On September 23, 2017 I uploaded a video onto my YouTube channel called, “According to the Bible, the Bible is NOT the ‘Word of God’ Logical Proofs.” I shared logical arguments with premises and conclusions showing that when the bible (or Tanakh/OT) speak of the “Word of God,” “Word of THE LORD” or “Word of YHWH” it is never referring to itself. The actual logical arguments will be further on in the article.
The “Word of God” (the one that’s infallible) that the bible talks about is heard through the Spirit. The word for “word” in Greek is logos. It refers to speech, or a message, or perhaps doctrine or teachings. In my article “The S/Word of God: YHWH’s Holy Spirit & Instructions For Life” I suggest the Holy Spirit (the living God who lives inside of us) teaches us through the Spirit what He wants us to know. It’s how we hear “the Word of God.” Since it’s in our spirit, living inside of us, no one can add to or take away from it.
Jesus (Yehoshua) taught us to lean on the Spirit for all truth (John 16:13), and never taught us to follow a book or scriptures to all truth. In fact he warned us against the scribes (“beware the scribes” Mark 12:38-40) and the leaven of the pharisees (Matthew 16:6). The priests (and who we would consider pastors today) were taking the scriptures and adding to it.
Our translators have done the same thing to the bible (adding in verses and words that don’t exist). But there’s nothing new under the sun and the early followers of Jesus (Yehoshua), the Essenes, taught that he told them that the scriptures (Tanakh/OT) had been edited and added to also. This lines up with what Jeremiah the prophet says in Jeremiah 8:8.
Jeremiah 8:8 How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law (word/doctrine) of the LORD (YHWH) is with us?’ when actually the lying pen of the scribes has twisted it by writing lies?
Jeremiah is telling them that the scriptures (Tanakh/OT) they have were not the actual “Word of God” that they thought it was. Jesus (Yehoshua) came and told us to beware the scribes. Another of his teachings that is not in our bibles, but is found in older texts is the command: “be ye good money changers,” which means test the scriptures to see if they are real or counterfeit.
A Catholic commentary suggests that they believe Jesus (Yehoshua) preached this saying also:
If our Lord, as tradition tells, said, “Be ye good money changers” (cf. I Thessalonians 5:21), the same principle is commended.
Commentary from the Catholic Encyclopedia
1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 could be translated from the Greek to get about the same meaning.
1 Thessalonians 5:20 do not despise prophetic (writings?) 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil
We may never know if that understanding was what the writer had in mind.
In the Clementine Homilies apostle Peter shares this saying with Clement stating that it was a direct command from Jesus (Yehoshua).
Then Peter said: “If, therefore, some of the Scriptures are true and some false, with good reason said our Master, Be ye good money-changers,’ [952] inasmuch as in the Scriptures there are some true sayings and some spurious. And to those who err by reason of the false scriptures He fitly showed the cause of their error, saying, Ye do therefore err, not knowing the true things of the Scriptures; for this reason ye are ignorant also of the power of God.’ [953]” Then said I: “You have spoken very excellently.”
Clementine Homilies Chapter LI. Weigh in the Balance
[952] This is quoted three times in the Homilies as a saying of our Lord, viz., here and in Homily III. chap. 50, and Homily XVIII. chap. 20. It is probably taken from one of the apocryphal Gospels. In Homily XVIII. chap. 20 the meaning is shown to be, that as it is the part of a money-changer to distinguish spurious coins from genuine, so it is part of a Christian to distinguish false statements from true.
[953] A corruption of the texts, Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24.
Weigh in the Balance Footnotes
The footnotes suggest that the Clementine Scriptures were corrupting the texts of Matthew 22:29 and Mark 12:24 with the quote but the Clementine scriptures would suggest perhaps Matthew 22:29 and Mark 12:24 were the corrupted versions by the scribes.
For comparison purposes:
- Clementine Homilies Weigh in the Balance: “Ye do therefore err, not knowing the true things of the Scriptures; for this reason ye are ignorant also of the power of God.”
- Mark 12:24 “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?”
- Matthew 22:29 “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
The books of Mark and Matthew may have gotten this saying from the same source, and that source may have been corrupted by the time they got it or perhaps it was just lost in translation. The originals may have been in Hebrew before they got turned into the Greek versions we have now.
According to Eusebius, Dionysius wrote to Philemon concerning a vision he had in which he mentioned the apostolic word (teaching/command) that says to the stronger (in faith perhaps) that they should be skillful money-changers.
