The Boundless Bible
The Boundless Bible is a podcast dedicated to discussing the many layers and perspectives the Bible offers to those interested in deepening their views and understanding.
Hosted by three friends from very different walks of life and life experiences, who've come together through curiosity of, and respect for, the living Word.
Our hosts are:
- DAVID SHAPIRO -- was born an Orthodox Jew, later an atheist, ex-military and MMA fighter, David heeded the call to Jesus and is now an ordained Pastor, specializing in Apologetics.
- JAVIER MARQUEZ -- Originally from Brooklyn, moved to LA to be an actor, and deeply found the Lord which led him to work in the church, lead Bible studies and grow his faith.
- JASON HOLLOWAY -- grew up in the church, left in college, and spent the next 2 decades immersed in learning world religion, spirituality, science, and mythology, recently returning to the Faith with renewed insight and perspective.
After a year of weekly discussions, we came to find that sharing and debating their different perspectives had become an exciting way to introduce new ideas to old thinking, grow their understanding, and strengthen their faith.
We are aware that there are many people out there who feel their questions haven't been answered, whose curiosity has been tamped down, or who just generally feel their community doesn't allow open dialogue, and our goal is to give those people a place to listen, ask questions, and engage with their curiosity to find a deeper and more robust connection to their faith.
The Boundless Bible
QUICK Qs: What's easier? Forgiving Enemies or Forgiving Friends?
Have a topic, verse, or story you'd like us to cover?
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Welcome to the Boundless Bible. My name is David Shapiro, hey, I'm Javi Marquez and I'm Jason Holloway.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Quick Questions with David. It is Monday, we're excited for some questions. And what do you got for us today, david? Here we go.
Speaker 1:What's harder for you loving your enemies or forgiving your friends? Man, what a question.
Speaker 3:That is good.
Speaker 2:I'm going to pull you first.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's fine. For me, I think loving my enemies is going to be easier only because if you have a problem with somebody, if you're not a fan of somebody, um, for me loving them is kind of I go, all right, I'm called to this and I can do it, and you just kind of grunt through it and I'm okay with that. Um, but there's something emotional that happens when you have a friend and if you're forgiving them, it means they did something that right needs forgiving. Um, and being betrayed by a friend is just to me, you know, it's funny because reading shakespeare when I was younger, et tu brute, is like yeah, one of those lines exactly in my brain.
Speaker 1:I'm going I can't get it how would you, how do I react to somebody who I tore down my wall for? And, yeah, you know you, you took advantage of that. Yeah, um, so I think that, yes, forgiving a friend, not that I can't do it, but, man, that's a lot harder for me than yeah yeah, what about you, hubby?
Speaker 3:um, when I first see that question, the first thing I think about is forgiving my friends um, I've done it many times, so I think it's more familiar it's more familiar.
Speaker 3:I think forgiving my friends is easier for me just because there is a love there that happens, that I have for people, and not only that. I feel like we're all humans and sometimes I take a step back, I try to put myself in their shoes and go. You know what? I probably would have done the same thing, or maybe I have done something like that to them or someone else. So I think it's easier for me to forgive my, my, my friends and be able to, you know, pray for them, pray for myself, and just kind of really deal with the situation, you know, righteously, in a good way, um, and I think that's giving me hope and peace yeah, you know it's funny, I don't.
Speaker 2:I hate to not answer the question, but I don't think I can answer the question only because I I'm in your boat, I see everybody as human and I know how many things I've screwed up in my life and oftentimes the screw up was with good intention.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I know the screw up was with. You know it may have bothered somebody, but it came with like such good intention, desire to help them or to do. And so I tend to see people, all people, enemy, friend or otherwise, as so intensely human that I'm like. You know they did it for a reason. They didn't. They didn't do it because they were trying to hurt. They did it because they're hurt. They did it because they're broken in their own ways.
Speaker 1:Like you know what I mean, like we all, we all what.
Speaker 2:I mean, like we all, we all. I mean it's funny, we all have our crosses right. So what's what's easy for one is hard for another. And this is not something that's hard for me only because, like I've, I've just been the victim of people like blaming me for things so much in my life and I'm like, wait a second, that was unfounded. Um, and so I. I just I tend, friend, they deserve that same respect and benefit of the doubt of, you know, second chances.
Speaker 3:Yeah, second chances is big.
Speaker 2:I think that's what it is, even if it's seven times 70, right.
Speaker 1:If you're a friend and you do something wrong, I'm coming after you. Oh man, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, like I said, I totally, I totally get it, I totally get it, and I see how people I know a lot of people who are very, very grudge-holding people and particularly because of the people that you care about, that you're vulnerable enough and they hurt you. This is just one of those random things I don't suffer with. That's great, but I suffer with plenty of other things. Don't worry, what's?
Speaker 3:cool is maybe actually connecting with an enemy, yeah, and enemy, yeah, and going. Man, you're awesome, like you're good. We should have been friends a long time ago, like I've. You know, I resented you. I didn't want, I want to stay away from you, but, like, getting to know you has been, you know, a blessing. I don't want to make this into a sorry, I want to.
Speaker 2:I don't want to turn this into a long questions, but there's something I watched one time. There was this ted talk where this person said they try and have coffee with people who send them hate mail and I thought it was really fascinating because the idea was, like anybody who doesn't agree with you, anybody who thinks that you're, you know, think you're bad, or they, you know, sending you hate mail to meet with them, you get to understand why, you get to understand where they're coming from. And again, it's one of those things that just like clicked in my brain that, like one of the things they said is that when you learn about people and why they're acting these ways is because they're hurt in the first place. Right, and we all want to be forgiven of our sins. We all want to be realized that we're not hurting you on purpose. We're hurting you because of the reaction that we learned, probably a self-defense, and I just thought that was a really fascinating thing yeah, either they're hurt or you are doing something wrong.
Speaker 2:Yeah, or you don't even realize you're doing it. That's fair and that shines.
Speaker 3:You know that's, oh wow, you know, my friend probably never told me, but you, that's the enemy. They'll have no relationship with me.
Speaker 2:You have no problem telling me.
Speaker 3:You're able to see those things and tell me and wow, I resented you for that, but or they don't like you for that. You're my enemy in a sense.
Speaker 2:So you getting a chance to sit down and really the beauty of Christianity, right, like, like, how many other philosophies on this earth tell you to? Like, you know, turn the other cheek. Yeah, how many other philosophies on the earth tell you to?
Speaker 3:forgive your enemies Right.
Speaker 2:None of them do and I love I think I kind of learned it outside the faith, but it's so much more strong and it's so much more grounded with the faith and I can put the terms of sinner on it and I can put the terms of grace and I can put the terms of mercy on it and it means so much more.
Speaker 2:So thank you, guys. Thanks for coming to the first ever long questions. That was a long one. We appreciate your time, as always. We hope you have a good week and we'll talk to you again soon. Thanks, a lot Later.
