[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Velvet

Yikes! That’s your favorite verse? That’s pretty heavy. I spent many many years studying: if there was a God (you know, fundamentally as a scientist I was skeptical as hell) and then if there was, what was the nature of God - ten years of constant study - resulted in the smallest bit of understanding so far.

Someone told me only if you believe. Non believers directed down stairs. On fence are waiting in limbo?

[cjrjck]

Originally Posted by Velvet

Yikes! That’s your favorite verse? That’s pretty heavy. I spent many many years studying: if there was a God (you know, fundamentally as a scientist I was skeptical as hell) and then if there was, what was the nature of God - ten years of constant study - resulted in the smallest bit of understanding so far.

1 Cor 1: 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks (non Jews) look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength...27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong

Maybe the quest for "wisdom" is the wrong way to go about it?

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by cjrjck

You either believe God or you don't. Your call.

OR.......you believe in God, but don't think every word in what was voted as the 66 accepted books of the bible by the Councils of Hippo and Carthage in 393 and 397 AD respectively is the absolute literal "word of God". If you think the "giants" passage is strange, try the Book of Enoch, which was voted out just like the gospel according to Mary Magdalene. Nothing like starting with a collection of exaggerated stories and then cherry picking them. Of course, it does help to consolidate power in an organized church that had almost absolute control over the population for over a thousand years. I guess the line from a movie that sums it up best is from Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons". The Camerlengo challenges Professor Langdon answer to your question with "I didn't ask if you believe what man has written about God, I asked if you believe in God" .

[willis100]

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” —Mark 8:36,

[cjrjck]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

OR.......you believe in God, "I didn't ask if you believe what man has written about God, I asked if you believe in God" .

Believing in God will profit you nothing. The demons cast out by Christ knew exactly who he was. They believed in God. What they lacked was placing their trust in God. Faith is simply that: trusting in and believing God (taking Him at His word). Either you do or you don't. There are no shades of gray here.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by cjrjck

Believing in God will profit you nothing. The demons cast out by Christ knew exactly who he was. They believed in God. What they lacked was placing their trust in God. Faith is simply that: trusting in and believing God (taking Him at His word). Either you do or you don't. There are no shades of gray here.

So, everything in the bible is His word, literally? No chance they are stories handed down verbally for 1500 years until finally written down, and then first cherry picked by the early church followed by editing by a church/monks with an agenda? Don't question my belief in God and I won't question yours. But I do question the literal interpretation of the bible. I think we all also know what happens when the Koran is interpreted literally.

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by cjrjck

1 Cor 1: 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks (non Jews) look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength...27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong

Maybe the quest for "wisdom" is the wrong way to go about it?

Probably, it’s just so hard for me to believe in something blindly. Perhaps other people can see, but I can’t, I need to know.

[cjrjck]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

So, everything in the bible is His word, literally? No chance they are stories handed down verbally for 1500 years until finally written down, and then first cherry picked by the early church followed by editing by a church/monks with an agenda? Don't question my belief in God and I won't question yours. But I do question the literal interpretation of the bible. I think we all also know what happens when the Koran is interpreted literally.

Question my beliefs all you want. There is nothing wrong with comparing a person's beliefs with what the scripture says. All that really matters now in the age of grace is that you truly believe (place your trust, your faith) the Gospel spelled out in 1 Cor 15 1-4. Which in short says that Christ Jesus, the Word that was God and became flesh as spoken of in John's gospel, died on the cross in your place, shed his holy blood for the remission of your sins (past, present, and future), and rose on the third day victorious over death, the grave, and satanic powers. This is what God says through the apostle Paul and you simply have to believe it.

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by Velvet

Probably, it’s just so hard for me to believe in something blindly. Perhaps other people can see, but I can’t, I need to know.

The definition of FAITH.

[Flyers999]

"The Kingdom of God Is Within You"

Luke 17:21

[Byte1]

Take it or leave it, that's you making an important decision in your fate. It will not effect anyone else but you. Personally, I feel that anyone that actually believes that they are the most intelligent and/or most powerful entity in the universe is either very arrogant or very naive. That's my opinion. Not that it matters to anyone else but I have believed in GOD since I was a 4yo. I also found that many military members became believers in combat. That said, I kind of think of it like this. When a non-believer tells me that when I die nothing will happen and that there is no soul, I am thankful that I am a believer. If he is is right then I have lost nothing in believing. If he is wrong, what has he lost?
I am NO expert in the Bible, but I have studied it for years, even taking courses. Still not an expert, but I am not totally ignorant either. I had a conversation with an archeologist about the Bible and his belief in GOD. He told me that being a scientist, he has studied archeology as related to the Bible for decades and has found the Bible to be historically, mathematically and scientifically accurate. He said his studies strengthened his belief, rather than diminishing it. He laughed at the "Big Bang" theory and gave me simple thought. He said, "take a simple pocket watch apart and put the pieces in a jar. Start shaking it. How long do you think it would take for that watch to fall into proper order; pieces together, and then start working?" Compare that with a planet forming a sustainable atmosphere, then atoms forming into complicated living creatures and evolving into human beings with sentient thinking. Just thinking of how complicated an eye is and how it functions is mind boggling, let alone a whole body.
If hundreds of people witnessed Jesus Christ, his miracles, his death and his resurrection...then who are we to say they are liars? If GOD says that the penalty for sin is death and the only way to salvation is his Son, then I see no down side to believing.
John 3:16 is one of the most popular Bible verses.
No one is forcing Christianity on you. I am disappointed in those on here that take a nice Subject like the OP proposed and distort and demean it. The OP did not ask if anyone believed one way or another, only a nice suggestion of what Bible verse folks favored.