r/BibleVerseCommentary

What's yall opinion on eastern orthodoxy?

I been thinking and studying this for a year and a half and I felt strongly that this is were God has been guiding me to and I went to a service before but just wondering whats yaall opinion about it?

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u/Temporary_Minute1264 — 3 hours ago

Bible Verse Commentary: Book of James. New Testament. What is the difference between the book of James and the writings of Paul?

ANSWER:

None.

James 1:1 says: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ..”

Romans 1:1 - says: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ…”

So tell me. If you and me, work at the same Gas Station, same shift. Pump gas. Squeegie wipe clean front windshields of cars, as they drive in. We both cash people out - work for the same manager. Both wear a like same Gas Station coverall uniform.

  • What’s the difference? None.

---------------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------ -----------------

The “difference” is you then. Like you: see two gas station attendants at the same gas station - claim one works for “Mobil” Oil, the other works for “Chevron” - you’re a dummy. Because EVERYBODY can see both work for the SAME gas station. It’s YOU that’s the dummy. With your outlandish claims you make.

I mean, they’re right there - both working for the SAME gas station. What kind of drugs are you on? Everyone’s asking.

  • Yeah. Go on. Go read James 1:1 and Romans 1:1 again. None. Go home.

---------------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------ -----------------

So, what “faith” does James have?

  • Yeah. Same faith Paul has. Can’t be serving Jesus if they don’t. Both chosen as Apostles to this same Jesus Christ.
    • And what “faith” is that? Yeah. Not their own. It’s this Galatians 2:6 that BOTH operate by the faith of Jesus Christ. It’s the same faith. Says:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

So, by the faith of Jesus Christ, yeah. Because it was God: That - “sent his word to heal you and deliver you from your destruction.” (Psalm 107:20) and the “word of God” is this same Jesus Christ.

  • Sent to heal James and deliver him from destruction.
  • Sent to heal Paul and deliver him from destruction.
    • Sent to me, to heal me and deliver me from my destruction from all the sins I did - same Jesus Christ.
  • So, it’s the faith of God, that God has in his own word. HE even says this himself, as God - you leave him completely out of it.

Ole! There’s the problem.

---------------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------ -----------------

When it’s HIS FAITH in his own word that works. Says it in Isaiah 55:11, says:

  1. “..So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” - God.
  2. and where did he send it? Yeah. Sent his word to heal you and deliver you too, from your destruction.

Says in Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

So, the faith James talks about in the epistle of James is this faith. And it is the same faith Paul talks about.

The same. And, it is because it comes with the word of God, when God speaks. The word out of his mouth, comes with it that is the faith James is talking about.

So when God says “Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth: For I am God, there is none else.” - God. (Isaiah 45:22) or when he says:

Isaiah 55:1–3, says:

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” - God.

That God even repeats this - - twice: When the Word of God, Jesus Christ said: John 7:37–38

Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

The faith to believe this comes with his word he send to heal you and deliver you from destruction. That's what he sent his word to do, and that's what he sent his word to prosper in - is in you.

---------------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------ -----------------

So, he’s calling you. Me. James, Paul, John the Apostle, Peter, Andrew..every person..this great everybody over the whole earth, to the very ends of it, to do this with him, as God.

It is God doing this calling.

I hear it.

To just come to his store. Buy wine and milk without money and without price. To just “look unto” him vs. anybody..anything BUT him instead.

Paul wasn’t doing that before. Neither was James, but Jesus called both of them, and they heard him..still hear him, even today they follow after him. All the same. Just like me. But before, I didn’t, either.

So, my “faith” was in smoking dope, and watching porno movies. I “accepted both as true” (believed) that those two things made me happy.

Content. Gave me a sense of fulfillment, where my job never did or couldn’t. Just doing what someone else said all day - and they never very happy with the work, and begrudgingly pay me - where I even loathed that, too.

But I loved the money. So, I had faith in money, too.

---------------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------ -----------------

So, I could show you my faith, by my works. Just by you: Came over to my house? Yeah, there was a porno tape in the VCR playing.

Shows you by my works, what I walked after, to walk in and looked unto. Drugs. Porno. That is where my faith was.

Took an effort or work to get up off the sofa, to go buy a tape from the adult bookstore. Walk back home, and put it in the VCR. Look at all this faith, looking unto it, that I press “PLAY” - then, smoke dope.

I could show you my faith, what I lived in and walked after, by what I looked unto and walked in by these works.

---------------- ---------------- ----------------- ------------------ -----------------

So when I heard Jesus Christ, his word made them dead works.

Made me dead to them. And alive to him.

Because I believed God and what he said was true. So I left off walking after drugs and porno to walk after looking unto Jesus Christ. The same one both Paul and James are a servant of.

