“Yet furthermore, my son, beyond these, be warned; of the making of many books is no end; and much study is a weariness to the flesh.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12)
I then stopped reading commentaries on the Bible and started focusing solely on reading it for myself.
The Bible defines its author as "love"...
"God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." (1 John 4:16-19)
Jesus did not "fear" punishment because the love of God abides in Him - His "perfect love" continually cast out fear. You and I do not yet abide in love - so we fear God and other things from time to time. But the things we fear in this world will pass...
"The world is passing away, and also its desire; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)
The "one" who does the will of God is Jesus, and He is the only human who currently "lives forever". Yet all humanity is destined to become like Him when they are "made alive" after death, for God so loved the world that He sent His Son to save the world from condemnation.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:17)
"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for US ALL, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:29-32)
"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ ALL will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
Religion separates humanity into those who go to heaven and those who go to hell - and gives a detailed vision of the hell they fear hoping to scare people into a free will decision to be saved and joint the their churches. Yet, the LOVE found in the inspired Word of God does no such thing - it "casts out fear", replacing it with assurance that God will indeed save humanity out of death, change them into the image of His Son, and give them eternal life - because God is love.
"God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." (1 John 4:16-19)
Jesus did not "fear" punishment because the love of God abides in Him - His "perfect love" continually cast out fear. You and I do not yet abide in love - so we fear God and other things from time to time. But the things we fear in this world will pass...
"The world is passing away, and also its desire; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)
The "one" who does the will of God is Jesus, and He is the only human who currently "lives forever". Yet all humanity is destined to become like Him when they are "made alive" after death, for God so loved the world that He sent His Son to save the world from condemnation.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:17)
"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for US ALL, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:29-32)
"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ ALL will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
Religion separates humanity into those who go to heaven and those who go to hell - and gives a detailed vision of the hell they fear hoping to scare people into a free will decision to be saved and joint the their churches. Yet, the LOVE found in the inspired Word of God does no such thing - it "casts out fear", replacing it with assurance that God will indeed save humanity out of death, change them into the image of His Son, and give them eternal life - because God is love.