Why doesn't the Bible describe how to lead a good life? ?

Question

I have read the Bible cover to cover twice now and I did not pick up any rules on how to be a good person and live a good life. The only rules in there are about how not to be a bad person by way of prohibiting certain behaviours.

The only thing that comes close to describing how to be a good person is the "Do unto others" rule. But I note that this is fatally flawed if, say, I wanted to be despised (such as any Goth in town) then I am entitled to despise others.

So, can anyone point out the rules for being a good person in the Bible?

Answer 1

This is how Jesus says we are to live:

Mat 5:1   One day as the crowds were gathering, Jesus went up the mountainside with his disciples and sat down to teach them.  

Mat 5:2   This is what he taught them:  

Mat 5:3   "God blesses those who realize their need for him,[fn1] for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.  

Mat 5:4   God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  

Mat 5:5   God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them.  

Mat 5:6   God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full.  

Mat 5:7   God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  

Mat 5:8   God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.  

Mat 5:9   God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.  

Mat 5:10   God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  

Mat 5:11   "God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers.  

Mat 5:12   Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.  

Mat 5:13   "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  

Mat 5:14   You are the light of the world-like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.  

Mat 5:15   Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.  

Mat 5:16   In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.  

Mat 5:17   "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them.  

Mat 5:18   I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its purpose is achieved.  

Mat 5:19   So if you break the smallest commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Mat 5:20   "But I warn you-unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all!  

Mat 5:21   "You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.'[fn2]  

Mat 5:22   But I say, if you are angry with someone,[fn3] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[fn4] you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone,[fn5] you are in danger of the fires of h**l.  

Mat 5:23   "So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,  

Mat 5:24   leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.  

Mat 5:25   Come to terms quickly with your enemy before it is too late and you are dragged into court, handed over to an officer, and thrown in jail.  

Mat 5:26   I assure you that you won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.  

Mat 5:27   "You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not commit adultery.'[fn6]  

Mat 5:28   But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  

Mat 5:29   So if your eye-even if it is your good eye[fn7]-causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into h**l.  

Mat 5:30   And if your hand-even if it is your stronger hand[fn8]-causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into h**l.  

Mat 5:31   "You have heard that the law of Moses says, `A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a letter of divorce.'[fn9]  

Mat 5:32   But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  

Mat 5:33   "Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.'[fn10]  

Mat 5:34   But I say, don't make any vows! If you say, `By heaven!' it is a sacred vow because heaven is God's throne.  

Mat 5:35   And if you say, `By the earth!' it is a sacred vow because the earth is his footstool. And don't swear, `By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.  

Mat 5:36   Don't even swear, `By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black.  

Mat 5:37   Just say a simple, `Yes, I will,' or `No, I won't.' Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow  

Answer 2

Romans 12

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men

Answer 3

You have reason to fear because in this matter you part even with atheists. Consider the great atheist Andre Gide :“There is more light in Christ’s words than in any other human word. This is not enough, it seems, to be a Christian: in addition, one must believe. Well, I do not believe.”

So, you don't believe AND you see no light. You have good reason to fear a something horrible.I find your situation so lamentable that I am going to recommend something because it shows great minds, predisposed to not believe, giving their honest positive thoughts after doing what you've done :

OESTERREICHER, JOHN M.:  Walls are Crumbling - Seven Jewish Philosophers Discover Christ.

Answer 4

Try reading the First Book of Timothy

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1Ti 2:2  For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

1Ti 2:3  For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

1Ti 2:5  For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

And on arguing for arguing sake

1Ti 6:3  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

1Ti 6:4  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.

But if you have not accepted Jesus as your personal saviour,  the words will just be words.  You will not see the full implication of them.

Answer 5

Beek was right on with the comment from Romans 12.  There are plenty of passages in the Word of God that teaches us how to live, how to take care of our finances, our family, how to be happy, keep our joy, how to live at peace with others, how to love our enemies, how to live a long life, how to grow in Christ, how to treat depression, how to rid the devil from our lives, and anything else you want to know.  You have read from 'cover to cover', but have you studied? Have you allowed the Word to flood your ears, eyes, mouth? Are you meditating day and night on the word you have read?  Are you allowing the Spirit of God to speak to you and reveal the answers to the questions that you have?  Are you praying mightily and fervently for the revelation and knowledge of the truth of the Word of God?  I think not.  You can't read from cover to cover and think that you have received the Word.  It doesn't work like that.  You have to study and pray on it, and ask God to reveal his word and his truth and his will in your life.  The only commandment we were left from Jesus to do is: love one another as he as loved us.  This means that if we love each other, we will not judge, we will not steal, kill, etc. we will think about the love that Jesus has for us and how he proved his love by his suffering and death on the cross.  We will remember how he loved us before we open our mouths to speak harsh words to one another.  We will forgive each other immediately in spite of the wrong done to us.  My favorite chapter to read in this case is !1st Corinthians 13.  And then I continue to think on whatsoever things are true, honest, of good report- these are the beautiful things in life that keep me moving in the right direction.  Love others as you would have them love you.  Then you'll always be right - because Jesus is always right.  

