Exactly what the
expression “Word of God” means is altogether another question, but that it is
inspired by God is generally not disputed.
Amongst
non-Christians, and non-religious people, the opposite is true. It is just a
book. It might be regarded as a moral and good book, or on the other hand, as
something designed to mislead people away from their own self-directed destiny.
However, I doubt that
most non-Christians have even read the Bible. It is, after all, a very long
book. (Actually, many Christians have not read the whole of Bible. Although I
do not know what the percentage is, my expectation is that it is more than 50
per cent). My version of the Bible is 1,885 pages. That is a lot of pages,
especially if you are really not very interested in the subject matter (and
much of it is very puzzling).
It is not my intention
to debate these views. That has already been done better by others, and I do
not suppose that I can add anything to this. The purpose of this Key Belief 10 is
for me to describe my views (without, I should add, having to justify them).
Firstly, God tells us
about Himself through the Bible. We can understand something of His Power just
by looking at the world and what we know of the Universe, but the Bible tells
something about the character of God. This can also be a puzzle, as the Old and
the New Testaments describe different aspects of God’s character that can
appear to be in contradiction. But we’ll leave that question for the moment.
Secondly, the Bible
teaches us about God’s dealing with men, both individually and collectively. The
Old Testament, in particular, is almost one long story of God’s dealings with
the People of Israel and how cared for them, despite their faithlessness
towards Him. Some of these dealings are fairly harsh, and certainly
uncompromising. The New Testament, however, emphasises God’s love for his
People, and shows God reaching out to individuals.
For example, if we
read Isaiah 36 – 39, we can see God’s dealing with King Hezekiah, when he laid
a problem before God. Click for Link (This
whole story is one of the great stories of the Old Testament and I could not
resist including it).
These two statements
are fine, as far as they go. However, they could both be taken in an academic
sense. One could study the Bible and write theses and academic papers (both of
which are worthy tasks) or just acquire knowledge. But is this not enough?
This leads me to my
third statement that the Bible is intended to speak to our hearts, as well as our
minds. (I use the word “heart” very loosely here). The Bible is intended to show
us how we should respond and behave personally towards God, and in doing so, to
change us. It was given as a vehicle for God to speak to us individually. I am
not sure whether this is an undisputed statement or not and I certainly do not
know how God speaks to us in this way.
Fourthly, through the
Bible (and the New Testament, particular), God teaches us how we are to behave
towards each other. One famous example is the story of the Good Samaritan (Go
to the bottom of the class if you do not know this). Luke 10.29 - 37. Click forLink
Lastly, and therefore
fifthly, the writers of the Bible frequently encourage us to read and absorb
the stories and writings of the Bible. Its teaching should become embedded in
our minds and souls. In Joshua 1.7 - 9 [Click for Link] (Joshua is the 6th Book in the
Bible), God encourages Joshua, the newly appointed leader of the people of
Israel, to read, learn and meditate on the “Book of the Law” (for “Then you
will be prosperous and successful….)
As an afterthought, you
may realise that I have left out one element in all this. Over the centuries,
the Bible has been used to support a multitude of statements and doctrines, by
different parts and sections of the Church. Many of these are contradictory. I
do not intend in this blog to discuss how these views and opinions are to be
reconciled. However, if I can get my head around the subject, I will have an
attempt at this in a later blog.
