Recently, I’ve been writing  a few of my own thoughts on some of the scriptures (here, and here). After reading them, Nonna sent me through a document written by Nonno, which helps explain them a little better than I can.

I’m going to publish this document on my blog as a series of studies, so that you and I can read through them together.

His first, below, is an introduction to the Bible. I hope you all find this as interesting and important as I do.

The Bible – The Word Of God

By Ronald Fabri

Introduction

The Bible, the English form of the Greek word BIBLIA, meaning “books”, is the name which in the fifth century was given to the entire collection of sacred books, known as “The Library of Divine Revelation.” It is the greatest book that has ever been written. The composition of the Bible is a miracle in itself. It is a library of 66 books; 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. This does not include the books of the Apocrypha, which are only accepted by the Roman Catholics, the Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox.

The Bible has been composed by many different writers, in three different languages and under different circumstances.

The writers represent a cross section of humanity: educated and uneducated, Hebrews, Jews and Gentiles. They are writers of almost every social rank: kings, fishermen, public officials, farmers, teachers and physicians. Most of them are unknown to each other and are writing throughout various periods of time which span approximately 1500 years. The Bible makes comment on such topics as religion, history, law, science, poetry, drama, biography and prophecy. For so many writers, of such varied backgrounds, to cover such a wide variety of subjects over such a long period of time in absolute harmony appears impossible.

So, how then do we account for the Bible? We must keep in mind that the Bible is not purely a book of philosophy, although it is philosophical. We should not go to the Bible for a scientific study; however there is no discrepancy between certain facts of science and the Bible.

Nor is the Bible simply a book of history, even though it is found to be accurate when recording history. The Bible was given to man from God, revealing Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the only Saviour and giver of eternal life.

The Bible alone truly answers the greatest questions asked by man:
Where have I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? How can I know the truth? It is the Bible which reveals the truth about God, explains the origin of man, directs the only way to salvation and eternal life and clears up the age-old problem of sin and suffering.

The most significant writings in the entire Bible are those which tell of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work of redemption for mankind. The person and works of Jesus Christ are promised, prophesied and pictured in the types and symbols of the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ is revealed, in all of His truth and beauty, in the Gospels and the full meaning of His life, His death and His resurrection is explained in the epistles. His glorious second coming to this earth in the future is unmistakably foretold in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, including the book of Revelation.

The great purpose of the written Word of God, the Bible, is to reveal the LIVING WORD OF GOD who is THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

As mentioned before, the Bible is divided into the Old Testament, containing thirty-nine books, and the New Testament which contains twenty-seven books. In the New Testament, the Old Testament is referred to as “the Scriptures” and they are regarded as being given by God by divine inspiration. From time to time God raised up men to commit to writing the revelation which He gave them. The “Scriptures,” or collection of sacred writings, was enlarged as God saw necessary. Thus, it was God’s purpose to perpetuate His revealed will.

Before we go any further, we would like to emphasise what God Himself, by divine revelation, inspired the writers to proclaim:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”.  (Heb. 13:8)

 “And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end”.  (Heb. 1:12)

—

Next: The Bible Has Special Power

View more from this series.

Don’t forget to check out the new feature on my blog: lightbox. Click on one of the images to see!

16.10.07 – Luke

DVD Day.

Basically we sat in bed all day eating Oreos, Krispy Kremes and treats from a bakery, drinking sprite and coke, and watching DVD’s on the DVD play we rented (rp50,000 for the day).

We watched (in order):

• Oceans 13
• Marie Antoinette
• The History Boys
• Transformers
• Donnie Brasco
• Hairspray

T and I both liked Oceans 13 the best, and I reckon Donnie Brasco is a close 2nd.

We went out to dinner at a great restaurant – the best yet. Mostly because its food most resembled food at home, which we dearly miss.

16.10.07 – Talia

Movie day 2day. I went for a walk by myself in the morning 2 try and get supplies, but nothing was open.

No breakfast @ the hotel 2day – I nearly threw up just @ the thought of it. Plus there is  NO healthy food in this entire country. So I am doomed to have gained kilos by the time I come back.

All the junk food today doesn’t help, but I was v. restrained (much 2 Luke’s annoyance actually) and only had one oreo and 2 Krispy Kremes.

Soft Drink and Salt & Vinegar chips were my weakness though, but I justify it by the fact that I had been wanting them for a few days now and hated food in this country.

Even @ dinner (nice restaurant, nice food) I tried to get something healthy and everything was either fried, full of white, refined wheat, or covered in cheese. I ended up getting calamari and chips, which even included some cooked beans and carrots (yuk 2 the carrots but I ate them for fear I might be getting scurvy or similar due to lack of nutrients received since coming to Indonesia) .

But it wasn’t deep friend, and not even coated, so I was pleased!

