Taking the Bible Seriously

I have had a number of conversations where in Christian circles where I have brought up the concept of Christian liberty. The concept that unity in small matters is more important than arguing the finest hairs of truth is found throughout scripture.

Almost immediately there comes an objection. The idea brings in relativity. We will keep arguing every tiny detail, because we who are we to decide what is important or not.

At times the attempted piety of persons is an excuse to not take the bible seriously. The bible calls us to seek wisdom. To actually think and make decisions.

The bible calls us to wisdom. It does not call us to mindlessly refuse to decide what is important. The bible calls us to think and discern as image bearers of God.

The bible is not a call to a mindless life of acting as if every thing is of the same importance. We cannot be faithful to scripture if we refuse to seek wisdom.

We are not seeking wisdom if we do not take seriously what the bible takes seriously. The call to unity in the church requires that we seek wisdom.

Of course truth is important. It takes no wisdom to see this. It takes wisdom to see how unity and truth relate. And how not all truth is worth fighting over.

We cannot piously reject the teaching of scripture. And refuse to incorporate concepts into our thought that scripture teaches.

A Time for Unity

Unity is at times more important than truth. Paul speaks of issues which have an answer, but unity is more important than the answer.

You see truth at all costs is not Christian. Truth has value and some truth is of great value, but all truth is not equally important.

It is often odd debating with atheists who seem to view that any point of Christianity they object to can sink all of Christianity.

I do see the need to defend the whole faith, but the error in the atheist's approach is that he assumes that Christianity does not have a core and a periphery.

The reality is the Christian faith has an order of beliefs which is important. Not everything is worth dividing over in Christianity.

Some things are worth a good long discussion over but not worth dividing over. Some points are so minor they are not worth discussing if it would bring tension among brothers.

A Time for Truth

Often we live in a world which does not care for truth. Unity is all that matters and we could not care of the details.

Often we can let anything go so long as there is peace. The bible meets this and tells us that there are some things worth fighting over.

Not every fact is worth fighting over, but some are. We can as Christians if we feel it is right have a disinterest in arguing fine points of exegesis or not coming to clarity on what a certain text is about. This is fine.

But in many central things such a disinterest is sin. We cannot have disinterest in the central and essential.

Errors related to Justification, the Trinity, the fully divine and fully man nature of Jesus, and other central issue cannot be easily passed over. There can be grace in these debates for people with doubts, but the debates cannot be passed over.

Sometimes we feel not apt to speak in debates. Often the errors are expounded by people of great rhetoric or intellect. But it is not we who win debates but God.

If God is for us no one can be against us. On a number of occasions I have entered debates on important topics I was sure I could not win.

Sometimes I was right and sometimes I was wrong and won the debate which I felt I had no ability to win. You see it is never we who win debates, but God who wins when he chooses to work through us.

Fellowship and Adiaphora

An understanding of Adiaphora and acceptance of it is key to fellowship. Adiaphora are things which are indifferent or areas where there is truth but not of a significance to divide over.

You see Paul using the concept in several cases where he gives his opinion but says that unity is more important than everyone accepting the truth on the issue.

The existence of Adiaphora indicates that some things are worth fighting over. You see Paul for example confronts certain apostles because they were clearly in the wrong on an issue. And some things are of small importance and unity is more important than this or that tiny detail.

We always need wisdom as we approach scripture. God thinks differently than we do many times. We tend to think as people in either of two ways: in completely black and white terms or completely in shades of gray.

God's thought does not fit neatly into this mold. At some points God's thought as recorded in scripture is completely black and white. In some areas he thinks in shades of gray.

You see God looks at the big picture and that is what wisdom is. It is a call to apply the truth of scripture uniquely to each situation.

There are absolutes but also there are many unique situations with great complexity. There is black and white and there is gray all in life and ethics.

Edification

Speaking in church is about edification of the body. To be edified we must have both love and truth.

You see love needs truth and truth needs love to be edifying. What is false rarely serves as loving in the long term.

The church is called to unity and truth. The two can only be found together in wisdom. You see a great balance is needed.

The principles fit together perfectly but in a fallen world it takes great wisdom to discern the right balance. You see truth at all costs is not Christian but neither unity at all costs.

As Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything under the sun. A time for peace and a time for war. Of course it is wisdom given from God through the Spirit that shows the difference.

Scripture is Simple

A great truth is that scripture is very simple to understand if one approaches it through faith. Of course there is a great difficulty of approaching scripture through faith.

The difficulty is not in the complexity of scripture, but rather often that we do not like the message the bible has for us. Our pride and often the lack of getting our way gets in the way of our understanding scripture. It is often not that we do not understand a text, but that we pretend not to understand because the message displeases us.

The bibles teachings on many issues are very simple for example the reality of hell. Of course there can be some difference on how literal to take the descriptions of the place, but the importance is the bible teaches it.

The reality is that man often approaches the bible in his sinful state and attempts to exert his will over scripture. Actually it is possibly the first sin of mankind, simply to say "did God really say."

Yes God did! He has said these things very clearly! The question of course is will we sit and listen to God and let God tell us the way things are? Or will we stand over scripture and tell God the way reality is.

The number of examples are limitless. There are many clear teachings of scripture ignored and often times the exact opposite of which are taught by "preachers."

Actually to preach is simply to open up God's word to others. To proclaim a message not from God is to not preach.

The bible does contain many things which are very hard to understand. To not understand all of scripture is normal. The reality is that God has made the very important things of scripture very clear.

There are teachings of scripture that are more or less important than others. All scripture is important, but not all scripture is as important as other parts. It has been my experience that the importantly vital parts of scripture are always explained in great detail.

And the important parts of scripture are repeated many times. Have you not understood Paul's explanation of faith then listen to Jesus' explanation of faith. There are four gospel accounts which feature many similar and some slightly different aspect of Jesus' teaching.

The teaching of scripture is a unity (scripture is not divided against itself) but scripture has offered many explanations of the important things of faith so that we can have many chances to understand. God does this because he loves us.

God is not a God who wishes to condemn sinners. In fact God is actively pursuing fallen men in the world. And he has a lot to say to them if they will come and listen.