Rev. Richard 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. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. |
I personally choose, as I think you know, to view the Bible as both from God and from human beings; containing God’s real truths while including human perceptions. This approach allows us to embrace the sacred nature of Holy Scripture while also accepting that there are passages which clearly cannot be from God.
Let’s focus here on practical insights about understanding and embracing the Bible in our daily spiritual journeys.
The Real Issue Is Taking The Bible Seriously
The real issue for me isn’t whether one is a literalist or more a symbolist when it comes to interpreting Scripture, 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 moral development.
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.
This perspective doesn’t mean that one can easily find passages or verses explicitly speaking to all of life’s circumstances and experiences, but it does mean that in the end there is no life matter unaddressed one way or another by the Bible.
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, again, 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, as an example, 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.
Whatever you and I face in life, the Bible offers us riveting words of hope and assurance. While certainly there are non-Biblical resources which can help us amidst life’s great challenges, one finds in Holy Scripture 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.
Now, without question, Jesus leaps from the pages of the Bible as our Lord only as we truly immerse ourselves in his story; his teachings; his example; his call.
