Are You Listening To God’s Words or Just Someone Who Claims To Speak For God?
Questions to ask yourself that can help you determine that
I’m a former pastor with a Master’s degree from an accredited seminary. I’ve read every word of the Bible and preached many sermons based on passages from it. So it’s obvious to me when people quote Bible verses out of context to “prove” their statements are words from God. They never mention other Bible verses that contradict their claims. They insist that their words are God’s and therefore cannot be questioned.
Many people who have been taught that every word of the Bible is literally true don’t realize that the Bible contradicts itself. It includes different descriptions of the same event that cannot be reconciled.
One example of this is the creation stories in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. According to the first one (Genesis 1:1 — 2:4) God creates plants, then animals, then a man and a woman. The man and woman are created simultaneously.
In the version that starts at Genesis 2:4, God creates the man first, then plants and animals, and finally a woman (by taking a rib out of the man). There are other differences, too, as described in this article. Obviously, both accounts cannot be factually accurate.
