The Box The label on the outside says, Christian but the inside is full of non-christian ideas. I don t think we should take the Bible literally because it was written by fallible humans so there are mistakes and contradictions in it. Besides times have changed and much of the Bible is culturally regressive so I don t think we should follow all of it. Here s the problem: The very foundation of a Christian worldview is the Bible. If the Bible is not true or trustworthy then neither is Christianity. Unfortunately many Christians are not only unfamiliar with the contents of the Bible but they don t have confidence that it actually contains the Word of God. So let s talk about it this morning. Questions for discussion How can we be sure the Bible is God s word vs. other sacred books? Since we don t even have the original documents how can we be sure that what we have is what was written? Who decided which books were in and which were out? On what basis were these decisions made? Why is the Bible so hard to understand? What about all the contradictions in the Bible? The Bible is full of culturally informed ideas like slavery, stoning for adultery and the submission of women. Why should we be bound by these antiquated ideas? Why are there so many different interpretations of passages in the Bible? What did Jesus say about the scriptures? Isn t this ultimately a faith issue? Let me conclude with three important reminders about the Bible. 1
The Bible is historically accurate. The NT, for example, is based on eyewitness testimony. Luke said he checked his facts with eyewitnesses. 2 Pe. 1:16 says, For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Paul said people who saw Jesus after the resurrection were still alive. He couldn t have said that unless it was true. These letters were written too early after the purported events and were too detailed to be legends. Legends and myths weren t written this way. Furthermore the documents are counterproductive to the cause. Some examples - Jesus asked if He could avoid the cross. He cried out Why have you forsaken me? The early witnesses to the resurrection were women. No one accepted the testimony of women in a first century Jewish or Roman world. The disciples are portrayed as clueless and cowardly. The Bible is culturally offensive. Cultural beliefs change constantly so we cannot judge the Bible by what culture says. Let me give you an example. You mean I'm supposed to reserve sexual intimacy for marriage? I don't think so. No one does that. It's unreasonable. It's too difficult. Everybody has to decide what is right and wrong for themselves. Few people would say sex is meaningless. The illusion is that we get to decide what its meaning is. Culture determines what's right, what's wrong, and where we draw the line. Imagine being transported back to 1860 when slavery was deeply entrenched in the South. You talk to somebody about racial equality and he responds, You mean to tell me you think I'm supposed to treat a black person as my equal, eat with them, pay them, free them? You have to be out of your mind! I would lose my family and my respectability. I wouldn t even be safe from my white neighbors. It's unreasonable. It's too difficult. Nobody does that. Everybody has to decide for themselves what is right or what is wrong. God didn t put racism up for a vote. If everybody in a whole society thought that racism was okay, then everybody was wrong. We did not create people. 2
We did not create sexuality. We do not get to define their meaning or significance around our desires or current social practices. What do we do when we encounter a text that appears to be culturally offensive: (Thanks to Tim Keller for these three suggestions.) 1. Consider the possibility that it doesn t teach what you think it teaches. In Genesis, all the male heroes practice polygamy and mistreat women. Judaism is a patriarchal institution. But polygamy, it turns out, is a disaster. Another practice that supports a patriarchal system is called primogeniture the first-born son is heir. But God turns this culturally accepted practice on its head because over and over again He favors the younger son. 2. Consider the possibility that we all wear cultural blinders. The disciples had blinders on regarding the Kingdom. They saw it as political. Many people have cultural blinders on when they read the word slave in the Bible. But slavery in the Bible was not race-based African slavery. Very few were slaves for life. The word referred to the working class as opposed to the privileged class who didn t have to work. 3. Consider the possibility that we all carry within us an unexamined assumption about the superiority of our own culture. In a self-centered individualistic society the restrictions on sex in the Bible is a problem. On the other hand most people in our culture would see the Bible s teaching on forgiveness as wonderful. But what if you live in a Middle Eastern culture? Biblical restrictions on sex are good but forgiveness no way. Vengeance is a culturally acceptable solution to being wronged. If the Bible is the word of God and if all cultures on this fallen planet are opposed to God s rule then it stands to reason that every culture will be offended by biblical truth. We can t pick and choose the parts we like. Augustine once observed, If you believe what you like in the Gospels and reject what you don t like, it s not the gospel you believe, but yourself. (Quoted in Lutzer, Trust the Bible, p. 100) 3
The Bible is trustworthy because Jesus trusted the scriptures. I trust the Bible because Jesus did. Jesus believed every word of scripture. He believed the Old Testament was historical fact. Here are some subjects Jesus spoke of as true. Adam and Eve were historical figures Mt. 19:4-5 Abel was a real individual Lk. 11:51 Noah and the flood Mt. 24:37-39 and Lk. 17:26-27 Sodom and Gomorrah Mt. 10:15; Lk. 10:12 Lot (and his wife) Lk. 17:28-32 Manna Jn. 6:31, 49, 58 The bronze serpent Jn. 3:14 Jonah Mt. 12:39-41 (Sheba v. 42) Daniel and Isaiah Mt. 24:15 Jesus obeyed the Word of God, not the words of men. Jesus did not subject Himself to a fallible, casually thrown together document containing the words of men. If that were the case then Jesus would have been subject to the will of man and not the will of God. Jesus submitted to the scriptures as God s Word. He obeyed it. It was His authority, the rule by which He lived. Jesus is the Word of God in human form. Ultimately everything in the Bible leads us to Jesus. It is not about me or you. Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Lk. 24:27. The exodus, the lamb, the law, the tabernacle, the prophets, priests and kings all point to Jesus as God s Word to us. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. Heb. 1:1-3 4
So we face a choice listen to God or listen to man. Either I judge the word of God or I allow the word of God to judge me. It s your choice. 5