I like to discuss things, but I am trying not to get into something heated with any of you, but you make it difficult when you continue to mischaracterize my position(s). I gave a link which clearly shows that if I am to be labeled anything, it should be "moderate", not fundamentalist or liberal.
I believe that we are all here because we "like to discuss things" especially the difficult things of God and God's doctrines.
Concerning your label of moderate -- as that is a middle of the road position where one sometimes fails to stand for anything concrete, I will accept that you see yourself in that light. That, however, does not negate the fact that you have come here and offered to us a very liberal interpretation of the Scriptures, and more so, argued with some veracity FOR that position. Thus, we do not in particular label YOU but rather YOUR ARGUMENT as liberal.
I've yet to find anyone in Christendom who actually self-labels as "liberal" but I can find countless examples of such doctrinal stances argued.
I have already given some scriptural examples which show contradiction: the James passage which contradicts "faith alone", the Hebrews 6 passage which contradicts OSAS.
Some, over the years, who do not understand the perspective of James (including Martin Luther) have argued that James disagrees with Paul, and with the general concept of grace through faith, and that not of works. The error here is in examining James' vantage point. While Paul and others argue forward (from God's perspective) -- we are first saved by grace through faith, James argues backward (from our perspective) that our works demonstrate that we were saved by grace through faith. In this light there is no contradiction whatsoever with James. There are many who hold this perspective -- virtually all who do not seek to take apart Scripture and make it divided against itself (and by inference, as you have aptly argued below) -- and God with it.
There can logically and doctrinally be no contradictions in Scripture unless one starts to decide which part of Scripture are "God's words" versus the whole of Scripture being "God's Word." This argument, in fact, is at the heart of the debate between liberal and orthodox Christianity and was the driving point of the SBC conservative resurgence (we are debating that issue on another thread, feel free to jump in over there).
Let me ask this: How do any of you reconcile OT passages which picture God as ordering the extermination of people, including the innocent, with the teachings of Jesus? Surely you must see that both of these pictures cannot be true.
In order to accept your premise
prima facie, one would have to then eliminate EVERY occurence in the OT of God's grace in evidence and also in the NT every occurance of the wrath of God detailed. That means that the passages that prophecy Christ returning to us with sword in hand must be struck from the NT as the God of love could never divide people -- sheep from goats -- wheat from tares -- regenerate from non-regenerate -- evil from righteous, and that not of ourselves but imputed from Christ who IS our righteousness.
Even ONE example of either in either text would make your argument invalid according to the Law of Non-Contradiction, and I can easily cite dozens of cases in either text that defeat your proposition. That means that your proposition is un-true.
Also, take 2 Kings 2: 23-25. You really believe that Elisha put a curse on children for calling him names, causing a bear to tear 42 of them to pieces? Yeah, this is really what the God of our Lord Jesus Christ would do; this is the character of God that Jesus taught and exemplified, right?
You so easily attribute to God (the god of the OT in your reconing, for he cannot be GOD of all) a sinful demeanor, which may in fact be nothing more than the sinful actions of a human man.
What of Christ? Can we find any examples where He cursed something? How about turning away some individual who came to Him? Both happened. We dare not forget that Christ is not JUST the "God of Love" but that He is also Just Judge and has/will (already, but not yet) be the judge of all with the power to destroy as well as to save.
If the Bible is not contradictory, why do you think there are so many different denominations and theological systems and positions, all claiming scriptural support and claiming that their position is correct and others aren't? And each one, just as sincerely as the other, believes the scripture teaches their position.
There are so many differnt denominations and theological systems because we are yet under the effects of the curse of sin and because of that we do not always see clearly. To attribute such to God is to make God in our image instead of what Scripture says about God, i.e., that He is PERFECT with no shadow of darkness within Him, that He is RIGHTEOUS, with no hint of sin or degredation, that He is HOLY, utterly separated from His creation, and that He is ALL POWERFUL to accomplish His perfect will, no matter whether we like it, believe in it, follow it, or understand it.
With an enemy working against God and God's people it would be amazing and unbelievable in the extreme for there NOT to be counterfeits, usurping of God's power, misunderstanding, and direct leading away from God and God's doctrines. And, so, in observation of humanity we find that God is true, always, and that we are true once in a while when we keep our gaze afixed on God instead of God's people.
I'm still waiting for someone to look at this objectively instead of just spitting back what you've been taught.
Brother, we are ALL taught by someone. You have laid out the standard liberal approach to the Scriptures whether or not you realize it, and I can take you back in the works of theology to the precise individuals who first promulgated your approach, show you how it was developped down through the ages, and also show you the results of that approach in the church (term used very loosely in this case, for once one disavows themselves of God all that is left is anthropocentrically-driven religious effort).
To suggest that you alone, of all the citizens of this earth, have arrived at these conclusions is to be disingenous to yourself first, then to the rest of us by way of your own delusion.
And, finally, we HAVE discovered that you hold standard far liberal doctrines concerning the Word of God. We can then infer that you hold them as well for other doctrines that derive from that Word, but perhaps you are heterodox only in your view of Scripture and orthodox in the balance of your doctrines, I don't know for we have yet to examine more than one or two issues. Your response now is to take the Berean track and search the Scriptures to discover the truths of God then recant and repent of your abuse of both.
