The Bible or the Bible

For a long time now the Bible has been the crux of all things Christian. Extensive work has gone into proving its authenticity and its worth, not only in the church but in societal structure. Scientists and archaeologists have struggled with many of the concepts found within its annals. Yet it is tightly held as the “Word of God.” 

For many, it is the basis for all of their faith. It is the basis of morality and even decision making. For some, it is all that they have to connect them with the God of which it speaks. For this reason, I have found that it has been easy for some to put it on the throne and crown it as god far above knowing Him for themselves. They are not interested in the sound of His breath now. It's too much and too risky. They consistently settle for the crumbs from the table, the leftovers of someone else’s feast with Him. They are content with whispers of Him and memories of those who knew Him so well that their encounter left the world shaking. 

I have almost been shocked by the way some people have approached the bible. It has come with such idolatry that they are not even willing to scrutinize their interpretation of many well-known passages or even long-held doctrine. And to do so is to question the validity of the Bible itself. The ability to look at scripture with the intent of challenging yourself, rather than using it purely as proof for your own narrative is one of the most important points of its existence. I am baffled by the arrogant ignorance that has come with pure knowledge of the scriptures alone. It goes to prove that knowledge of the law without relationship with God is pointless. I have seen people who are able to read and understand and implement the main principles of scripture at a rudimentary level. But beyond that, in order to bring depth to the understanding, a working relationship with the One who wrote it seems to be necessary. So often I have talked to people who have listened to a lot of podcasts and teachings, but the deeper meanings of the words are not there. 

The teachers of the law provide a perfect example of people who knew the writings of God very well, and yet the deeper meanings escaped them. It was not ignorance of the scriptures that caused them to hate the savior they had been waiting on. It was a lack of Him. 

Time and time again, I see people who are filled with knowledge, but not wisdom. They know about God but they don’t know God…and it shows. It shows in their quick temper. It shows in their fear. It shows in their hatred of others. It shows in the whirlwind of chaos that is their life. It shows in the fact that things like sports and politics are the only way to elicit passion from them. 

I have said it before, and I will say it again and again and again. True, honest relationship with God is the most important thing. Reading the bible is NOT an adequate substitute for knowing Him. Praying to an empty room, tossing “goodwill” into the universe is NOT an adequate substitute for knowing Him. Sitting-in on a sermon or listening to podcasts every day is NOT a substitute for Him. The scripture itself is built on the relationships that God had with people, those one-on-one encounters that changed everything. How then, can we deny a need for relationship with Him now? Yet, I have had people tell me that the Bible is all we need to have relationship with Him. That it and it alone contains all we need to know about God. That it is complete. 

Somehow God stopped talking and we were meant to take this guide book from ancient times to figure out how to live our life. When you say it like that, I can see why they hold to it so tightly. But it saddens me. They cannot be convinced, because what I am asking them, in short, is to give up their god, and to pursue a person with emotion and thoughts and feelings. Someone deep and profound. That is risky. So they hold tight to that which is more easily controlled, that which they can interpret or mold to fit their own narrative, that which they can ignore or set aside, if need be. That which they can misuse. 

At the end of the day, they don’t want God, because if he tells them something they don’t agree with or something that is hard to do, then they have to either obey, or ignore him. But if you just stick to reading the bible, then you don't have to face Him… for now.