1. In the third epistle on baptism which this same Dionysius wrote to Philemon,2186 the Roman presbyter, he relates the following: “But I examined the works and traditions of the heretics, defiling my mind for a little time with their abominable opinions, but receiving this benefit from them, that I refuted them by myself, and detested them all the more.
Eusebius Pamphilius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine
2. And when a certain brother among the presbyters restrained me, fearing that I should be carried away with the filth of their wickedness (for it would defile my soul),—in which also, as I perceived, he spoke the truth, 296 —a vision sent from God came and strengthened me.
3. And the word which came to me commanded me, saying distinctly, ‘Read everything which thou canst take in hand,2187 for thou art able to correct and prove all; and this has been to thee from the beginning the cause of thy faith.’ I received the vision as agreeing with the apostolic word, which says to them that are stronger, ‘Be skillful money-changers.’”2188
Apparently, Dionysius believed that the apostles taught this command, but according to the Clementine works they believed it was a direct command from Jesus (Yehoshua).
Can YHWH Preserve the “Word of God”?
When I made my video about the bible refuting the idea that it is the “Word of God” people tried to say that I didn’t believe God could keep His word from errors. As I stated above, the actual “Word of God” that we hear through the Spirit can and is kept 100% clean, infallible and away from all errors.
Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Luke 17:20 When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21 Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is inside of you.
Inside of us lies the kingdom of God in a place where neither moth or rust can destroy and thieves can’t break in and steal His word from us, ever.
YHWH is all-knowing and all-loving and would never let us be without His Word (teachings/wisdom). He is all-knowing and warned us through the prophets over and over to test all things and make sure it lines up with Him and His ways, and that includes testing the bible or supposedly prophetic writings (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22). Even the book of Revelation tells us there are curses for people who add to it or take away and that proves that people would add to it and take away from it, because YHWH is all-knowing and would have never warned us against scribal additions if there wouldn’t be any.
Whenever anyone suggests the scriptures may have errors this is a common objection to say that we somehow think YHWH is not powerful enough to keep His scriptures from being changed. In this video from David H’Notsari he mentions that you could just take whiteout to a bible verse and see if the whiteout magically disappears the next day.
It’s quite apparent YHWH allows people to change the scriptures around. Why would He do that? The main reason is that He already gave us His Word, inside of us, in the Spirit and we don’t need scriptures to be saved.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
The fulfillment of the law is found in agape love, because if we love God and our enemies we won’t break the laws (torah). We never needed to be taught with scriptures, we’re taught of God through the Spirit.
Plenty of the followers of Jesus (Yehoshua) were unable to read or write, and even Abraham was born into a pagan family and found YHWH, converted, without ever reading a thing. He just learned the truth through the Spirit.
Scriptures are not the infallible “Word of God” however they have many words (or teachings) from God in them. But that doesn’t make them infallible as a whole. The only 100% infallible “Word of God” is Spirit of the Living God who lives inside of you.
Logical Proofs
When I was studying logic in college I was introduced to logical proofs. Basically, you come up with multiple premises which can not be wrong or arguable and then you come to the logical conclusion.
For example:
Premise 1: 1+2 = 3
Premise 2: I have 1 apple.
Premise 3: You have 2 apples.
Conclusion: If we add my apple with yours we will have 3 apples total.
If you can prove any one of those premises incorrect then the conclusion is not a logical conclusion based on that that “logical argument”.
In this video I go through logical proofs that the bible never claims to be the “Word of God” and when the bible refers to the “Word of God” it’s referring to something else besides the scriptures.
Note: I don’t personally believe the bible is 100% accurate or infallible or capable as having every single verse used as proof in other situations, but in this particular situation I use bible verses as proof to show the people who do think that the bible is infallible that it actually says it is not. If you believe the bible is infallible then you will have to accept these premises (which are based on bible verses) and then you will have to accept the conclusion, which of course is that the bible is not infallible.
YHWH knew people would edit the book of Revelation
Premise 1: YHWH knows all, His understanding is infinite, He is omniscient
1 John 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.
Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.
Job 37:16 Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?
Psalm 139:1 {To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.} YHWH, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, YHWH, thou knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too incomprehensible for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Premise 2: There is a curse for those who add and subtract from the book of Revelation
Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Conclusion: Therefore we can conclude, because YHWH is omniscient, YHWH would know people would add to and subtract from the book of Revelation. Since the curse is in the book it means He knew people would do so. If people were not going to add or subtract, the curse would be absolutely unnecessary, and He wouldn’t have put it in there.
