How God managed to write the Bible

[Gawen]

According to William Lane Craig, one of God’s missions was to have a Bible written before creation (presumably in Hebrew and Greek).

I quote William Lane Craig
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcrai ... moved.html
' Because God knew the relevant counterfactuals of creaturely freedom, He was able to decree a world containing just those circumstances and persons such that the authors of Scripture would freely compose their respective writings, which God intended to be His gracious Word to us. In the providence of God, the Bible is thus both the Word of God and the word of man.'

In other words, it is providence and being that God is omniscient; God must surely have decided what would go in the Bible before the Bible was written. In the Bible, there is a story of Adam and Eve and Cain rebelling. God, being omniscient knew the only way to get that story in the Bible was to create a world where Adam and Eve and Cain would rebel. Makes sense, right? I mean, it would be pointless for God to create a world where no one rebelled. If that happened, there would not have been his gracious Word to us.

In the Bible, there are stories of how God wanted all the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites killed. One must remember that before God had ever created a Hittite, Girgashite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite or Jebusite, God wanted a Bible which recorded how He had all of them killed. God, being omniscient knew the only way to get that story in the Bible was to create a world where he had them all killed or else his book would never get written.

But God faced a problem in that there were possible worlds where the Israelites lived in peace with their neighbours. So God felt constrained not to create those worlds. On the other hand, perhaps He did; we just don’t know it yet because we do not live on those worlds. If he did not create a world with evil in it, then no evil could be prerecorded in his Bible. 'By arranging for the authors of Scripture to be in the appropriate circumstances, God can achieve a Scripture which is a product of human authors and also is His Word.' â€" W.L.Craig

Using Craig’s logic, a world with earthquakes, famine, floods, genocide, rape, murder, plagues and bodily sacrifice is a world that he calls “appropriate circumstances” for God. So we must ask, why would God before creation have a mission of wanting a Bible with descriptions of evil in it? Did God really want salvation for mankind so badly, that he felt compelled to create a world where people fall so badly that he could then save them with a Bible, with providentially prearranged circumstances such that somebody would write 'Happy is he who takes your children and dashes them against the rocks.'?

[lookitsaustin]

According to William Lane Craig, one of God’s missions was to have a Bible written before creation (presumably in Hebrew and Greek).

I quote William Lane Craig
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcrai ... moved.html
' Because God knew the relevant counterfactuals of creaturely freedom, He was able to decree a world containing just those circumstances and persons such that the authors of Scripture would freely compose their respective writings, which God intended to be His gracious Word to us. In the providence of God, the Bible is thus both the Word of God and the word of man.'

In other words, it is providence and being that God is omniscient; God must surely have decided what would go in the Bible before the Bible was written. In the Bible, there is a story of Adam and Eve and Cain rebelling. God, being omniscient knew the only way to get that story in the Bible was to create a world where Adam and Eve and Cain would rebel. Makes sense, right? I mean, it would be pointless for God to create a world where no one rebelled. If that happened, there would not have been his gracious Word to us.

In the Bible, there are stories of how God wanted all the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites killed. One must remember that before God had ever created a Hittite, Girgashite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite or Jebusite, God wanted a Bible which recorded how He had all of them killed. God, being omniscient knew the only way to get that story in the Bible was to create a world where he had them all killed or else his book would never get written.

But God faced a problem in that there were possible worlds where the Israelites lived in peace with their neighbours. So God felt constrained not to create those worlds. On the other hand, perhaps He did; we just don’t know it yet because we do not live on those worlds. If he did not create a world with evil in it, then no evil could be prerecorded in his Bible. 'By arranging for the authors of Scripture to be in the appropriate circumstances, God can achieve a Scripture which is a product of human authors and also is His Word.' â€" W.L.Craig

Using Craig’s logic, a world with earthquakes, famine, floods, genocide, rape, murder, plagues and bodily sacrifice is a world that he calls “appropriate circumstances” for God. So we must ask, why would God before creation have a mission of wanting a Bible with descriptions of evil in it? Did God really want salvation for mankind so badly, that he felt compelled to create a world where people fall so badly that he could then save them with a Bible, with providentially prearranged circumstances such that somebody would write 'Happy is he who takes your children and dashes them against the rocks.'?

I don't see why everyone keeps fighting for this "righteous" God..... I mean, what if God were just a big asshole? How do we know he didn't just make all of this just for HIS satisfaction of fucking it all up! If I created a whole universe I would probably cause a famine here, a little pestilence there just for my entertainment!

Oh and while I was having fun I would tell a few of my followers to crash some planes into some buildings just to see if they fall.... I made a bet with Satan at my last kegger on that one!

[a-train]

God did not write the Bible nor decide which of the various works to put in it.

-a-train

[Gawen]

I don't see why everyone keeps fighting for this "righteous" God..... I mean, what if God were just a big asshole?

I know a couple people (and there are more than just a couple) that believe that because Lucifer was right (told the truth) and God lied to Adam and Eve

How do we know he didn't just make all of this just for HIS satisfaction of fucking it all up!

We don't.

If I created a whole universe I would probably cause a famine here, a little pestilence there just for my entertainment!

If I were a God, I'd let everyone have their own free will and no salvation and let them muck it up however they want.

Oh and while I was having fun I would tell a few of my followers to crash some planes into some buildings just to see if they fall.... I made a bet with Satan at my last kegger on that one!

I wouldn't need followers. The Universe is large enough that after creating Earth, I'd be off making the Universe's largest record holding mud pie in Alpha Century. And who knows, maybe I just might breath life into it...*chucklin*

[Gawen]

God did not write the Bible nor decide which of the various works to put in it.

-a-train

That's how most of us here at HAF think.

[a-train]

God did not write the Bible nor decide which of the various works to put in it.

-a-train

That's how most of us here at HAF think.

It's also historic fact recognized by Christians and Jews throughout the world.

-a-train

[LegendarySandwich]

God did not write the Bible nor decide which of the various works to put in it.

-a-train

That's how most of us here at HAF think.

It's also historic fact recognized by Christians and Jews throughout the world.

-a-train

Uh, no. Many Christians (and probably Jews) believe that God did decide what to put in it.

[a-train]

Uh, no. Many Christians (and probably Jews) believe that God did decide what to put in it.

Understood, but many do not.  The historical reality is that the New Testament as we have it today was canonized over centuries through debate, not revelation.  Albeit many Christians will claim God guided the process to ensure its success and validity.

-a-train

[hvargas]

How men managed to construct the greatest lies ever told. It can only be the greatest lies or truth but not both at the same time. You need to read the true history of the world if you can find it. At the same time, if you search in your present world you may be able to break through and find how you are being deceived by those you trust with the true.