Faith without religion.
The Triumph of Love: Unpacking the Power of Agape in the Bible and Beyond
Love, Bible, Inspiration
In a recent discussion on First Corinthians chapter 1, Delaney and Shawn McCraney delve into the complexities of biblical interpretation and the essence of spiritual inspiration. They explore the Apostle Paul’s message to the Corinthians, emphasizing unity over division and questioning the literal interpretation of scripture. The conversation highlights the idea that the Bible’s inspiration is not about every word being divinely dictated but rather about the spirit moving individuals to act and write.
The duo challenges the notion of “episis verba,” the belief that every word of the Bible is inspired, suggesting instead that the spirit’s role is to guide believers to love, which transcends doctrinal differences. They argue that love, as a system, is superior because it works universally, regardless of individual beliefs or systems. This perspective encourages believers to prioritize love over rigid adherence to doctrine, fostering unity and understanding.
The discussion also touches on personal experiences with idols and the importance of aligning one’s life with spiritual principles rather than material desires. Delaney and Sean emphasize that the Bible provides guiding principles rather than specific mandates, allowing individuals to discern what aligns with their spiritual journey.
Ultimately, the conversation underscores the transformative power of love and the spirit’s role in guiding believers to a deeper understanding of scripture and life. Through this lens, they advocate for a faith that is dynamic, inclusive, and centered on love as the ultimate truth.
Podcast Transcript:
I don’t get the Bible with Delaney and
Sean mccraine welcome we’re in First
Corinthians chapter 1 yes part two we’re
starting around verse
13
um has Christ been divided into factions
was I Paul crucified for you he’s
calling out why um they’re divided the
Corinthians have divided amongst each
other was I Paul crucified for you were
any of you baptized in the name of Paul
of course not cuz people were saying I
follow Paul I follow Peter so he’s
saying you’re dumb for saying that
um I thank God I did not baptize any of
you except chrispus and gas
stop I did not baptize any of you I
thank God I didn’t baptize any of you
okay we make the biggest deal out of
baptism and here we have an apostle to
the Gentiles saying I’m glad I didn’t
even do it that’s true but what does he
say he did read the next line for for
now no one can say they were baptized in
my name right and then he says oh yes I
also baptized the house of stephanus he
forgot I don’t remember baptizing anyone
else I couldn’t believe he’s writing a
letter and he had to parenthetical he
like I oh yeah I did but yeah is that
show how God lets him right according to
what he is and who he is 100% that’s I I
just wrote that it shows so much that
that was there yeah and like inspiration
yeah is and you have to take into
account that uh the the scripture is not
God saying every word it’s holy we
worship it Paul’s just trying to
communicate I feel I’m having such a
different understanding of in like the
Bible being inspired like they were
inspired to just act yeah like that was
what the inspiration is there’s maybe it
seems like there are times where the
spirit literally gives them words in
what they’re writing yeah like the
writing isn’t what the spirit gave
they’re writing about times when the
spirit gave them words to say and
they’re like accounting for that that’s
right the inspiration is just Paul
writing the letter in itself was the
inspiration or and there’s a uh a
theological argument it’s called episis
verba an epitus wora is every word is
inspired oh my gosh King James onlyest
every word is inspired and you have Paul
himself showing it wasn’t where does
that even come from it comes from the
tradition of men uh it came from the
Protestant
Reformation who said you know we don’t
like the Catholics and what they’ve done
in in orchestrating brick and mortar
we’re going to say no it’s the Bible
alone Sola scriptura alone and that’s
when we took that and we made it our
Idol it’s an idol there’s a passage in
there it says every all scripture is
given by inspiration okay it’s in second
Timothy or 1
Timothy but the Greek translation
according to all the best Greek Scholars
it’s anything that is scripture is given
by
inspiration so what happens is when you
have the spirit
you’ll read passages and the spirit that
led Paul to write will also confirm to
you that this is spiritually applicable
and true you’re going to come as you get
more and more esteemed in the word to
come to places where you’re going to say
I don’t get this one at all I I I wonder
about this and so that’s how the spirit
is able to speak to Believers throughout
the ages
wow but that passage is anything that’s
scripture not all scripture anything
that scripture is what again is anything
that is scripture is inspired by God but
the passage reads all scripture is
inspired by God so biblical literalists
read that and they say it’s all episis
verva it’s all inspired by God because
it’s all scripture but that’s not how to
read
that even if it was all inspired by God
that does not mean that the words them
specifically that the writing of it was
inspired like the person was inspired
when they wrote it I think we need to
talk about this for the rest of the show
because it’s so important wow see and I
have long maintained this they call me a
heretic for doing so if we had a stadium
of Believers okay from all over the
world packed in
there we and and we from a microphone in
the middle of the field
said everybody tell me what this
reference means they would all open up
their Bibles in their own languages and
they would read that
verse and they would all come to a
subtly different understanding of it
just by virtue of the language
differences so if that’s the case and we
the world is full of different
languages then how on Earth could we say
that every single word translated from a
translation from a translation from an
original language that is dead and we
don’t understand it how could we say we
can understand every word is being
inspired it has to come through another
source to the people to understand the
interpretation of it and so all those
