The bible is a human product: it tells us how our religious ancestors saw things, not how God sees things.
Whilst one might think this is a statement of the obvious, it is anathema to those who believe the bible is inspired by and from a metaphysical entity or worse still it is the inerrant word of God to be read literally.
It is my opinion that the bible is an attempt by individuals at particular times and places to record the history and life of their people and set it in the context of religious beliefs of the time. We seek to understand scripture through the lens and perspective of its authors. Of course it is open to us to seek to understand faith in the context of present times and we may discern beliefs today held in common with the original authors.
It is one of the great joys of a living faith that we are in a position to draw on the wisdom of the past, but we are not hostages to the past. We renew our understanding of God's love shaped by our own context, not that of our predecessors.
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