What's Holy about the Bible?

I have been spending time rereading Marcus Borg's 2003 book, The Heart of Christianity.  I have to say that I don't agree with everything Marcus Borg says in his writings, but as a college professor of mine once said, "If you can't find something you agree with and something you disagree with when you read any book, then you haven't read critically enough."  Having prefaced my comments with such words, let me share something Marcus Borg wrote about the Bible that I do agree with - it is on page 48 where he writes, "But a clear vision of the Bible and its role in the Christian life requires seeing it as both sacred scripture and human product.  It is human in origin, and sacred in status and function."

What does this mean?  For me, it means that the Bible is both the sacred writing of an infallible God and the historical product of fallible humans.  While it is impossible to read the Bible as if it were a divine Dictaphone, the Bible does contain the Word of God that is infallible in matters of faith and practice.  The art of interpretation is how you unpack Scripture so that you separate the societal norms and cultural milieus of its ancient worldview - which are conditioned by time and space - from the Word of God that reveals the nature of God and human condition - which are eternal through time and space.  All this requires a focus on the meaning of the stories that explores the Bible for what it really is; a theological book written to tell us what God looks like, what we look like, and what God requires of us.

So, what is Holy about the Bible?  Everything, if you understand that while you may not want to interpret every story in the Bible as literal history (like the creation stories of Genesis) there is literal truth on every page of Scripture.  Through a steady diet of reading Holy Scripture every day, we can discover what is Holy about the Bible, and that is a journey that helps us to discover what is the mind of Christ, what is a heart for God, and what is the courage that can sustain us in the living of our days on earth.Perhaps October would be a good month for you to explore the Bible by reading a chapter a day.  There are four full weeks in October.  What if you spent the first three weeks reading the Gospel of John, which has 21 chapters?  All you need is 1/2 hour a day for reading and meditation.  Then use the final week to read through the three epistles of I John, 2 John, 3 John.  Those three epistles have 7 chapters total.  Within the month of October you will have read through the Gospel of John and the 3 epistles of John.  When you read ask yourself the questions of meaning . . . what do these stories tell me about God, and about myself and about the relationship that God is calling me into with God and the world around me? If you do, then you may discover infallible truths that transcend both time and space, the truths that will help you discover what is on God’s mind, what is in God’s heart, and the courage displayed by the One who came to save us all.

God bless you on your journey.

Dennis 

What's Holy about the Bible?

I have been spending time rereading Marcus Borg's 2003 book, The Heart of Christianity.  I have to say that I don't agree with everything Marcus Borg says in his writings, but then again, I like to read books from authors where I disagree, and as a college professor of mine once said, "If you can't find something you both agree and disagree with when you read a book, then you haven't read critically enough."  Having prefaced my comments with the above statements, let me share something that Marcus Borg wrote about the Bible that I really do agree with - it is on page 48 where he writes, "But a clear vision of the Bible and its role in the Christian life requires seeing it as both sacred scripture and human product.  It is human in origin, and sacred in status and function."  

What does this mean?  For me, it means that the Bible is both the sacred writing of an infallible God and the human product of the fallible humans who were inspired to write it.  While it is impossible to read the Bible as if you were reading the manuscript of a divine Dictaphone, the Bible does contain the Word of God that is infallible in matters of faith and practice.  What is important is how you unpack the Scriptures through the art of interpretation so that you separate the societal norms and cultural milieus of its ancient world - which are conditioned by time and space - from the eternal truths of God's Word - which are eternal through time and space.  This requires a focus on the meaning of the stories, and that involves questions that explores the Bible for what it is; a theological book that is written to tell us what God looks like, what we look like, and what God requires of us.

So, what is Holy about the Bible?  Everything, if you understand that while you may not want to take every story in the Bible as literal history (like the creation stories of Genesis) there is literal truth on every page of Scripture.  Perhaps October could be a good month for you to explore the Bible by reading a chapter a day.  There are four full weeks in October.  What if you spent the first three weeks reading the Gospel of John, which has 21 chapters.  All you need is 1/2 hour a day for reading and meditation.  Then use the final week to read through the three epistles of I John, 2 John, 3 John.  Those three epistles have 7 chapters total.  Within the month of October you will have read through the entire  Gospel of John and the three epistles of John.  As you read ask yourself the questions of meaning . . . what do these stories tell me about God, about myself and the relationship that God is calling me into with both God and the world around me?  If you do, then you will discover infallible truths that transcend both time and space.

God bless you on your journey.  

Dennis 

Fear and Trembling

Philippians 2:12-13 says, "Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work our your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."  As United Methodists we don't speak much about working out salvation in fear and trembling.  It reminds us way too much of judgmental preachers who gave us nightmares of spending eternity in hell, lest we die before we confess Jesus as Lord.   Yes, what if you left that church revival without coming to the altar, leaving only to be hit by a speeding train while attempting to cross the railroads tracks, only to wake up, finding yourself in hell for all eternity.  These and many other finely painted scenarios were a popular way preachers used to scare the hell out of parishioners to get them into heaven.   Some still preach it today.

But before you dismiss this text in fear of returning nightmares, let's take a deeper look at Philippians 2:12 and 13.  The word Paul uses for work can be defined as "bringing an act to its completion."  The terms he uses for fear and trembling does not suggest the type of fear and trembling that, as William Barclay says, "disobedient slaves have toward their harsh masters," but "the fear and trembling that comes with the knowledge that without our cooperation, God is helpless to complete the salvation work within each of us."  What is important is that we cooperate with God in obeying him and walking the path God puts before us.  In this way, we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, but the kind of fear and trembling that humbles us knowing that the Holy God, of whose face we are not worthy to look upon, has invited us by his grace to join him on an adventure that will lead to the salvation of our souls.  Salvation is a journey.  It is a journey that begins with saying that Jesus is Lord, as Peter once did, but that is just the beginning of the journey.  This journey is a journey of grace as we learn to walk with God, trusting God along the way!

I've been preaching on what it means to work our your salvation with fear and trembling using the Exodus (the story of ancient Israel's salvation history) as the backdrop for what God wishes to say to us today.  This Sunday I am preaching on the Crossing of the Sea.  Why don't you come and join us for worship and learn how to work out your salvation.

Dennis