left us with narrow views.

By putting Paul’s letters together, we get the full scope of the subject, sometimes bit by bit and sometimes a full explanation. You can’t just grab a verse and think you know the entire subject.

This is the difference between an expository study of the Bible and a topical study. An expository study considers one verse. A topical study covers the topic throughout the entire Bible. A contextual study considers the meaning presented by the entire Bible. We shouldn’t do expository or cite specific verses until we’ve done contextual and topical.

Citing specific verses reminds me of the story of The Blind Men and the Elephant. One felt his tale and thought the elephant was like a rope. Another felt his leg and thought the elephant was like a tree. One felt his trunk and thought the elephant was like a snake. Another felt his tusk and thought the elephant was like a spear. It’s the same for looking at individual Bible verses, we get hung, bitten, or speared by looking at only one.

Other important contexts are consistency with the overall message, which goes to message integrity. Another is multiple verses and people saying the same or similar things so we can get a better idea of meaning.

We have to consider the meaning of the words and expressions used relative to that era. Surrounding verses also establish context. Who Jesus was talking to and was he making universal statements or were they specific to a certain group–most were specific to Jews. Behaviors and related statements also are part of context.

Context of literary devices

Literary devices are a type of context. People in the past played with words, including in recent history. We no longer do much of this. We have television, radio, the Internet, movies, and many other things to take up our time so we don’t have to amuse ourselves with literary devices like rhymes, oxymorons, metaphors, and incongruities.

Example of playing with words in a song from 1943:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.

A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?

Decrypted: Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid will eat ivy too, wouldn’t you.

By Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston. Copyrighted by Miller Music Corporation in New York.

Often we don’t even recognize literary devices that would have stuck out like a red tomato in a green cabbage patch for ancient people. I had to put red and green in the sentence because many today don’t recognize common garden plants, or realize a tomato plant grows much higher than cabbage plants.

The ancients had a lot of time to play with words. They used many literary devices that we don’t even think of today. For example, they might say “in the spirit [of someone]” such as in the spirit of the prophet Elijah. Jesus used metaphors a lot.

Literary devices noted for their use in the Bible include chiasm, acrostic, alliteration, allusion, anthropomorphism, apostrophe, assonance, chiasmus, hyperbole, idiom, imagery, merism, metaphor, metonymy, paradox, parallelism, personification, simile, symbolism, synecdoche, type, and wordplay. (Reference Carm.org.) These confound literal interpretations of the Bible.

An example of a passage in the Bible that uses literary devices is John 14: 4-7. In this passage Jesus told his apostles that he was leaving them (to be crucified), and said to them, “And you know the way where I am going.””. “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through [di] Me [emon]. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.””

The context of this passage is “the way” to go where Jesus is going. The Greek word “di” literally means double or twice. But it also poetically means “dia,” which means “through” as in causal, agent, means, manner, instrument, and way, such as a messenger. The word di often precedes other words in conjunction with them: di emon.

I don’t translate. I leave that to people who spend their entire lives studying ancient language. I look at context and meaning. Was Jesus saying this as a metaphor, metonymy, imagery, an idiom, hyperbole, or allusion? Allusion is not illusion, but means alluding to something, that is an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text. He likely was using an allusion or metaphor, but I won’t assert any of these literary devices but look at context.

Most interpreters agree that di in this case means through, which metaphorically means the device through which people follow to eternal life. Did Jesus mean his person, as many assert? Or did he mean what he represents? In this verse he spoke of representing God. He had shown them the way.

For context, Jesus was talking about the way to where he was going, and about knowing God. Jesus said in conclusion, if you had known me, you would have known the father [God]. He goes on to say in this chapter that he is in the father and the father is in him.

Jesus was talking about more than his person as the way to heaven. He was talking about “the way.” Jesus is the metaphor for the way. He represents the way. In other passages he talks more about what the way means. You can’t just say Jesus we used your name and did some good things and get into the Kingdom of God. That isn’t following the way, as explained below. You have to look at more than one verse for context.

How do we use the word through? Does “go through that door,” mean the door has agency to get you what you want? Does walk through that forest mean the forest has agency to get you what you want? Does “go through hell” mean it’s anything more than a learning experience? Does “go through divorce” mean it’s anything but a learning experience?