Go home.

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u/External_Bird_8464 — 23 hours ago

Before Abraham was, I AM

u/SecurityTheaterNews

In John 5, Jesus had a run-in with some Jews when they accused Jesus of making himself equal to God.

It happened again, 3 chapters later in John 8:

>53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”

What? Are you God?

>57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

That's it. This is blasphemy. Let's kill him. The issue was not just what Jesus said, but how he said it. This was not normal Greek. One would expect “I was” (ἐγώ ἦν) for past time reference. The deliberate tense contrast signaled something qualitative, not merely temporal. His hearers noted the tone:

>59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

The Jews were seriously deadly. Why?

Because Jesus connected himself with the great I AM in Ex 3:14, Wiki:

>Septuagint Exodus 3:14 "And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am (ego eimi) THE BEING; and he said, Thus shall ye say to the children of Israel, THE BEING has sent me to you."[2]

Some early church fathers agreed:

>Ambrose (ca. 340-400) took "I am" not as merely related to Abraham, but a statement including from before Adam. In his Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book III wrote: "In its extent, the preposition “before” reaches back into the past without end or limit, and so “Before Abraham was, [ἐγώ εἰμι]” clearly need not mean “after Adam,” just as “before the Morning Star” need not mean “after the angels.” But when He said “before [πριν],” He intended, not that He was included in any one's existence, but that all things are included in His, for thus it is the custom of Holy Writ to show the eternity of God.[5]John Chrysostom (ca. 349-407) attached more theological significance to ego eimi, In his 55th Homily on John: "But wherefore said He not, Before Abraham was, "I was" (ἐγώ ἦν), instead of "I Am" (ἐγώ εἰμι)? As the Father uses this expression, I Am (ἐγώ εἰμι), so also does Christ; for it signifies continuous Being, irrespective of all time. On which account the expression seemed to them to be blasphemous."[6]Click to expand...

This was not an isolated incident. By saying "Before Abraham was, I AM", Jesus connected himself with the great I AM of YHWH. At least some of the Jews thought so, so much so that they wanted to kill him. Two chapters later, Jesus spelled it out for them, John 10:

>30 "I and the Father are one.”31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.

Jesus did not merely claim antiquity. He used language associated with God’s own self-identification. Within that Jewish framework, this constituted blasphemy. That was why the narrative escalates from debate → accusation → attempted execution.

See also

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u/TonyChanYT — 9 hours ago

Many dead saints were raised and appeared to many. Why was it not reported outside the Bible?

u/Distinct_Coast8645

Mt 27: >50 When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. 51 At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.

A bunch of people were resurrected! This was an amazing event. If it were to happen today, tons of journalists would report it globally, and teams of world-class scientists would descend on Palestine to investigate.

Why are there no extrabiblical records of this event?

It didn't happen today when almost everyone carries a camera in his pocket. At the time of Jesus in Palestine, all kinds of people claimed to have performed or seen miracles. Hearers were skeptical. In fact, Mark, Luke, and John did not record this event either. Matthew was unique in this reporting.

In his enthusiasm, Matthew might have overstated the "many". Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days when Jesus raised him (J 11:17). Perhaps Matthew meant many saints who had fallen asleep in the last few days were raised. The resurrection of these saints was a localized and temporary event, occurring in Jerusalem and affecting only a specific group of people. The scale wasn't what it seemed.

It wasn't unusual for NT miracles to have no corroborating evidence outside the NT. Here was another one: After Jesus' resurrection, 1C 15: >6a he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time.

Many dead saints were raised and appeared to many. Why was it not reported outside the Bible?

None of the miracles in the Bible were reported outside the Bible—that's just another one. However, the absence of external reports about the resurrection of the saints does not necessarily mean the event did not occur. It is also possible that records of this event existed but were not preserved.

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u/TonyChanYT — 2 days ago

Did Adam and Eve not have sex in the Garden of Eden?

In the first few chapters of Genesis, we see God create Adam and Eve and then tell them to reproduce.

Genesis 1: >28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Three chapters later, Genesis 4:1 >4 Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!”

The text did not state that Adam and Eve had sexual relations in Eden, nor did it explicitly deny it. The narrative structure placed the first recorded act of sexual union and conception after the expulsion. Some readers infer that the procreation act began outside the garden.

I believe that, naturally, they did have sexual intercourse in the garden, but the first conception took place after they left the garden. Adam and Eve were described as "naked and unashamed" (Gn 2:25), which suggests a fully embodied, innocent relationship; nothing in the text withholds sexuality from that picture. Sexuality was part of the good creation in the garden. The narrator didn't bother recording previous sexual acts because there was no conception.