We watched some good movies – Oceans 13 being one of the best and Hairspray also being fun and dance and singable. Good time.

xox

We’re huge fans of Scat’s swingin’ Jazz, and ever since we heard them play a sneak preview of their Christmas album, entitled ‘We Dig Christmas’, during their gig at the Brisbane Jazz Club a few months ago, we’ve been hanging out to get our hands on it!

You can book now for a ticket to their album launch at Alhambra this Wednesday night, and the $25 also includes a free copy of their album. Click here for your tickets.

Here’s a quick youtube video promo of their new album ‘We Dig Christmas’ for your enjoyment. It’s really very funny.

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Here’s hoping that Scat notices this post and comments me… Or, for that matter, anyone at all comments me.

Catch me later.

Very handy when it gets to words like analyse, criticise, or memorise.

So how do you do it? Well, it’s not hard. We start by right clicking in a text area, I’ve included one below. Make sure that the Spell Check This Field option is ticked in the contextual menu, and then choose Languages, and Add Dictionaries.

In the window displayed, locate English (Australian) in the list, and press Install.

Once correctly installed, you will need to right click a text area again, and choose English / Australia from the Language menu.

Use this as your text area – start by right clicking here.

I really like it! How about you?

Another new feature – the Lightbox plugin. What’s that? Click the picture below and look for yourself!

Luckily, there’s this great new site called HowShouldIVote.com.au.

Basically, enter in your postcode, choose your electorate, and answer a short (but well rounded) quiz about issues that are or aren’t important to you.

The candidates also fill out the same quiz, and by matching their quiz results with yours, on election morning, you’ll know who to vote for.

My personal results were Debbie Blumel, for the ALP – we had a 76% match.

Why don’t you go ahead and try it for yourself, it’s a quick and easy way of finding out which candidate best suits what’s important to you. HowShouldIVote.com.au.

The question was this: Should we follow the law of the old testament? Or did Jesus break it when he died for our sins on the cross?

Again, this is a long post, so click the More… link to keep reading.

So the answer to the question is a little more in depth than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but I really think I have the answer, and it’s not what I expected.

I’m going to talk about two important verses here. The first is Matthew 5:17.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

And Hebrews 7:11-19.

 11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”^[a]

 18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

Read them both through carefully, and I’ll summarise what I get from this.

It was Jesus role to abolish the Levitical priesthood by he himself, being from the order of Melchizedek, becoming the High Priest. He would become the High Priest by conquering death, and this would fulfill the Law. Also, when there is a change in priesthood, there must also be a change in law.

Fairly heavy stuff, but fun none the less. But wait, there are still one major major question unanswered, it’s to do with Matthew 5:19. Let’s take a look from verse 17.

17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

This is what confused me. Doesn’t this say that we still need to keep the Law?

Let’s look at it one verse at a time, this time I’ll add a few of the Greek words in there.

17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law (nomos) or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

The word “nomos” is used throughout the entire bible, and references Mosaic Law, or Old Testament law. Here are a few places where “nomos” is used for Law:

• John 1:17
• John 15:25
• John 8:5

And remember we read before that Jesus fulfills the Law by becoming the new High Priest through death, bringing in a new Law.

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (nomos) until everything is accomplished.

Jesus is telling us that he has actually conquered death, the “nomos” law is still valid. This is why he lead his life abiding perfectly to “nomos” Law – he was a Jew, and he never sinned.

This is where it gets interesting.

19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments (entole) and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands (entole) will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

“Entole” is a word for Law, or Commandments that is used in a very different way to “nomos“. It’s only used in regards to Jesus’ commandments, or new commandments (with one single exception in Luke 23:56). A few examples:

•  John 15:10
• Matthew 19:17-19
• Luke 23:56

So Jesus is saying that we need to follow his commandments – he’s not actually referring to the commandments of the old testament.

So there you have it. Jesus, the new High Priest, asks us to follow his new laws. Interestingly enough, this means the 10 commandments is abolished. So do we still have to follow the 10 commandments? Well, Jesus commands (entole) us to follow all but one – which is keeping the Sabbath.

This is a really long post, and so instead of it taking up my whole site, I’ve included the more… link below. Click it to continue reading.

1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. 2 But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Judea was obviously where the Feast of Tabernacles was held. I find it interesting that even as Jesus walked the earth, his brothers (or followers, I think?) thought it was important to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. This was still an important thing to them.

Also, it’s important to note that in chapter 6, Jesus was saying some interesting things:

53 I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

This caused a lot of confusion amongst his followers, and I think that’s understandable, and many left him. We look and understand that verse now, knowing what he meant, but if you put yourself in the shoes of these people who were still just getting to know Jesus (this is very early in his journey), it’s a kinda weird thing to say.

