The Bible Idol

Recently a friend began a discussion on the concept of whether or not some Christians make the Bible an idol. After all, anything good can be made bad by worshipping it rather than the Creator, right?

Someone who loves nature can find that the desire to admire forests, mountains, rivers—rather than leading to thoughts of how wonderful the Creator must be, if the creation is so beautiful, may instead lift thoughts no higher than the exhilaration that can come from adoration. Nature then becomes an idol.

Or those who play or watch a sport may find their thoughts persistently interrupted with the need to think in that vein, to skip fellowship to be out on the field or court,  to neglect relationships and duties to scream at a television screen. Sports then becomes an idol.

Or for those with a creative bent—as the spirit explains to the ghost in a C.S. Lewis' novel—they may begin with a desire to share glimpses of heaven and end by worshipping their very method of communication or, ultimately, themselves.

"Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from love of the thing he tells, to love of the telling till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only in what they say about Him. For it doesn't stop at being interested in paint, you know. They sink lower—becoming interested in their own personalities and then in nothing but their own reputations."~The Great Divorce

Hmmm... Does that sound familiar? Not of an artist you may know, but of a Christian? Maybe it's you; maybe it's me—"becoming interested in their own personalities and then in nothing but their own reputations." Yes. I know that disease.

It may start as love for God, but then morphs into a love of a habit, thought, (God forbid) a favourite Bible verse. Then in their "zeal without knowledge", they print signs saying who God hates, they picket military funerals for reasons that don't relate to the family or the deceased, they preach truth without love or love without Truth (is that love?). In these cases we live as devils in the name of Jesus!

But is it correct to say that the Bible can become an idol? Maybe. But more accurate, I believe, would be to say that our understanding becomes an idol.

If we choose pet verses and miss the balance of Scripture, we break the Law of God.
"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

Interestingly, the above verse is in a passage in James exhorting the churches to not show favouritism. Whether we twist Scriptures to damn a fellow Christian or someone outside of the faith for not adhering to the convictions we feel, we show favouritism. We accept those who think like us and treat anyone else as enemies. This partiality is equivalent to bias towards the rich over the poor, which is specifically addressed in James. This divisiveness makes enemies of those who do not think like we do.

If someone is an enemy, what did Jesus command? Instead of hating your enemy, He said "I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

If someone is truly wrong, living in sin, love would have them repent and reap the mercy of God, but pride wants to condemn them without a trial. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community, wrote: "To make intercession means to grant our brother the same right that we have received, namely, to stand before Christ and share in His mercy." 

And, I would argue, this is the same right (to be prayed for) should be given to the lost too, who are not yet born again; therefore, to pray for an unsaved sinner, is to acknowledge that I was once in sin and (still struggle and have) need of God's mercy, and, but for His grace, I may have become worse than they.

True love desires that the one loved live in such a way as that he or she will benefit from the grace of God. You cannot love someone and desire their temporary happiness at the cost of their eternal happiness or at the cost of the value of their life. 

To want the best for someone, may require what some call "tough love." This does not belong just to the rebellious, who choose what is recognised as bad, but may also apply to one who is lazy and seeks pleasure rather than God. It may be necessary, out of love and only from love, to share with them the way of Truth, and pray they repent rather than reap the consequences of their sins. If they don't and the harvest of consequences comes, then love would lead one to come along side them to bear the burden and find the Saviour. 

Love and Truth summarize the whole Bible. As Mart DeHaan, former President of RBC Ministries, loves to tell—all Scripture either points to Christ as the Hope of all time or, by showing sin and weakness, points to our need for a Saviour. 

We, none of us, are guiltless. We all are responsible to be one who "correctly handles the Word of Truth." To "correctly handle" Scripture, one must be in it faithfully, consistently, listening, repenting, correcting our focus from one thing back to the Saviour and from another thing back to the Saviour. 

We will be accountable for knowing Scripture and for applying Scripture rightly (as this verse specifies). To know Bible passages and quote them does not prove you are righteous for even the devil quoted verses back to Jesus. 

Our knowledge of the Bible must be lived in obedience, love, and humility. If we find ourselves isolated from others, it may well be that pride has entered causing division. And, it may not be their pride, but yours or mine. Dissension and pride of any kind are something God hates.

Therefore, for our own standing before God, we must know and rightly apply the whole of Scripture to our own lives. But, also for the sake of the Body of the Messiah, to which all born again followers of Yeshua are members (arms, legs, hands, hearts), we bear responsibility.

"An element of sickness gets into the body; perhaps nobody knows where it is from or in what member it has lodged, but the body is infected. This is the proper metaphor for the Christian community. We are members of a body, not only when we choose to be, but in our whole existence. Every member serves the whole body, either to its health or to its destruction." ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

When we stand before Yahweh, will you and I be "approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed"? Today is all we may have.

What are your thoughts?

Review of "Love Wins"

Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Love Wins caught me a bit by surprise. From the many reviews of its damning content, I expected it to be persuasive in its "new" ideas. It wasn't. I also expected that it would vastly contain lies. It didn't.

On one hand, I saw Rob Bell making sweeping generalities with select verses without consideration of the context and with dismissal of equal or greater arguments contrary to his assertions. One example, of his leaping assumptions is his ignoring all scholarly debate on the identity of the author of Hebrews and authoritatively declaring the author a "she" (for which the evidence and arguments against this theory are more prevalent than those for it). This, though rather insignificant and seemingly-petty (to some), enforced the truth that Bell is no scholar, more or less a theological one. To go into detail about specifics of his errors is not my intention here. I'll leave that to true scholars, many of whom have already commenced to fight those battles.

