Rev. Richard P. Smith
| Psalm 119:1-5, 105 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart— |
I think each of us understands that sincere Christian believers can have distinct differences when it comes to understanding the Bible.
One can be a literalist for example…one who believes that every word, every idea, every thought within the Bible truly is from God. Or one can approach the Bible more moderately; believing that the Bible contains both the literal truths of God and human thinking.
I personally choose to view the Bible as both from God and from human beings; containing God’s real truths while including human perceptions.
**I choose this perspective, for example, because I find it hard to believe that when Paul writes in I Corinthians 14 that women shall not speak in church that he speaks the will of God.
**I choose this view because I find it hard to believe that God would affirm what Samuel tells Saul in I Samuel 15 about attacking the Amalekites…Go attack the Amalekites and destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants…
I choose the moderate position essentially because there is just too much in the Bible which seems to be more human thinking than God’s will or God’s thoughts.
The Real Issue Is Taking The Bible Seriously
The real issue for me isn’t whether one is a literalist or a moderate but whether one takes the Bible seriously or not. Does one accept the Bible as the primary resource for our spiritual lives and our spiritual journeys? That for me is the real issue. Whatever one’s position on interpreting the Bible, we each are expected to take the Bible seriously…to affirm it as the primary resource for our spiritual lives and development.
In this regard, we can note some things we should readily affirm about the Bible.
The Bible Addresses Real Life Issues
I have heard people variously speak of the Bible as life’s instruction book, as a book of life principles, or as a manual for practical insights for living.
I believe this is true; the Bible offers us all the pathways we need for handling all that life brings us! It is not going too far to suggest that there is no issue you will face, no circumstance in which you find yourself, no problem you face for which the Word of the Lord cannot come to you from Holy Scripture.
The Bible Holds Us Morally Accountable
There aren’t many cutting edge ethical issues which are absent from the characters, stories, and teachings of the Bible. Today’s compelling issues…greed, adultery, judging others, being unwilling to forgive, sexual impropriety, learning to love others, addressing poverty, the sacredness of creation, etc., all find rootage in holy scripture.
Now this isn’t to say that all moral issues are explicitly and clearly spelled out in the Bible. There certainly are contemporary moral issues which are complex and not so clearly defined in Holy Scripture. However, when it comes to basic moral and spiritual behavior, to the right way of practical daily living, the Bible is quite clear.
The Bible Sustains Us In Hope
I never cease to be amazed at how the words of the Bible sustain people in the darkest and most difficult moments of life. Time and time again I’ve witnessed the words of Holy Scripture bringing solace, hope, encouragement, promise to the hearts and minds of those who are suffering.
It might be the empowering words of Joshua 1:9 where God promises Joshua, who now must take up the mantle of Moses and lead the Hebrew people: I will be with you…Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
As you know, there’s an abundance of passages like this in the Bible; including the incomparable 23rd Psalm.
Whatever you and I face in life, the Bible offers us riveting words of hope and assurance. One need look nowhere else for the comfort, strength, and encouragement needed to handle life’s challenges.
The Bible Brings Us Jesus
Well, where do we find Jesus?
In the Bible. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. For each of us the Bible gives us Jesus so that we can enter into his life and teachings and he can enter into our lives as Lord of our lives.
