The New Lies Hidden in the Old, The Old is Revealed in the New

[TimothyH]

dmwessel, what happens when two verses appear to contradict?

*"For the life of every creature is the blood of it; therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off. (Leviticus 17:14)

he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)*

One says that you must not eat blood and the other says that you must eat blood. Can you explain how this works?

-Tim-

 

[ProVobis]

dmwessel, what happens when two verses appear to contradict?

"For the life of every creature is the blood of it; therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off. (Leviticus 17:14)

he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

One says that you must not eat blood and the other says that you must eat blood. Can you explain how this works?

-Tim-

I don’t know if this will answer your question but as I was listening to an old Bishop Sheen lecture I stumbled on something he mentioned in relation. I realize the video is rather lengthy but it takes less than an hour to hear. I’m paraphrasing but the bishop said something to the effect that we normally eat something after it’s been killed, whether it’s an animal, vegetable, or whatever. But you can hear for yourself and then see if it makes sense.

youtube.com/watch?v=zc9Xkpx-WyA

Just trying to help. It’s a valid question on your part.

 

[ProVobis]

I read that Pentecost was a reversal of the Tower of Babel, where voices were confused and people could not understand each other, whereas as Pentecost, even foreigners understood the proclamations of the apostles.

But one can easily say Pilate also reversed the Tower of Babel when he wrote the inscription of Christ in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew so that all would know Who He was, even though Aramaic was the vernacular. I’m not equating Pilate with the Holy Spirit but just saying.

 

[dmwessel]

Two men from the Jehovah’s Witness religion sat at my kitchen table and told me that the Church did not need to interpret scripture but that scripture interpreted itself. They then proceeded to go through some verses which corresponded to other verses elsewhere, flipping back and forth, showing me verses that “agree” as you put it.

-Tim-

Hmm, they never said anything of the like to me. Was this fairly recent?

Mind you, it doesn’t alter the fact the scripture is self-interpreting. After-all an *all-powerful *God wouldn’t leave interpretation up to human beings that would ultimately interpret incorrectly causing many divisions. However, if God does the interpreting then there are no errors.

Then again, if the JW’s truly used the confirming principle as it is intended, their religion would be non-existent.

 

[dmwessel]

dmwessel, what happens when two verses appear to contradict?

"For the life of every creature is the blood of it; therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off. (Leviticus 17:14)

he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

One says that you must not eat blood and the other says that you must eat blood. Can you explain how this works? -Tim-

Sorry, I didn’t see this post until now. It’s a fair question, however, we know that God will never contradict Himself.

“It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

Jesus said that he was the bread of life - therefore, his flesh and his blood are also used in a figurative sense.

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)

Another note:
I think I now understand the reason why you reacted as you did when I mentioned the law of confirming earlier. I don’t mean confirming in the sense of what you find in a concordance (which I believe the JW’s do!) I mean it in this sense:

“Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” (Matt. 13:52)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.” (Matt. 13:44)

“(10)Who can find a virtuous woman?…(16) She considers a field and buys it.” (Prov. 31:10-16) see below Prov. 31

“Who can find a virtuous woman? For *her price *is far above rubies.” (Prov. 31:10)

“No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, for *the price *of wisdom is above rubies.” (Job 28:18)

“For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.” (Proverbs 8:11)

**above (far above) rubies *and *better than rubies *are synonymous

“Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and **sold all that he had, and bought it” **(Matt. 13:46)

“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” (Proverbs 23:23) *wisdom/instruction/understanding/knowledge = synonyms

See how the word treasure led into the string of words, “in a field” and “sells all he has and buys it”. Those words led to the “virtuous woman” and rubies and then wisdom and the “pearl of great price”.

So we see in the end that the virtuous woman is figurative for “wisdom” and the “pearl of great price”.

This is how God’s words are self-interpreting.