This is hard teaching.
Many sincere Christians are probably going to have trouble with today’s blog. Bear with me. To my conservative and liberal friends, I beg your indulgence. To be able to offend both Republicans and Democrats in the same post……….is a rare gift.
First, let me define and limit the scope of my comments. There are parts of the Bible that are clearly symbolic and require interpretation. Think Revelation. There are old testament rules that don’t really apply to our modern culture. I am not talking about those. Volumes have been published trying to parse out these areas……..and I am not qualified to tackle them.
But, there are also parts of the Bible that clearly and explicitly tell us how to live. These clearly stated and often repeated rules are the subject of today’s post.
For example:
Love God
Love your neighbor
The ten commandments
The spoken words of God
The spoken words of Jesus…….that is…….God
Any statement in the old or new testament that is repeated and some are repeated many times.
These rules for living are the guidelines that we have been given by our creator…….they are absolute……they are not open to interpretation…….they are not open to negotiation.
These rules are not subject to our approval……..to our appetites.
Some examples are:
Sexual intercourse is restricted to one man and one woman within the confines of marriage.
If you were born a man….or a woman……that is what God made you to be…….you don’t get to choose.
Take care of the downtrodden within your borders………even if they are not citizens…….even if they are illegal.
Support the church with your tithe…….one tenth.
Do not take an innocent life…….and an unborn child is about as innocent as they come.
If you disagree with these rules, you have a problem. And your problem is not with me. Your problem is with the Bible………and that is a much bigger……..and far more serious problem.
So………are the Bible’s rules valid? This post, like last week’s post is pretty black and white.
If you accept the Bible as the written word of God…..your creator, then there is no problem………study and follow the rules. But, if you don’t accept the rules of the Bible when they are clearly stated……when they are repeated over and over, then you have a problem.
There are two possibilities:
If the Bible is a big complex myth…….a fairy tale, then you are in fairly good shape. You aren’t going to be struck by a bolt of lightning for an infraction. You are, however, stuck, trying to live out your life without a moral code…….essentially travelling without a map or compass. In this situation, you will typically make up your own moral code……one that usually allows you to do whatever you want……..or you could borrow a moral code……….typically from your favorite politician. And I don’t need to tell you what kind of slippery slope that is. A great many Christians on both sides of the aisle torque the Bible around until it agrees with their political party. The truth is that neither party is right about everything.
Neither political party is right about everything.
So……… what if the clearly stated rules of the Bible……..are valid? What if the quotes in the Bible from God……or Jesus actually reflect God’s heart. If that is true…….and if you reject them as invalid in our modern “woke” culture……..then you are in danger.
By rejecting all or even some of God’s clearly stated rules, you are effectively saying that you have a better rule……that you have a better idea. You are saying that you are smarter, wiser, more righteous……….than the creator of the universe. This is a colossal ego boost…….but the chance that it is true is remote. This suggests that you believe that when you do finally meet God, he is going to ask for your advice……..that he is going to ask you what he could have done better………that he is going to submit to your guidance.
Don’t hold your breath.
So, if you pick through the Bible, obey the rules that you approve of…….and dismiss the rest, then you are saying one of two things:
The Bible is a myth…….a fairy tale.
Or
The Bible is the word of God……..but I have a better plan than God.
And that looks like a very shaky ladder to build your theology on.
“If there’s a God, he’s got a lot of explaining to do!”
Robert Dinero, summarizing his religion
“Take all that you can of this book upon reason, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a happier man.
Abraham Lincoln, when asked about his Bible
“A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.
Moses, ESV
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,”
God, ESV
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
Paul, ESV