Answer 6

follow the quaran and you'll find out on your own how to lead a good life

Answer 7

you missed about a zillion places

to start with Jesus came to serve you by being your redeemer,  before you serve God you first must let Jesus serve you by redeeming you then with a new heart you serve God  you live a life by the inclinations of your heart,  you need a new heart

,, then need to go on a quest for joy. You will find the answer in the process

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibra...

Answer 8

How about love thy neighbor as thyself? or the Sermon on the Mount?

Answer 9

I dont believe you read the bible cover to cover or you would understand it. All you have to do is believe in Christ and practice obeying God to live a good life. You must have skipped through Proverbs and Matthew and majority of the New Testament. Reading Proverbs would show you moreso how to live a good life. Unfortunately living a good life isnt how we receive salvation, which is why we need to believe in Christ.

Answer 10

You cannot read the Bible the same as you would a novel dear.  It is precept on precept.  A good place to start is Psalms 23, 27, 51 and 91 are beautiful and Relevant to what you are thinkinTestamentom The New Testatment read 1st Corinthians 13, Romans 13 and Matthew 5

Answer 11

The basic rule, is to obey the commandments, all six hundred plus, of them.

Of course, it would be easier if they didn't contradict each other, and there's the rub.

The whole idea is to give you a guilt trip, you cannot figure out how to follow all of God's simple commandments, so you must be evil, i.e. unworthy, so you will do whatever the preist says to become worthy.

Answer 12

It starts with bowing to the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

When that is done, truthfully, the Word will become very clear and you will see how the Bible does show you how to live a holy life.  However, it cannot be done without first submitting to the Savior.

Answer 13

Well, read the stuff in red print again. That's pretty clear. Is it the parables that are confusing you? I know you could find a class about this.  

Answer 14

Try reading and studying the Ten Commandments if they don't teach you to be a good person I do not know what will.

Answer 15

Very good observation.

I think the people who wrote the Bible had a completely different mentality back then. I would not look to the Bible as a guide that way.

Psychotherapy has been very helpful to me in living a good life. It has really illuminated why I behave the way I do and has helped me to grow and become more compassionate.

I also think Buddhism is better suited to giving guidance on how to live a good life.

Answer 16

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

As always still in prayer and God will lead you.

Answer 17

That would require ti to make sense and be contemporary.

Answer 18

Have you READ the bible?  

it's very specific in all ways to lead a righteous, healthy, complete lifestyle

Answer 19

it does, it states: Love God and keep his commandments. Simple really.

Answer 20

Huh? It most certainly does. Most notably in Proverbs and in Paul's letters to the various churches.

Answer 21

the problem with your supposed flaw in the commandment is that we are to follow the example of Christ and Christ did not desire to be despised.

Answer 22

Same reason why Peter Rabbit doesn't.

Works of fiction...

Answer 23

Worshipping the true God helps you to rise above a purely self-centered way of life. Because of the way we have been made by “the God of love,” those who pursue only their own interests can never find happiness. (2 Corinthians 13:11) Jesus taught a fundamental truth about human nature when he said: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.” (Acts 20:35)

As you practice true worship, you cultivate a personality that leads to happier relationships with others. You learn from God and from his Son about acting honestly, speaking kindly, and living responsibly. (Ephesians 4:20–5:5) When you know God so well that you come to love him, you feel impelled to imitate him. The Bible says: “Become imitators of God, as beloved children, and go on walking in love.”—Ephesians 5:1, 2.

Answer 24

Without prayer and the Holy Spirit the Bible will not reveal itself to you.

Answer 25

so don't be a bad person and you will be a good person

Do you want to know where babies come from also ?

Answer 26

It does.  Read Jesus's teachings in the gospels.  He said to love  others and to treat them as you want to be treated.

You must have skipped I Corinthians 13.  You must have skipped the Sermon on the Mount as well.  You must not have read anything Jesus said, either.

You skipped Proverbs as well.  You skipped most of the New Testament, in fact.  Maybe you read the words, but you surely did not comprehend any of it.

Answer 27

As you read it did you ask for guidence from the holy spirit to help you understand it.. and the only way he will do that is with faith in christ jesus, otherwise you will never understand it correctly.

Peace and blessings

Answer 28

that can't be serious.

only an idiot, only a fool, or someone who is being totally asinine could not understand that "Do unto others" covers it all completely.

NOBODY wants to be despised.