God’s Own Summary of the Bible
I read a summary of the bible in God’s own words on Mountainman’s fascinating website, but I think it missed the most important point, and that is that both of the commandments that Christ gave are the same one. I explain it here (http://www.askwhy.co.uk/truth/b11fscollins.php) in a criticism of a book by F S Collins:
We will see that Christ gave two answers when asked for the most important commandment, and the reason is that the two commandments he gave are the same one, to Love God and to love your neighbour. It is a clear indication that God, in practical terms, is your neighbour, your fellow human being on this planet. Just in case anyone should doubt it, let them read Christ’s description of the Last Judgement in Matthew 25:33-46. God says to the sheep at his right hand whom He has blessed:
“I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you made me welcome, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.
The virtuous say to him in reply:
Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and gave you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, naked and clothe you, sick or in prison and go to see you?
And God replies:
In so far as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me.
To the goats gathered at His left hand God says:
Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food. I was thirsty and you never gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.
And they too will ask:
Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help.
And again God will answer:
In so far as you neglected to do this this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”
If you are a Christian and consider Christ to speak with the authority of God, because he is God, then just what could be clearer than this description of how to be saved. And what could be clearer than that God considered any human being, even the least of them, as being Himself. To abuse or fail to help any human being is to do the same to God, and only by helping your fellow human beings are you displaying your love of God.
So, to get the full meaning of God’s shortest bible, a little more needs to be read, but I cannot see how Christians can miss the interpretation. It shows clearly that most “Christians” are nothing of the kind, particularly those who are most demonstrative of their beliefs like Bush and Blair, the Constantines of the modern day, maybe.
God incarnated as Christ has nothing to say about attending mass, or saying prayers, or having faith, or lighting candles to be saved. It is altogether more moral than all the mumbo jumbo. God is Everyman! You cannot separately love God, you can only love Him through loving people!! He says thou shalt. It is an order. Faith and all the rest might help, but it cannot replace what Christians must do to be saved. They have to love others. Full Stop! Why do Christians confuse this simple message with all the mumbo jumbo?
I just stumbled across this blog on accident but I wanted to tell you how great it was to see someone speaking the truth. So many confuse the issues with faith, belief, virtue, piety, arrogance, rudeness, self importance, and many more troubling attitudes, when the most important attitude is to simply care for your fellow man and/or woman ( your neighbors/ all those you encounter during the day )
T. McMullen
4 February, 2010 at 4:31 am
Pretty close … however an issue of repentance, obedience and keeping the TORAH is required. Yahushua never came to bring another religion eg Christianity. He came to bring Truth, his whole life was dedicated to doing his Father Yahuwah will. Just as we are required to do. And loving ones’ neighbour and doing good as we would like done to us – is a huge requirement. The Kingdom message is not one of death and atonement it is one of obedience of Yahuwah’s commandments just to enter life.
Red Johnson
15 February, 2010 at 5:32 pm
I have looked through the entire new testament and I have yet to see the names of the psychopathic demons jehovah or yaweh.
Jesus Christ referred to Our Father, not a mass murderer god.
Buff
28 March, 2010 at 11:50 pm
As a summary of the Bible my favorite is Ecc. 12:13:
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
Robert Schmid
28 October, 2010 at 4:49 am
On the face of it, saying “keep God’s commandments” is too vague, certainly for most modern Christians at any rate. Christ’s point is that every man is God, and should be treated appropriately, that is compassionately or with lovingkindness as the bible has it (love!). In fact, with a more literal translation of the final phrase of this passage of Ecclesiates, it is clearer — for “this is the whole duty of man” is literally “this is every man”!
Mike Magee
28 October, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Well, you can arrange words so that you can keep saying that every human is God according to your arrangement of words.
But you cannot arrange words so that every human can put back his nose into his face and keep it there as before, by sheer will power, should he suffer an accident by which his nose gets completely severed from his face.
I grant you are one great juggler of words and a great believer in your juggling of words to come to any conclusion by which you feel that you are so wise and so full of insights.
Gerardo Ty Veloso
Gerardo Ty Veloso
30 October, 2010 at 7:14 am
Not my arranging or juggling of words, but the man whom Christians consider to be God, Jesus Christ. If that is so, you had better watch out for a far worse punishment than threatening to rearrange people’s noses. Try reading the Christian gospels. They say Christ had no time for gangsters, even if they pretended to be Christian ones.
Mike Magee
30 October, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Thats because there WERE NO psychpathic demons by those names. Duh!
Magni
14 May, 2011 at 1:21 pm
It is absurd for the author to use the bible to “prove” their is no God other than your neighbor. In the very text he uses, God sits at the end of time judging mankind and weather they will go to heaven or hell. Jesus was an historical fact. He gives us his body to join with his as he is the head of the body. The bible and Jesus also speaks plenty of faith for salvation and prayers, so when the author says it doesn’t, he is lying. We also know from the bible that Satan is the father of lies. Satan knows the bible well, just doesn’t want anyone to truly believe in salvation through Jesus, so he is constantly twisting it and lying.
Nancy
8 October, 2011 at 1:09 pm
I suggest you read a little rather than listening to your get rich quick pastors, assuming that you are not one, as I have only the name “Nancy” to go by. I have shown to you from your own supposedly holy book that there can be no way of misunderstanding what God incarnated–Jesus Christ–said. If tou believe this Jesus was God, then you believe what He said, not what Paul, the first crooked pastor, said. In fact, if you are right, and Christ is God, then you not I are following Satan, the father of lies. Paul, the Antichrist if Christ is God, was the father of lies, and you have chosen to worship him. The good news for you, is that Christ said you have time to repent and be forgiven, but from here on in you must do as Christ told you not what Paul did!
Mike Magee
8 October, 2011 at 2:35 pm