On the other hand, I saw truth in what Bell presented. This is both dangerous and reassuring. Dangerous in that it is easy to overlook blatant error because of streams of truth running amidst the quicksand. Yet reassuring that the heart of his theory doesn't appear, to me (actually knowing Rob), to be merely to "tickle people's ears" (even if that is what it does for some).

Rob Bell reacts to an extreme in Christian circles--unloving attitudes and a sort of triumph over the unbelievers. This is not a good representation of Christians, but it is a representation of many or at least a reflection of the passionless love we have in contrast to our Saviour's love and our own salvation.

In conclusion, this book may be a good recommendation to those who have grown up in the church, to those too "familiar" with the salvation story. It needs to be balanced with the full truth of the Gospel, with the justice that those who truly love the lost will be compelled to share. But it also emphasizes God's love for all and our need to show it; something that may get lost in our self-centered religious lives.

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. 
~1 Timothy 2:8

I sincerely hope and pray Rob Bell does submit to God's authority and not trust with pride in his own thoughts and talents. 

Who's Side is God On?

One of the things heavy on my heart this week is the state of my nation. I am actually not thinking directly of the present administration, which you may or may not like. I'm reacting to the people.

Two things have disturbed me: some of those supportive of the present administration here in the States and some of those against it. Let me begin in reverse--with those against it.

Someone I work with, who speaks to large groups of Christians, reported an alarming attitude amongst the majority of those to whom he talks. They seem to be arguing that our only option is to form militias. This is disturbing on many levels.

For one, the conduct of a Christian as taught in the Bible is expressly contrary to rebelling against authority. Paul urges us strongly to pray for our leaders and respect those in authority as God's agents.

The Apostle Peter argues: "What credit do you deserve if you endure a beating for doing something wrong? But if you endure suffering for doing something good, God is pleased with you. God called you to endure suffering because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example so that you could follow in his footsteps. Christ never committed any sin. He never spoke deceitfully. Christ never verbally abused those who verbally abused him. When he suffered, he didn't make any threats but left everything to the One who judges fairly." (1 Peter 2:20-23)

We have an unusual right to peacefully make our voices heard. When we know something to be wrong, we can try to vote against it or entreat our leaders to follow their consciences. We are not, however, called to take violent action (even if things get worse) to take back what we have had.

We are promised persecution. As hard as it is to accept, what we as citizens of the West have experienced is unusual to most of the world. PRAY we keep it! But don't, by your thoughts, conversations, and potential actions CAUSE persecution for all Christians, because you choose to take the law into your own hands (the devil's delight!). Don't be such a pawn. Be a Christian, if you call yourself by His name.

On the other side, I worry when I hear people twisting definitions in order to make something that's unconstitutional palatable. I'm thinking here of the right of the President to go against Fox News. Whether you like them or not is immaterial. I have heard over and over those in journalism saying Fox does not qualify as news, because they do not present their material with the appearance of objectivity. Because it is not news, they say, it is perfectly right for the President to close them down.

I see freedom of speech slowly being redefined to fit a narrow definition of what is allowed. I hear of it in the UK--a couple imprisoned, because they said they believed Islam was wrong, and that offended the Muslims who heard. There is less tolerance for truth and more applauding of twisted, mutilated truth that has a pretty face and good PR.

When we seek to know which side of the political line God is on, I'm reminded of Joshua 5:13 - 15. Joshua was leading the Israelites into a battle God had told him to fight. Before the battle he saw, "a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, 'Are you for us, or for our enemies?' And he said, 'No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.'

As Oswald Chambers said, God is not on any side. The question is are we on God's side. If we claim the name of Jesus, let us follow the example of Jesus, wherever it may lead.

Where is Your Faith?

So many good lessons taught today about Truth, prayer, and the use of the tongue. Now to process and apply. Not so easy.

Pastor Rich shared something this morning that I had never seen in this way before. He said that Christianity is the only "religion" in the world that is not culturally based: Hinduism & Buddhism are essentially culturally based in Asia; Judaism, Israel; Islam, Arab countries; Catholicism, Italy; Mormonism, America...

Arab nations consider America and Western Europe "Christian." Interestingly, I have heard many Americans balking about not being called a Christian nation anymore, and, yet, Christianity has never had a national identity. Even when it was birthed in the heart of Israel, the Jews who were saved were scattered all over the world, from many different locations and languages.

"We talk about a Christian nation--there has never been such a thing. There are Christians in the nations, but not Christian nations." ~Oswald Chambers

God has revealed Himself to humans, but since the Fall, we are naturally inclined to create our own traditions, philosophies, and culturally-based religions.

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." (Rom 1:19-23)

But God has pointed out to us from the beginning that Jesus Christ is the basis of our relationship to God (read Isaiah 42:1-9).

In light of this, it is interesting that many hate Christianity and call those who adhere to the Bible's teachings, bigots. I suspect it is because they have either never seen a true Christian who lives out the teachings of the Bible or they have chosen to be ignorant.

The Gospel of Christ is the only call that goes out to people of every race, creed, colour, and sex and says that we can come and be one family through Jesus Christ. It isn't based on how smart you are, what education you've had, what connections, what talents...It is all centred on confessing faith in Jesus' payment for our sin. To me, that is inclusive.

Yet it is exclusive. The way to God is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14). It is only through Jesus that we may come (John 14:6), because the basis of all true faith is founded on Him.

The road of deception is broad. Many will choose to follow their own beliefs, traditions, cultural allegiances, and philosophies. Yet, God's call is to "as many as receive Him to them He gives the right to be called Sons of God."

If true faith is based on Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Bible, how true is your faith? Do you trust your own philosophies, the traditions of your church, the beliefs of your parents, your own experiences?

Experiences, philosophies, cultures, and opinions are born and destroyed. God's Word will never pass away.

Life is short. Don't put it off.