Doubt is not the enemy of faith; silence is.
Are we honest readers of the Bible?
Some facts:
The Bible is the most widely distributed book in history. The Guinness World Records lists it as the best-selling book ever.
We are in a fantastic time period, with such freely available access to the Bible. This was not always the case, and still is not in some parts of the world.
The early church predominantly had a Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), with the circulation of the letters written by the Apostles and some early accounts of the gospels. The “New Testament” as we know it, as a single, compiled book did not exist until the 4th century.
There is one problem I have found from reading the Bible: the more I read it, the more questions arise. Have you found that too?
There are some very weird things in this book. As someone who didn’t grow up in church, reading it from cover to cover when I first became a Christian was a bit of a roller-coaster. Let me list you a few things that are on my “don’t know what to do with so don’t bring them up in case I look stupid or it leads me down a path I don’t want to go down” shelf:
- Balaam’s talking donkey in Numbers 22
- In 1 Samuel chapter 6, some people die after looking into the ark of the covenant, Indiana Jones style
- In 2 King’s 2 Elisha calls on some she bears to kill a load of young lads because they call him baldy – no seriously.
- Ezekiel eats a scroll, talk about the Bible being our daily bread.
- While we’re on Ezekiel, are we just gonna glaze over the fact he cooks on human poop?
- Prophets are the weirdest: Isaiah lies naked for 3 years!
These are all in the Old Testament and I haven’t even mentioned the violent passages which no doubt we all read quickly because they’re uncomfortable.
I’m still going: New Testament…
- Jesus curses a fig tree
- and spits in mud then puts it in someone’s eyes
- Demons beg to enter some pigs
- Jesus says to hate our families
- and to sell all our possessions
- then eat his flesh and drink his blood.
- Dead people come out of their graves like zombies and walk around Jerusalem.
- A couple lie about money and drop dead.
- A man gets so bored during a meeting that he falls out of a window and dies but it’s alright because Paul prays and he’s healed.
Thankfully there were no windows for anyone to fall out of on Sunday.
You get my point. It’s a weird book. So how are we meant to approach it?
Some Basics
What is the Bible?
The Bible is a library of 66 books, not a single book, with many different genres of writing, written over many centuries. It’s about God working through people and has an overall story.
How should we read the Bible?
We will look at this more at the next “‘ave a go” Equipping session, but it’s important to remember that genre, context and the intended audience matter. A lot.
What do we do with problematic passages?
We shouldn’t ignore them or panic. We also shouldn’t rush to get an answer. We should read them in community with others (another practice we will be covering this year).
Which version should I read?
One you will actually read! Multiple if you’re studying it.
Why can’t other books be Scripture?
What stops say the Narnia series for instance being scripture? They’re great and if you read them as a Christian, you can’t help but worship God and see him in the mighty lion of Aslan. I think Narnia, and other books, can lead people to Jesus. The Bible tells us who Jesus is. Narnia might be a signpost but the Bible is the road. Both can be used by the Spirit to speak to us, and we should expect God to use everyday things to speak to us, as well as the Bible.
It’s also to do with the authority of those who wrote it. For example, Jesus’s disciples knew him, witnessed his actions and received his teaching. They were commissioned/authorised by him to go and share the good news with others. They were the first to be given the full revelation of the gospel, which they then passed on and it was written down. The Apostles, as leaders of the early church, also authorised Paul, recognising his anointing.
C.S. Lewis, and anyone else telling allegory are simply re-imagining that original story, which is fine and worshipful, but the gospel has to remain what the original disciples taught as that’s where the authority lies.
Read & Reflect
Read:
Ask:
What do these verses tell me about how Jesus viewed the Bible? (remember he wasn’t talking about the New Testament here because it didn’t exist yet!)
In summary: the Bible points us to Christ.
Go Deeper
Here are some further resources that you might find helpful, if this is a topic you’re interested in:
Five Views on Biblical Innerancy Book published by Zondervan
NT Wright on Bible Errors: https://youtu.be/6-f4taPmORc?si=1t96R5ksZMfeymK5
NT Wright on Bible Innerancy: https://youtu.be/W3YIQsjP6Ig?si=tvb7oCEof3XxFEI6
Bible Project Podcast on How the Authors of the Bible Intended Us to Read it: https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/series/paradigm
Bible Project Video Series on How to Read the Bible: https://bibleproject.com/videos/collections/how-to-read-the-bible/
Bible Project Podcasts on What the Bible is: https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/series/how-to-read-the-bible-series/
Bible Project Series on How the Bible was Formed: https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/series/how-bible-was-formed/
