Christians hold scripture in high regard, claiming it is the guide for all of life in relationship to God, each other, and creation. In short, you can not faithfully follow Jesus without referencing and adhering to tenets of the faith as confirmed within the Bible.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NRSV
As with many Christians, I interchange the titles of the Bible, Scripture and the word of God throughout this article. The following ten statements should serve as a starting point for more thought (not listed in order of priority).
- The Bible is the inspired word of God. Human beings wrote it to convey the truth about who God is, what God does, and how people can follow God faithfully. Dozens of authors, over hundreds of years, recorded truth as eyewitnesses, prophets, storytellers and people seeking to obediently follow the Lord. The authors of Scripture found inspiration to write – believers claim Holy Spirit guided the authors. In short, the Bible did not fall out of the sky in a complete form. It has been narrated, edited and passed along for centuries.
- We are dependent upon God to understand what we read in Scripture. Anybody can read the Bible, only God can reveal Himself to those who read. In my church context we always pray for illumination from Holy Spirit before the sermon. The prayer serves as an intentional reminder that we can not know God or understand God’s truth without God’s help.
- God reveals Himself to us through Scripture. Believers passed down Scripture through generations for the purpose of knowing God. “Who God is” should serve as the starting question of a journey that leads to other truths. Human beings should seek God’s identity first, their own identity second.
- Scripture describes the nature of the human condition. We are not gods. We are not on equal footing with God. God created us, yet something entered the picture that disconnected us from The Creator. The word for this separation in scripture is “sin,” the broken condition of people conveys we are “missing the mark.”
- The Bible, in its current form, is enough to experience the revelation of God. The Old and New Testaments of the Bible were formally accepted as the full representation of eternal truth a few hundred years ago. This does not mean there are no other ancient writings in existence. It does mean they are not needed for salvation. What we have is enough. NOTE: there are differences between what Roman Catholics, protestants, and various denominations read as the “authentic” word of God. I’ll address this in another article. The Bibles I utilize the most for reflection and faith are the NRSV, the NIV, and The Message.
- The problem of not understanding God or eternal truth is with humans, not God. Scripture contains more than enough information to convey all that is needed for faith and life. People and our broken condition will aways be a problem that hinders faith and life in Christ.
- The Bible is a narrative of salvation with God as the “hero” of the story. You and I are not the focal point of the Bible – God is the author of salvation and service in His family.
- The Bible is a collection of different types of stories within the larger context of the salvation story. This is perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of reading the Bible, but also one of the most enlightening. Does a person have to take the story of Adam and Eve as a literal representation of the creation of the world? This is a matter of personal conviction, so feel free to disagree. I do not take that particular story as a literal explanation of the creation of the world. Consider, “What is Holy Spirit teaching me through the creation narratives within the Old Testament book of Genesis?” Return to each word of the following claim, “What Holy Spirit teaches through Scripture is without error.” If you want to take every story literally, you are going to face some challenges. If you want to read the entire Bible as a story of salvation, a collection of different kinds of stories, then you will be free to read each story to glean from Holy Spirit what is being taught. You can not clump all of the Bible into one category. Miracles Jesus stories differ from the story of Noah and the Ark. The Apostle Paul’s conversion in the New Testament reads differently than the story of Jonah and the Whale. All are “true” for what Holy Spirit teaches, but what is “taught” is open to debate. Thus, the struggle to come to agreement between believers.
- We must learn to read the Bible from the perspective of the original listeners, as well as people with a modern perspective. We know more about science than people who read the original texts of the Bible. This does not mean we have the capacity to be “more faithful” than previous generations. We must still approach the text with humility, in dependence upon Holy Spirit for understanding. Open hearts and minds make mistakes, and need of ongoing edification, correction and nurture.
- We read as people of faith who seek understanding. We can not understand the mind of God in all things. “My ways are not your ways,” in Isaiah is a beautiful place to rest in our relationship with God.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Isaiah 55:8-9 NRSV
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Is there more to say on the subject of the Bible as an accurate description of God, human beings, and the truth about life? Of course. My prayer is that this article serves as a launching point for healthy and life-giving conversations, as comfort to know we all have questions about the Bible, and most importantly – as a reminder of the importance of reading Scripture.
The Bible is the inerrant word of God because what Holy Spirit teaches through Scripture is without error. I’m still learning, and I’m open to what God is teaching me.
Pastor Bryan Stamper
Answers to common faith based questions – Ask Pastor Bryan VIDEOS
Another article from Pastor Bryan – Is this the end of the world?