It Makes Perfect Sense 5/30/2013
Hi there, just listened to your YouTube video on God's judgment and contradiction. You quote John 12.
I just read the verses you read yesterday and they were still fresh
in my mind.
I'm not sure why you don't read it straight through from verse 44
through to 50- it makes perfect sense like that-Jesus came to earth
the first time not as a judge but as our savior.
The day of Judgment is future- the last day-this is not referring to
the time Jesus was on earth- if we do not believe him as savior of
the world then we are condemned already, and the consequence of not
believing comes to fruition on the last day. You need to read stuff
in context to get the understanding of it. Thanks,
Regards, xxxxxxx
My Response
John 12:44-50 American Standard Version
44 And Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not
on me, but on him that sent me.
45 And he that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me.
46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me
may not abide in the darkness.
47 And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him
not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the
last day.
49 For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath
given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is life eternal: the things
therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so I
speak.
First thing I'd like to point out in this e-mail is that I have
no idea what video they're referring to. Make sure you leave a title
or a link to any information you're going to reference in your
e-mails.
This individual referred to having the ability to understand
everything, as long as I read it in context, but if that's true,
then why wouldn't everyone have the ability to read something in
context and draw a rational conclusion?
Let's take a look at the word context. It means that you can't
simply read one thing, without considering the surrounding
information.
For example, let's read verse number 44.
44 And Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not
on me, but on him that sent me.
If I read this correctly, it sounds like Jesus is referring to
someone else, when he says believeth not on me, but on him that sent
me. This makes it sound like Jesus doesn't want you to believe in
him, but the individual who sent him.
Something like this would make it difficult to believe that Jesus is
God or that they were there together at the beginning of creation,
when the author of John doesn't refer to the one who sent Jesus as
his equal.
Now if I read the rest of it in context and together instead of
separately, I still end up drawing the same conclusion.
Here's what I would like you to think about, exactly how much of the
Bible should you read in context for out of context?
Do I need to read the entire Book of Genesis or read the entire Old
Testament together or read the entire New Testament and Old
Testament together?
It's difficult for me to understand how anyone can read a few Bible
verses that use suggestive language and then turn them into
something literal and in some cases even the absolute truth, even
though it could still be questioned.