Jesus talked about “the Way.” He is the Way–he represents it.

What does the oldest apostle, John, tell us about salvation?

The book of John was written at the latest date of any of the four gospels and it isn’t like the other three that show common heritage reflecting the sayings of Jesus. It has completely original authorship and was likely written by a scribe and reflected John’s traditions more than others.

Polycarp is about as close as we can get to a continuous lineage to Jesus. He was a student of the Apostle John and later became a bishop. He said that John brought together other apostles to write down what they remembered of Jesus.

John spoke about the universality of Jesus in John 1:9-13:

“There was the true Light … He came to His own [Jews], and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

We can equate “children of God” with the kingdom of God.

“Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” – John 3:5-6

This verse says that our natural mind is not a godly mind, even if we know the law. We’re subject to lust, jealousy, hate, and other human foibles. We have to be born of the spirit. This means a cleansing of our sins through forgiveness and following in the spirit. It’s not likely to refer to baptism (10 key verses on salvation), although some interpret it that way. Baptism is a symbol of following Jesus and forgiveness (cleansing with water) of sins–it’s a symbol as opposed to actual rebirth and commitment in the spirit in this verse.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” – John 3:16–18

Jesus, during his ministry, condemned not a single person. He asked how the leaders could escape being condemned for their actions. His mission was about bringing people into the kingdom of God. He sent his apostles with the same mission to both Jews and non-Jews, and the entire world.

Both Apostles Paul and John make these statements about being condemned. By this they mean that people are subject to judgment which will weigh their morally right behavior against their wrong behavior. Followers of Jesus receive forgiveness and are therefore not subject to judgment.

Adding to this, Paul said in Romans 2: 5-6 about judgment, “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

Judgment can mean multiple things at once, not just a final judgment. For instance, God allows people to reap the consequences of their behavior as a judgment. Rotten behavior can cause pain, suffering, and even death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.

The Apostle Paul said about people who do terrible things in 1 Corinthians 5:5, “I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” By this he meant he would cease ministering to him and let him go his own way because he was too far gone and resistant. The pain of his experience might kill him but would bring him to turn away from his horrible behavior.

Similarly, Jesus said metaphorically in Matthew 5:5 of extreme behavior, “If your right hand makes you stumble [do wrong], cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.” No one should actually do this, but it emphasizes the importance of stopping doing wrong.

The Apostle Paul summed this up nicely in his letter to Titus, in Titus 2:11–14.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Paul helps us understand that salvation is available to all people. We are redeemed, meaning delivered from wrongful deeds that drag us down, to live sensibly and without doing wrong, and zealous to do good deeds. The easiest path to redemption is through the Way presented to us by Jesus.

Others follow the Way without knowing Jesus. The spirit is within them and they follow the spirit. The Apostle Paul wrangled this in Romans 2:14: “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves …”

Regarding the law being written on everyone’s heart, and the spirit being poured on all flesh, see Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10, 2 Corinthians 3:1-6, and Romans 2:14.

The spirit put the law in all of our hearts. These are the Ten Commandments, or Noahide Laws that are universal (not the Jewish Law). This is a teaching but the apostles didn’t emphasize this because they emphasized following Christ and love to those they met.

The Apostle Peter spoke to people’s acceptance by God in Acts 10:34-35: ““I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” Peter referred to this message not being just to Jews but to everyone. He continues, talking about their mission to preaching “peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all).” People may be acceptable to God because they are on the right path, but knowing Jesus is even better because it brings forgiveness and the Kingdom of God.

Titus 3:5: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit …”

Forgiveness of others

Our forgiveness has one condition. That is, that we don’t judge others. We can’t possibly see in their minds why they do things.

In Jesus’ words, in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses [a false step or sin] as we forgive those who trespass against us.” How much should we do this? Jesus said 77 times in Matthew 18:21-35. In other words, it should become a habit that lasts indefinitely. For those who abuse this, in the same passage Jesus turned the abuser over to jailers to be punished. We’re not doormats for others, but show them the same grace that God shows us.