The Actual “Word of God” is Infallible with No Errors
Premise 1: God is infallible, with absolutely no errors, no sin, & no spot
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.
Premise 2: The “Word of God” is God
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Conclusion: The “Word of God” is infallible, with absolutely no errors, no sin, & no spot.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?
Every word that comes out of His mouth is going to return because He’s infallible. There can be no sin, no errors. He’s always going to get it right. So, in conclusion, we know the “Word of God” is the same thing. The “Word of God” will not have any errors. The Word of God is something He speaks, and it comes from Him.
If you are without sin, and speak, there is no way for a lie to come out. When the “Word of God” comes from Him it’s 100% truth. (Of course, my belief is the scriptures came from men who sometimes were hearing from Him, but sometimes not, which is why we’re told to test them and be good money changers.)
The “Word of God” is eternal, cannot die or be destroyed.
Premise 1: God is eternal, cannot die, cannot be destroyed
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born, or You brought forth the earth and world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Genesis 21:33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of YHWH, the Everlasting/Eternal God.
Daniel 6:26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and enduring for ever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever.
Premise 2: The “Word of God” is God
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Conclusion: The “Word of God” is eternal, cannot die or be destroyed.
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.
Psalm 119:89 Your word, YHWH, is everlasting; it is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
The “Word of God” changes not.
Premise 1: God changes not
Malachi 3:6 For I am YHWH, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Psalm 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
Premise 2: The “Word of God” is God
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Conclusion: The “Word of God” changes not.
Therefore the “Word of God” does not change.
Now, I will use the previous conclusions as premises for more logical arguments.
The bible cannot be the “Word of God”
Premise 1: The “Word of God” changes not.
Premise 2: The bible has gone through many changes
The early versions of the bible had Jesus’s name being IESUS. His name was originally Yehoshua. There were originally more books than we have in our bible.
There are a number of books mentioned in the bible, that are not in the bible.
1. The Book Of The Wars Of Yahweh [Numbers 21:14].
2. The Book Of Jashar [Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18].
3. The Book Of The Acts Of Solomon [1 Kings 11:41].
4. The Book Of The Annals Of The Kings Of Israel [1 Kings 14:19; 15:31; 16:5,14,20,27; 2 Chronicles20:34].
5. The Book Of The Annals Of The Kings Of Judah [1 Kings 14:29; 15:7,23; 22:45; 2 Kings 8:23; 12:19].
6. The Book Of The Annals Of King David [1 Chronicles 27:24].
7. The Chronicles Of Samuel The Seer, The Chronicles Of Nathan the Prophet, The Chronicles Of Gad The Seer [1 Chronicles 29:29].
8. The Records Of Nathan The Prophet, The Prophecy Of Ahijah The Shilonite, The Visions Of Iddo The Seer [2 Chronicles 9:29].
9. The Histories Of Shemiah The Prophet and of Iddo The Seer [2 Chronicles 12:15].
10. The Commentary Of The Prophet Iddo [2 Chronicles 13:22].
11. The Commentary Of The Books Of The Kings [2 Chronicles 24:27].
12. The Acts Of Uzziah [2 Chronicles 26:22].
13. The Book Of The Kings Of Judah And Israel [2 Chronicles 32:32].
14. The Records Of The Kings Of Israel [2 Chronicles 33:18].
15. The Book Of The Chronicles [Nehemiah 12:23].
16. The Records Of Hozai [2 Chronicles 33:19].
17. The Book Of Isaiah [2 Chronicles 26:22].
18. The Lamentations [2 Chronicles 35:25-26].
Conclusion: The bible cannot be the “Word of God”
No matter if these changes are small or huge, the fact remains that the bible has gone through changes. Our Father has not changed, and thus the “Word of God” has not changed, and so the bible cannot be the infallible “Word of God”.
The bible cannot be the “Word of God”
Premise 1: The bible has errors
Every bible version disagrees with other bible versions or they couldn’t be called versions. So every different translation will have errors. If you want to argue that the bible doesn’t have any errors, then you would need to let us know the which one bible is the perfect bible because there are a lot of bibles that have errors compared to your perfect bible.
King James Version Bible (KJV) has YHWH lying about His name in Isaiah 42:8. It says “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
The KJV labeled Jesus (Yehoshua’s) brother James as “James” when his Hebrew name is Yacov (Jacob).
We know that the KJV replaced the Tetragrammaton with “the LORD” and so it has YHWH saying His name is “The LORD” which He did not say because originally it was the Tetragrammaton, “YHWH”.