people in the stadium if they’re all
inspired of the spirit would translate
that single passage in the same way but
the problem is they aren’t they don’t so
we have to subjectively determine
through our own lives and the spirit
working on us how to interpret that it’s
not up to personal interpretation but it
is something that we discover we all
come to different conclusions therefore
that can’t be the
go-to because the go-to for God is
always the same what is it it’s
love and the way that love is defined
cannot be argued with this can be argued
with the word can be argued with the
interpretation the application the
ancient language argued argued argued
but what the spirit’s fruit is love and
that’s why I stand on that yeah yeah get
it yeah like
ins inspiration that someone gets from
reading the Bible is
irrefutable because that’s the spirit or
like if it’s the
spirit and that’s where you say you
don’t know what Spirit people are going
by so you don’t judge or whatever but if
the spirit’s working it will lead
to love no matter what the translation
is of those words yeah so let’s say that
you are a person who believes like the
Presbyterian Orthodox that babies should
be
baptized and I am more of a Biblical
literalist in some way and I say it’s
not really in the scripture what do we
do with our differences I love you okay
you can do that that’s why say Doctrine
doesn’t matter Doctrine divides what
unites is the love these guys in Corinth
are going to have doctrinal differences
and so we have division all the way
through and Paul’s trying to say you
need to unite as one let these doct and
I’m trying to bring that to our world
today yeah they won’t hear
it yeah it’s a hard because
like the question from there is why
would it lead to love like where do you
get that from I’ve had that I’ve had
those conflicts with this idea like the
fact that love is the
result comes from the Bible right like
the Bible is says and like you justify
this by saying the Bible says it and
it’s like but we’re not like you can’t
it’s like a cyclical thing it’s like I
can’t support my argument because I’m
citing something that others don’t
believe in yeah it’s like
discrediting it’s like not a discredit
but like you’re saying the Bible isn’t
the first
thing the spirit is because the spirit
will lead to love but the reason you
know that is because it comes from the
Bible I know I know it’s said in the
Bible it’s stated in the Bible but it
goes far beyond just that the Bible also
states that God is love and so if it
comes from God then but by virtue of
something coming from him if he is love
not that he has love but if he is love
then what he gives you must also lead to
love but that’s still an argument the in
the Bible okay and so what happens is
you then have to say in your mind okay
will I place my faith in this evidence
that God is love love is the fruit of uh
truth we uh always go we defer to love
when we engage with each other in
differences or will I try to use another
approach and my challenge to anybody is
let’s see your approach yeah because
what I say is selfless Agape Love is a
triumph over every other man-made thing
and I’ve yet to see someone disprove
that that’s why I place my faith in the
message that’s in that book and then I
use it in my understanding of scripture
yeah I yeah like that Mak sense yeah I’m
having a hard time understanding
what any like holes in it it’s a weird
argument but
like it lines up like there are other
evidences I think you’re trying to say
that there are evidences outside of the
Bible that also lead to love being the
answer because you don’t have to
understand you don’t have to have read
the Bible to know the spirit and that it
points to love and from that statement
we can say an Aboriginal in Australia
never has to have a Bible and the spirit
can move them to Selfless Love and they
are in much accordance as a scholar of
that book yeah right get it and they’re
and that outside of even the Bible is
the best system I can’t see something
better yeah now Mark said might makes
right and and and and we have all these
other ideas that have come forth and so
I studied philosophy to find answers and
every one of them wound up failing in my
estimation now so all I do is say I have
yet to see proof that agape love is not
the solution give me a better proof and
so you then you what you do is you
decart this thing down and you go all
the way down till it takes you to the
bottom and I did it with my life I tried
everything I possibly could to see and
just from my personal life now not for
yours yeah I found that I don’t think
anything else Works in our family when
Agape Love Is there we have it down when
it’s not we don’t Corinth when they
don’t have it it they can’t survive so I
try to see who is giving us something
better and they just can’t see it can
you no I um the like love the other ways
work really well if everyone’s on the
same page I think the thing that makes
love as a system different is that it
works no matter what the system that
exists is and who’s on that system yeah
like you can be on a different page than
everybody else and you absorb their
system if your system is love like
you’re able to relate to them and like
die to yourself and whatever and that’s
why so it’s a system where it works on
your own and it works only better the
more people do it but it doesn’t require
that everyone does it no like every
single other system every single other
system that’s why it’s Victorious yeah
so just imagine that you’re on a ship
with a bunch of people and your job is
to do some tasks till you get to the the
the shore I’ve watched enough reality
shows to see them try it and in the end
if that love isn’t present with the
group it’s chaos and they don’t get
anything done and then it even leads to
uh evil murder back backstabbing and all
this evil stuff and I call it evil
because it hurts people so when you
start to see that even in a secular
world when the door comes off the
hinges that love is the solution and we
can see it works in marriage in families
in society and self-interest caus is
destruction yeah and I can see that
without believing in God for one second
yeah the
there’s a thing though that the idea
that it works means that like what does
work mean like
work what is the gauge for knowing if
something works or not and some people
don’t care about the outcomes that you