Context of behavior on judgment

To understand what all of the words mean, we have to look at Jesus’ behavior. Behavior tells us much more.

1. He didn’t come to condemn anyone.
2. He accepted everyone where they were and told some of them to sin no more.
3. He told us not to judge others. We aren’t God.
4. He told us to forgive others.
5. He said that God doesn’t want anyone to be condemned and that even though some aren’t deserving, with God all things are possible.
6. Jesus was amazed at a Roman Centurian’s faith. He said that many from everywhere would sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Matthew 8:5–13,  Luke 7:1–10, John 4:46–54.
7. Jesus told the thief on the cross next to him, who recognized his own faults, that he would be with him in Paradise.
8. Jesus admired the faith of a Canaanite woman. Matthew 15: 28.
9. Some Greeks came to see Jesus. This marked the transition from his ministry to the Jews to the non-Jews. John 12:20-26.

Conclusion

Judaism had no official belief in an afterlife. No Heaven (Paradise) or Hell. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. To the Jews, following God’s ways was enough of a reward, but some thought it might have some other material benefits.

In the era of Jesus, the concept of an afterlife and the potential destination of Hades for all deceased individuals gained significant popularity. Hades was supposedly split into regular people and those who had committed horrendous crimes. This was a Greek and Roman idea. For 300 years the Jews had endured a Greek and Roman influence.

These ideas likely seeped in through other cultures, especially Greek, Roman, and Iranian. Jesus addressed these and introduced them to the Kingdom of God, which is a spiritual kingdom that is here now and forever, and helped them understand the afterlife.

After his crucifixion, Jesus broke down the barrier between Hades and Paradise and freed most of them. This is perhaps a metaphor. Paradise is the Garden of Eden to Jews. He said in John 12:31 that the ruler of this world (meaning Satan) would be cast out. Jesus had triumphed over the evil in this world and through that was bringing forgiveness and goodwill.

The idea of salvation in the Bible is complicated by Jesus primarily addressing the Jews, and secondarily non-Jews, about becoming Christian, so those who won’t hear the message are not a major consideration. We hear little about them, just hints here and there. This makes salvation challenging to comprehend completely. God doesn’t want anyone to “perish.”

The teachings of Jesus and the apostles show that there might be four classifications of people.

1. Christians who go into the spiritual Kingdom immediately on deciding to follow Jesus, and are forgiven. This is a journey. We will all make mistakes and are forgiven when we ask and when we make things right with those we wrong. Our forgiveness depends on our not judging others, but on forgiving them. The grace of God who is very tolerant of us gives our forgiveness.
2. People who have the basic law of the Ten Commandments or Noahide Law in our hearts (everyone) and follow the way of God. They are part of the spiritual kingdom.
3. People who don’t follow the law in their hearts. They may do some beneficial things and some that are harmful. They will be judged by their deeds. In this world their deeds may lead to suffering and even death.
4. People who ignore the law in their hearts and do whatever they want regardless of who it hurts. They are given time to come to their senses, or their deeds may bring them suffering, death, and a lack of forgiveness, which is death with a painful conscience. Romans 2: 5-6
5. We have to keep in mind that with God, all things are possible.

Salvation is a beginning. It brings you into the Kingdom of God and an abundant life in which you have improved relations with others. It’s peace, goodwill, love, charity, kindness. It’s freedom from the effects of harmful behavior. It’s understanding what is meaningful and purposeful for you within the will of God.

Probability Space

What probability spaces can we open in our minds to focus on how to be a light to show the love of God to others? Can we stop spouting religious talking points and be accepting of others? Can we listen to others’ needs and find ways to help? Can we make worship more meaningful? Is it possible to give people a smile and a warm welcome every day in order to convey acceptance instead of telling them they are condemned?

Potential Space

If you think creatively and allow your mind to wander and explore, how can we make the world more just and fair?

We have issues with acceptance, discrimination, and religious intolerance. We have major problems with income inequality. These are important issues to this age group.

–           Dorian

Our answer is God. God’s answer is us. Together we make the world better.

* All Bible verses are from the New American Standard Version (NASB) unless otherwise noted.