The KJV English translation also added words to the original Greek such as adding the word “God” to 1 Timothy 3:16. The word Theos, the Greek word for “God,” is not there in the Greek. So obviously even the KJV has errors and additions which leads to the next premise.
Premise 2: The bible can be destroyed, have words and whole books taken away & added to, different translations
As stated, the KJV added words, and also the verse 1 John 5:7 and others. Some bibles have the book of Enoch, some don’t.
If you want to believe in a perfect bible, then feel free to comment with which one has nothing added or changed from the original, because all translations do.
Premise 3: The “Word of God” changes not
Premise 4: The “Word of God” is infallible, no errors, no sin, no spot
Premise 5: the “Word of God” is eternal, cannot die, be destroyed
Conclusion: the bible cannot be the infallible “Word of God”
Remember that the bible has multiple ways to say “Word of God,” the “word of the LORD” or “word of YHWH” are other ways.
The “Word of God” that the prophets heard was not the bible
Premise 1: Prophets of the OT heard the “Word of God”
Ezekiel 1:3 The word of YHWH came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of YHWH was there upon him.
Premise 2: Prophets of the OT never heard the bible
The scroll of Ezekiel could not have been read/heard before Ezekiel heard the “Word of YHWH.” Ezekiel was not given a bible. He spoke what He heard the “Word of God” say, and it was written down after he heard it.
Premise 3: The book of Ezekiel is not what Ezekiel heard
Ezekiel 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 The word of YHWH came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of YHWH was there upon him. 4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Notice that it goes from first person to third person to first person again. Obviously what Ezekiel heard (the Word of God) is NOT what is written here. Ezekiel (and some other third-party person) are writing a description of the scene, setting the stage, and describing what happened leading up to him hearing the “Word of God” but these verses are not the actual “Word of God” that he’ll be hearing in the upcoming verses.
Conclusion: The “Word of God” that the prophets heard was not the bible.
Prophets and others hearing the “Word of God” proceeded the Tanakh/OT (and bible) being written. The “Word of God” existed before the bible did.
YHWH’s commandments are YHWH’s word AKA the “Word of God”
Premise 1: YHWH’s word is a lamp and a light to us
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Premise 2: YHWH’s commandments are a lamp and a light to us
Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
YHWH’s (as our Father’s) commandments are called a lamp and light to us.
Premise 3: The word “commandments” is something that is said and prescribed, oftentimes by God through the prophets, so it could be considered a divine utterance.
Premise 4: The word “Word” is something that is said, speech, divine utterance
Conclusion: YHWH’s commandments are YHWH’s word AKA the “Word of God”
YHWH lets us know His commandments by the conviction we feel when we break them. It’s the “Reproof of instructions” in Proverbs 6:23. Again, see the article The S/Word of God: YHWH’s Holy Spirit & Instructions For Life for more information.
The Holy Spirit is God, it is the “Word of God”
Premise 1: God is Holy
Leviticus 11:44 For I am YHWH your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am YHWH that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Isaiah 6:3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is YHWH Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”
Premise 2: God is Spirit
John 4:24 God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Premise 3: The “Word of God” is God
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Premise 4: The prophets heard the “Word of God” when the spirit came to them
A messenger/angel of YHWH came to Ezekiel in the first chapter of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 2:2 And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 “Son of man,” He said to me: “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day the Israelites and their fathers have transgressed against Me. 4 They are obstinate and hardhearted children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord YHWH says.’
So we see it’s YHWH who is speaking to Ezekiel through the angel/messenger and the means in which He did that was through the Spirit (Ezekiel 2:2)
Premise 5: The “Word of God” was with God in the beginning & was how God created the world
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made by the word, and without the word nothing was made that has been made.
Premise 6: God created the world by His Spirit
Psalm 33:6 By the word of YHWH were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath/spirit of His mouth.
The word for breath is the exact same word for Spirit.
Conclusion: The Holy Spirit is God, it is the “Word of God”
We worship the Spirit, the living God. To claim the bible, which is fallible, is the “Word of God” is to turn YHWH into a fallible God or to live in idolatry. The bible warns us against worshiping idols of wood and the bible can be an idol of wood (paper is dead tree) if they worship the bible over the Holy Spirit inside of them.
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I love these premises. I actually wrote them in my Bible. The one on the Holy Spirit and the one about the Bible not being the “Word of God”. I love the logic that Ya’oh gives us!!!
Shalom shalom
Yes. He gives us understanding. We were created with His logical mind for us to use that mind to know things. We just have to seek with a pure heart to get to the truth and not be confused by spiritual blindness that creeps in when we sin.
