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Let me say this first.

I am NOT a Christian. I am a follower of Christ. The reason I am specifying this is because the term “Christian” has a dirty connotation. Unfortunately, a lot of “Christians” (or at least the ones that are the loudest and in the public’s eye the most) are people who are racists, bigots, sexists, or any number of negative term you wish to coin to them. And the people who have that bad taste in their mouths about Christians tend to claim all kinds of crazy nonsense about what a Christian is, what they believe in, blah blah.

For me, a “real” Christian is someone who follows the Lord’s Law – the 10 Commandments – and what Christ said to do. Because all Christ ever seemed to speak on was LOVE.

“I am giving you a new command: that you keep on loving each other. In the same way that I have loved you, you are also to keep on loving each other.” – John 13:34 (Complete Jewish Bible)

A friend of mine recently came across this article that I wanted to share with you:
10 Things I Wish Everyone Knew About the Bible. (Thank you Peter Enns!)

I’m going to provide his points along with how I feel about them, because (for the most part) I agree with his article!

1. The Bible doesn’t answer all — or even most — of our questions.

   I myself have read the entire Bible all of the way through and came away with more questions than answers. However, I did get some questions answered, so … There’s a plus!

   Peter then goes on to say that the Christian Bible is “a story of how Jesus answers for us the biggest question of all: what God is like.” — I can see that. Kind of like a guidebook, especially for those who only focus on what happened in multiple-translated version of the Old Testament.

   On that same note, I also know someone who would say otherwise (Scott Ross). I myself do not have the knowledge to refute it one way or another, I just have faith that it’s not just a collection of stories.

2. The Bible isn’t like God’s version of Apple’s “Terms and Conditions” agreement.

   I really liked this analogy and really falls in line with what I mentioned earlier. Because the Lord is about forgiveness. And unlike a conglomerate or corporate T&C, if you break His laws He wants to forgive you if your heart is right. The Bible, when understood, puts God at the heart of our reality rather than ourselves – rather than our ego.

3. The Bible isn’t a sourcebook for fighting culture wars.

   This has ALWAYS pissed me off. Throughout history, people have used their holy books to incite wars and conflict across nations. The Bible wasn’t meant to be a source for people to rise in or gain political power. And what’s more, is that for countries like America, our foundation’s morals were BASED on what was found in the Bible. But our country was founded on the idea of having RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. Freedom to live life as we please as long as we didn’t hurt anyone else. And yet we have political parties and figureheads trying to use the Good Book to spearhead their own agenda.

   FOR SHAME.

4. The Bible doesn’t guarantee “success in life.”

   I’m not sure I completely agree with this one. I’m a bit torn. I truly believe that if you follow the Bible and what it teaches about love, patience, kindness and the like … how to treat people … how to guard yourself … how to invest … Then you WILL be successful in life. But people don’t know these truths. They don’t know the ancient Jewish Wisdom that Rabbi Daniel Lapin teaches. They don’t do their own research. And sometimes they just don’t adhere to what they know.

   So yes, it doesn’t GUARANTEE success in life. But so many books on success and business (How to Win Friends & Influence People, Think & Grow Rich, As A Man Thinketh just to name a few) have used the Bible as part of their creation or have mentioned it. So I cannot say in good conscience that the Bible “isn’t a step-by-step guide to success” as it were … But I can definitely agree that “there are deep secrets for being happy, healthy, and rich. It is a book that shows what dying to self and surrendering to God are about. The Bible crushes our egos.”

5. The Bible is open to multiple interpretations, not just one meaning.

   I agree, and because of this it also helps lead to #3 (unfortunately). It also doesn’t help that the original texts have been translated many times over, multiple groups have moved or changed things around, etc. However if you follow ancient Jewish wisdom ………… (another blog or so for another time)

6. The Bible invites debate.

   Due to #3 and #5 … Kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it? However one must study it and seek advice from those who might be able to shed more light in order to integrate it into your life. And as Peter (the article’s author) states:

   “The back-and forth with the Bible, and with God, is where deeper faith is found.”

7. The Bible doesn’t “record” history objectively but interprets it.

   Yeah … Not sure how I feel about this one, either. But during my time in college I did take a course to explain the Bible as per the times it was written, so I’m inclined to agree? Just as the victor of history writes the history books, Peter explains that the Bible was written as an interpretation of the past as was “in their place and time, for their own communities, to answer their own questions of faith.” Which could explain why some of the “stories” in the Bible seem to differ.

8. The Bible was written by Jews (and at least one Gentile in the New Testament) in ancient times.

   Coupled with #7 – this makes sense. As per Peter:  “The biblical writers were ancient writers expressing their faith in God using the vocabulary and concepts of their ancient cultures.” And what’s interesting about people is that we try to explain things away using our own understandings of our own current time, politics, and whatnot. But when we impose upon the Bible our own language and concepts it becomes distorted … And leading to earlier points discussed previously.

   In this same regard, I also know a few people who would argue this, but again, I do not have the knowledge nor understanding that they do so I cannot speak on it at this time.

9. The Bible isn’t the center of the Christian faith.

   Until reading this article, I would have disagreed … What’s funny, is that I’ve actually agreed with this statement my entire life. Because if this were so, “Christians” wouldn’t act the way most people believe them to all act. Yes, some part or parts are used in the life of the church. But the lifeblood of the church should be God, or as Peter puts it so eloquently:  “what God has done in and through Jesus. The Bible doesn’t draw attention to itself, but to God.”

10. The Bible doesn’t give us permission to speak for God.

    This is something that has ALWAYS bothered me about the Catholic faith. Unless one has a lot of wisdom, humility, and an ability to discern … I find it hard to believe someone would be able to SPEAK for Him. For Christian growth, the Good Book is vital but we as fallable humans do not always see clearly — especially when emotions are involved. But as mentioned earlier, there are several things we can learn from. For example — in many instances within the Bible, it basically says, “Before throwing stones at someone or pointing out the speck in someone else’s eye, you should look to yourself first and clean your house.” Yes – that is a butchering of several points, but basically “what we learn of God in the Bible should always be first and foremost directed inward rather than aimed at others” … it just makes sense.

And that’s it in a not-so-short nutshell. Peter’s article was wonderfully written, and I just wanted to share the main points with you today. I hope you enjoyed it, and if not I hope you at least learned something. 🙂

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