My point is, I think this explains the last verse: for even his own brothers did not believe him. Let me say again, I’m interpreting brothers to mean followers, and given what he had just said recently about his flesh, and that many had left, I think this actually means what it says: Jesus’ followers were having their doubts about Jesus’, and wanted him to prove himself in front of people.

Let’s continue.

6 Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8 You go to the Feast. I am not yet. 9 Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

Okay, so Jesus says to his followers you go, I’m gonna stay back here a while because people hate me. The time is not right for me yet to come. He stays behind while his followers go to the Feast. Does this mean that we do not need to attend the Feast?

10 However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man? 12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man. Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

So Jesus still goes, in secret. I guess this raises the question “If Jesus attended the Feast, shouldn’t we also attend the Feast?”

I’ve asked this question to people before, and talked to them about the Sabbath, and I’m often replied to with a quote from the bible about how Jesus broke the Sabbath by healing on that day, and so the Sabbath is broken by Jesus’ coming. I guess my last post has a little to say about it, if you’re interested in that kind of stuff, but we’ll get to keeping the Sabbath in just a minute.

Also in this passage, it’s mentioned that people were looking for him there – Jesus was expected there. I also think that it’s very funny that Jesus went to the Feast disguised, and would have heard people whispering good and bad things about him.

I don’t understand why they were scared of speaking aloud about him. It says they were scared of the Jews. Maybe this means that they weren’t sure what the authorities thought about Jesus (you’ll see later on), and didn’t want to say the wrong thing in front of them.

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

I think that people would have been shocked – especially those sitting near Jesus. Here they were whispering about him, and then he gets up and reveals himself to them.

He is basically saying that he is the Son of God, and that his teaching is truth. Not too much else to read into on this bit – the next bit is where it gets interesting.

19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

Jesus just goes ahead and tells the entire crowd there, the people who were keeping the Feast in accordance with Moses’ laws, that they were breaking the laws. This would have been very controversial, I reckon. Lets face it, this guy Jesus knows how to stir the pot.

Then he changes the subject completely. The crowd replied with what I think would translate in modern terms to “The guy’s a nutter”.

21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement.”

This is the crux of what Jesus was trying to say, and a lot to think about.

This is really interesting, when you realise that circumcision was not law for or from Moses, circumcision is a command from God to Abraham, in Genesis 17:10. So what Jesus is saying is really “You circumcise for the sake of Moses, and you keep Sabbath for the sake of Moses, but you circumcise on the same day as the Sabbath, making you a hypocrite.”

Jesus put it much more elegantly and tactfully than that though. Then he goes on to say “I heal a man on Sabbath, you circumcise on Sabbath, why am I the one in trouble here?”

So I guess a question comes up from that.

Does Jesus mean that the Sabbath is abolished because of him, or does Jesus mean that healing is okay on Sabbath, but not circumcision?

Jesus talks a few times about the laws of Sabbath, and calls people hypocrites – posing the same question. I believe the answer lies in  Luke 6:9-11, where Jesus says:

  9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

I think what he’s getting at is that people are missing the point of the Sabbath – the point is to focus on God and have a day of rest, but if someone is in need, God won’t hate us for doing good to that person. This is backed up in Luke 14:5,

 5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they had nothing to say.

But I think that it’s important to note here that Jesus was just correcting us on the Sabbath, not abolishing it completely. I still haven’t seen the part of the bible that says we can stop keeping the Sabbath now. I mean, it’s one of the ten commandments! God gave us just 10 rules, and that’s one of them!

One last thing, before I wrap up, in regards to Jesus and the Sabbath. Luke 6:5.

Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

To me, if Jesus is proclaiming himself as the Lord of the Sabbath, I think he’s telling us that he’s in charge of it, and he says what goes. How can he be Lord of something he has abolished by dying for us?

So that’s about it. That’s a lot to process, I know. I’m thinking of turning these posts into studies for bible groups, maybe I’ll split this into two. My next post will be along the lines of “What are the rules of the Sabbath”, and “Is Sunday Sabbath okay?”. Till then, take it easy. And as Jesus tells as over and over: Don’t worry!

We wrote some songs, did some covers, and went through a fair share of others. First there was Duncan “Double-Kick” Barker (not our style), then there was Sasha (our main drummer, pictured), and later when we recorded a few songs, Marcel.

We were young, it was grunge, and it was fun. Silverchair started in a garage like us, and that was all the motivation we needed.

Years later we changed our name to The Apollos, got a new drummer – Matt, and changed our style of music to sound like something less like Silverchair and more like John, Paul, Ringo and George, and moved to Brisbane to hit the big time.

That never happened, Matt left, and the band broke up again.

Another few years have been since then, I’ve been part of The Wells, and Ross has been part of a duet with our old drummer Marcel (both on guitar), and now Ross and I are looking at forming a band again.

Just thought I’d give you all a heads up (and a complete history of my non-existent musical career).