Well, I had read from most people which declare to be guided though there so called ‘holy’ spirit many doctrines, which tend to match only in contradicting each other somehow. It is true in my opinion that biblical texts have histories of many sources and multiple revisions. However: We forget or don’t recognize that near ALL of these writings where written for people with an archaic oriental background which in most cultural and religious aspects had nearly nothing in common with our own established culture and behavior. For example, in the ancient new east, no scribe would have written a documentation to the transmission of historical facts, nor theological treatises for the foundation of specific dogmas. In fact, the dogmatic concept was more or less unknown. What people demanded and could understand were rather entertaining stories such as novels, mythologies or satires. For this the writings tend to include really all kind of oral as well as written tradition regardless of the religious orientation (or religion because the bible include many sources of polytheistic traditions and cults) as long as this seemed somehow compatible with the specific intentions of there authors. The readers or hearers of such texts were trained and able to distinguish all that intuitively because there where grown in such oral tradition. It is only that WE are not able to understand these writings the way their addressees did it. There is only one exception from this writing tradition: Prophetic inspirations where embedded in the texts within a specific style, the so known prophetic language. These are mostly short sequences in a special rhyming form. The so called ‘sermon on the mount’ for example almost always has a corresponding rhyming in the Syriac-Aramaic texts which is lost in the Greek versions. The reason for this is, that the sayings of Yeshua where formulated in a way, so that his students could easily remember and internalize them. These rhymes and ONLY these are his transmitted message. Anything beside these rhymes is tradition, (maybe later) theology and entertainment. The same apply to specific writings of earlier prophets. The saying of Yeshua mostly depend on earlier, prophetic writings. There form one consistent message (it is only NOT the message of Christianity, Judaism or Islam). The first followers saw him as the promised prophet like Mose which revealed the divine Torah in truth and truthfulness. The Gospel of Matthew, even in his christian version, is a call to implement this moral in life. But you have to know this Torah, this morality and if you know, you will need a scale to check your own inspiration. For this the scripture is needed. Even someone like Paul mentions in his letters indirectly that the Holy Spirit affirms scripture.
The Holy Spirit, is the holiest Spirit. People are not the Holy Spirit, at all. So this is not accurate. The Holy Spirit/ The living God can dwell inside of someone, but the Holy Spirit, is its own spirit, and it is a feminine spirit. The children of God were created in the image and likeness of the Heavenly Holy Spirit, but they are not the Holy Spirit, Creator God, YHVH. Sorry.
I never said people ARE the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is inside of us. The NT is filled with scriptures about how we have the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus would send the Spirit to guide us, etc.
The analogy of someone using whiteout and God not restoring the text is a good one. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson actually CUT OUT the descriptions of miracles attributed to Jesus in one of his copies of the New Testament. I believe it is stored in the Library of Congress, or the University of Virginia. There are many words and phrases used (misused) by churches that are not in the Bible. The “word-a- God” is only one. Ever since a Bible professor had all students memorize the entire first chapter of John, I have wondered about the Bible being described as the “Word”. I wonder if he was gently steering us in the correct way without endangering his employment!. .
This is a very original and inspiring article, Barbara. Some comments:
1) Your corrections on the KJV assume there is a true sense to what was written…wouldn’t that true sense be the actual Bible? That true sense doesn’t necessarily affirm the “word of God” contention, but is something you didn’t mention
2) You said “even the KJV”, seeming to aknowledge its relative authority. I’d contend that its authority comes from its (mostly) actual Bible source texts: the Masoretic OT and the TR NT
3) You research a lot of scripture and your “Early Hebrew Christian Resources List” is very useful. But have you noticed that the ultimate selection, from “codex sinaiticus”, is completely fraudulent? This codex was forged by Constantine Simonides who admitted that it was his worst work. Apparently there is no chemical testing on the ink or parchment as would be standard for a real codex. I mention this because I think as a compliment to this article, the resources list would be close to a list of authoritative scripture.
4) I think it’s gnosticism to interpret John 1:1 as talking about “the word”…i.e., it seems like the translators are promoting this cabalistic notion that words create reality or that words bring things into being. In cabala, there is no Yahweh, but just Ein Sof, chaos, and out of that, “comes order” (this is the phrase on the dollar bill as well). The original word was of course ο λόγος, word/logic/reason. The English concepts of language, logic and reason combined could be better expressed as “design” or “engineering”.
All in all, this is a great article to refute the protestant Burger’s idolatry of “the book”, which to them is always a translation.