Reading the Bible (Part 1) - Introduction
No single book has impacted the world as significantly as the Bible has. The message contained in the Bible has the power not just to radically change individual lives but also to shape cultures and civilizations.
In my own life, accepting the message of the Bible as the foundation for all truth and authority has motivated me to make dramatic decisions which have shaped my personal trajectory. This has also been the case for millions of others in the course of human history.
What is it about the message of the Bible which has such power? Why have Christians historically called the Bible true and authoritative? Who wrote the Bible? Why should we trust the Bible? How can we begin to read the Bible? What should we expect when we read the Bible?
These questions, along with many other similar questions, are worth devoting significant time and thought to answering.
This post is the first in a multi-post series which will examine these questions and provide a basis for serious consideration of the message of the Bible.
As we begin, let’s consider first the power of ideas. Ideas are conscious expressions of truth which contain implications for the present and the future. For example, the idea that the world is warming and the seas are rising has great power to change how governments and individuals invest limited resources or make plans for where to live in the future. Or, the idea that the world of digital technology enables significant control over financial and other information has great power to change how financial institutions and governments encourage (or discourage) the use of physical cash and may even cause the complete elimination of the use of physical cash in the future.
Ideas can be expressed verbally in written or spoken form. When the ideas are received into the mind through reading or hearing, they can be considered, accepted, or rejected. When they are accepted or rejected, they can begin to form the willful choices of those who accept or reject them. The willful choices begin to shape the environment, families, communities, and world around the people who either accept or reject the ideas.
As you can see, ideas have significant power.
In order to understand ideas, it is important to be a careful reader and listener. It is also important to be a careful thinker. In order to be a careful reader, listener, and thinker, a person must work to be patient, self-controlled, disciplined, and focused. These characteristics are not natural and must be developed through practice in reading, listening, and discussing ideas with others.
The Bible can be thought of as an expression of divine ideas. The ideas of the Bible are explicitly given by a divine person (a god) who identifies as “the most high god” or “the god above all gods.” This god is such a high god that his very name is to be spoken of with respect and reverence and to be set apart from other names. For our purposes, we will show this by capitalizing His name and personal pronouns.
In our next two posts, we will make a case that the Bible is true and authoritative. However, first, I want to offer some divine ideas from the Bible which were either spoken by the most high God of the Bible or about the most high God of the Bible. My goal is to demonstrate how powerful and significant the ideas of the Bible are in order to set the stage for future posts about the Bible.
Big ideas from the Bible
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
[17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. [18] Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:17–18)
[39] “‘See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
[40] For I lift up my hand to heaven
and swear, As I live forever,
[41] if I sharpen my flashing sword
and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
and will repay those who hate me. (Deuteronomy 32:39–41)
[8] I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols. (Isaiah 42:8)
[5] Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
[6] who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
[7] who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
[8] the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
[9] The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. (Psalm 146:5–9)
[25] Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
[26] They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
[27] but you are the same, and your years have no end.
[28] The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
their offspring shall be established before you. (Psalm 102:25–28)
[5] The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. [6] The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, [7] keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:5–7)
[6] The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
[7] He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
[8] The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
[9] He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
[10] He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
[11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
[12] as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
[13] As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
[14] For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
[15] As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
[16] for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
[17] But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
[18] to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
[19] The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:6–19)
As you can see, these are very big ideas. I will summarize the main ideas from the excerpts above about the most high God of the Bible:
He created the universe out of nothing by His own choice and through His own words.
He is the source of all that is good.
He has enemies (those who oppose Him) and has the power to overcome them.
He does not intend to share His place or class with any other being. He is in a class of power, authority, and beauty by Himself.
All who hope in Him will be delivered, freed, cared for, and healed, including those who are weak and poor.
He is unchanging and eternal.
His nature is loving, forgiving, gracious, merciful, just, and powerful.
He does great and wonderful things for those who fear Him.
In our next two posts, I will attempt to make the case that the Bible is true and authoritative.
Questions to consider:
What are the big ideas which have shaped your life?
Are you able to read and listen to the ideas of others?
What changes would you like to make in order to be able to grow in patience, self-control, discipline, and focus so that you can be better able to consider the ideas of others?
How do the ideas from the Bible (above) impact how you think about your life and the world around you?