Well both James and kosta seem to behave as some modern day liberal lawyer types ~ iow it all depends upon the meaning of ‘is’ as some other such nonsense.
The Bible and Gospel message is meant to be interpreted at the basic and simplest level allowing as many as possible to come to saving faith but I dare say just as Jesus Christ belittled the ruling class then, even today the scholarly and legal intelligent types continue to pick over the smallest nits while holding a death-grip over their sinful pride.
Indeed....which creates within an individual a sense of Godhood. A judge and jury of God and those who are His. For that, what they so seek as knowledge..or knowing.. is kept from them....and at best distorted when it comes to the things of God. There is much 'knowing' that is revealed by God once we know of His son and make our decision concerning Him. The veil of our understanding is then removed and we see rightly and our understanding is remarkably fuller.
Not completely correct -- the Bible is to be read as a whole, not as excerpts. If one takes a verse (the basic level) and reads it out of context, the message and interepretation can mostly be wrong.