Did they have sexual intercourse in the Garden of Eden?

Yes, naturally. It was a paradise :)

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u/TonyChanYT — 9 hours ago

Just sharing a great song I heard today and added to my playlist...

https://youtu.be/dt4N4LNi0fs?si=B0n5h\_FLBcrQJrb1

The Way

I've had it with the way of this world

I've spent my last day

Chasing those lies

And now I want the world

To hear me say

Jesus is the way

(Jesus is the way)

I've had it with the schemes

Of the devil

He ain't got no grip on me

Let the gates of hell tremble

When I say

Jesus is the way

(Jesus is the way)

You are the way

You're the only way

For the saint, for the sinner

For the world today

You are the way

And I will follow you

'Cause, Jesus, only you

Are the life, the truth

The way

So, where you lead

That's where I'm going

Lord

I've got my eyes locked on you

Remind my heart if I start to stray

Jesus is the way

Jesus is the way

You are the way

You're the only way

For the saint, for the sinner

For the world today

You are the way

And I will follow you

'Cause, Jesus, only you

Are the life, the truth

The way

You are the way out of the darkness

You are the way out of the storm

You are the way out of the broken

Just like you've been before

You are the way through the valley

You are the way on high

You make the way before me

So, I will testify

You are the way

You're the only way

For the saint, for the sinner

For the world today

You are the way

And I will follow you

'Cause, Jesus, only you

Are the life, the truth

The way

You are the way

You're the life, the truth, the way

u/Spare-Flan331 — 2 days ago

All Scripture IS God-breathed but the verb "is" is not in the Greek

American Standard Version, 2Tm 3: >Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness:

Were only some scriptures inspired by God?

ASV says that could be true. Some scriptures (lower case) were not inspired by God.

But then, Berean Literal Bible: >Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

All
πᾶσα (pasa)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular

Scripture [is]
γραφὴ (graphē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular

God-breathed
θεόπνευστος (theopneustos)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular

The copulative verb "is" was not in the Greek manuscript. Was BLB a proper translation?

Yes. This was a common feature of Greek: in a nominative construct of equative phrases, the present tense of “to be” (ἐστίν) was often omitted, especially in proverbial, aphoristic, or weighty statements. The reader supplied “is” in translation because the context demanded a present, general statement.

Further, the following adjectives (ὠφέλιμος, “profitable,” etc.) continued the list of attributes, implying a present-tense “is” throughout.

Berean Standard Bible: >All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

The missing verb-to-be was a common Koine practice.

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u/TonyChanYT — 10 hours ago

Prof Jervis: Without TIME, we don't know action, event, and change

She had a simplistic understanding of the concept of physical time.

Dr Ann Jervis said: >God created time.

Right.

>Time is linear.

Actually, no Newtonian time is linear, but not relativistic time. According to relativity, time is linear only locally per observer. There is no absolute time applicable everywhere in space. Two events that happen at the same time simultaneously for one observer will occur at different times for another observer moving relative to the first. This directly breaks the idea of a single, universal "now." The rate at which time flows depends on gravitational potential.

She continued: >I need to define what I mean by time. Time is action, event, and change.

This supposed definition lacks precision. Actually, according to physics, time and action are two distinct concepts. Time is a coordinate/dimension in Spacetime. Action is a function of time and velocity. An event is a point in spacetime. She conflated these physical concepts.

>Without time, we don't know action, event, and change.

More precisely, she was saying that without the time dimension, action cannot happen and be known. But this is false. We know this: Jn 1: >1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

God revealed to us what happened before spacetime was created.

We also know this: Mt 11: >22 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Jesus told us what could have happened but didn't happen in real historical spacetime. The people in Tyre and Sidon would have changed.

If you want to read her philosophically, that's fine. But the arguing will be endless based on her definition. Here, I want to stop the endless arguing.

u/TonyChanYT — 3 days ago

What was the reason for a mother to be unclean twice as long after giving birth to a girl as a boy?

u/Dmk6958, u/toxiccandles, u/rbibleuser

Leviticus 12: >1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying.

The mother giving birth to a boy was to be unclean for a total of 40 days.

>She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.

For giving birth to a girl, she would be unclean for 80 days.

Why this doubling of days?

I don't know any good answers to this except the obvious: this law favored boy births over girls'. Back then, it was a patriarchal society, and this societal preference was codified in this ritual law. This law wasn't about gender equality; the text itself provided no rationale for the difference; it simply stated the law. You need to think of this law in its cultural socio-economic context.

Modern people often reject this simple answer and try to push it aside in favor of more complex explanations.

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u/TonyChanYT — 2 days ago