like functioning means it’s stable it’s
healthy it’s like Dynamic alive yeah
Dynamic
alive what like but there are people who
have
systems that they prioritize because
they don’t want those outcomes yeah and
I would suggest that when you lay them
on a table and sort them out that you
would find defects in their philosophy
but why like their philosophy will lead
them to an outcome that they don’t want
to have stability and health they wanta
they want chaos I bet mayard wants chaos
and he is producing exactly what what he
wants okay so then look at the result of
Maynard’s contribution to the world is
it that the world has more peace people
are kind that’s not what he is aiming
for then he’s diabolical and he he
Embraces A system that is not for the
benefit of all it’s the benefit of
mayard and his ideologies but like why
is diabolical bad because causes pain in
people who don’t know how to thrive in a
system like that the love eliminates
pain for the weakest of people and the
strongest of but the other uh systems
always benefit some Souls but not
everybody that’s why so that like there
are just going to be people that do not
care
about that oh yeah they live in the dark
yeah that’s what defines dark is that
they don’t care about that cuz like
their system is incredible if they if it
would work best for all of us if we
didn’t care about light yeah like it’s
the light is defined by those things
that love produces which is stability
and blah blah so if you don’t care about
light then why would you ever prescribe
to love you would never prescribe to
love and if you don’t care about light
you would never uh uh sub uh uh
subscribe to something that illuminates
yeah or something that takes you out of
ignorance yeah when you’re in ignorance
and you’re not illuminated you can be
prayed upon by the purveyors of that
system yeah mayard cells albums yeah
because people in their uh despair they
turn to him and his WI wiom and he feeds
them with his talents but he continues
to get richer and he gets to do what he
wants it’s the ultimate form of
selfishness so this is the philosophy
behind why I have chosen and it’s a
choice to believe that this system is
superior to others and by the way just
to let you know in context this is
between her and I I took every ounce
every bit of tulle mayard pfer all of it
off my uh thing because of what we
talked about the other day because I
realized that was an idol and that’s
something we have to battle as humans
what Idols do we entertain along with
our love for God because those Idols are
all trying to do something that he is
not about and when we share the space of
God and an idol like that we have
divided ourselves and you become split
so I made the decision now I wouldn’t do
this because of religion you know a
church could have said you shouldn’t
listen to that I’d say shut up yeah but
God led me to see and when you see in
the illumination what’s happening you
can make those choices to love which is
sacrificial and insufferable because I
miss it I love that stuff I love it but
I do not want it if it’s going to take
from my allegiance to him get it yeah
and that’s not to say it always has to
be like that does not because that’s a
rule of the flesh yeah yeah you’ll come
to a time of life where you can go back
to it and it won’t be an idol and go
back to it or choose to continue in it
because you don’t see it as such and
you’re free because we are saved by him
not by me but out of respect for my for
what he’s done in our life I don’t want
anything to come even if I love it
that’s the point even if I love
something it’s not my will it’s his yeah
you get it that we’re bringing you into
a conversation about a music IAL uh
artist that I have really enjoyed and
and just something that’s gone on with
all that well I do too it’s yeah it like
when you’re going through things I think
about it for myself obviously cuz like
it brings about a dark spirit in me like
I peace though too it’s an atheist peace
there’s a peace in the dark it’s yeah
cuz it’s like finally someone’s
producing Something Beautiful you love
it so it feels like it’s light almost
yeah so I don’t blame you good stuff how
much long do we go that was 19 minutes I
had another question though that I’m
trying to
recall
on the sort of cyclical argument oh
love
Bible cuz we got to we got to where Love
Is A system that works outside of the
Bible and
then when
you what we didn’t talk about though is
when you read the
Bible it also leads to
love and that’s why you’ll point to it
like you’ll say it’s from the but like
you could make that argument I think
that does get confused in arguments not
arguments in discussions that you’ll
have with people because they’ll say
you say it’s love but you point to the
Bible to back that up and it’s like you
could make the argument without that and
then the Bible supports it right but so
then I guess my other question is
like there will be times in this context
there will also be times where you’re
like I’m not listening to that that’s
not in the Bible or like the Bible where
do you get that from the Bible doesn’t
say that like you it almost feels like
Sol a script so I’m trying to un like
you will prescribe to anything that you
didn’t get from the Bible so where does
that come in well what where that comes
in is that the Bible is prescribing not
Material musts it’s prescribing
immaterial spiritual uh um
considerations and so when I read that
um all that is of the flesh the lust of
the world the lust of the eyes the pride
of life in the Bible I can take that and
I can assign it to everything in my
Modern Life and see what is of the lust
of my eyes the lust of My Flesh and the
pride in my life and I can decide for
myself which no one else has to do and I
don’t share it with anybody else what I
will remove from my life because I see
it comes from this lust of the flesh
less has pride of life so the Bible
provides principles what the problem is
with the Bible is when people try to
assign specificity to your behaviors
from it I see yeah okay principles you
choose okay by the spirit I hope that
made sense it does that’s a great
episode great Epi we’re still not even
partly through no it will open up it’s
going to be awesome there people going
to like it cuz it’s going to keep
opening up to good stuff
yeah well thanks everybody than you bye
bye
