God's Message to You for Today

 May 5, 2024

Sunday

I believe the Bible. I don't just believe in it. I believe it. There is a difference. I can believe in a friend. I can believe he is trustworthy. However, my friend may be misled. Therefore, he may say something that isn't true even though he believes it is. In that case, I don't believe him but I can still believe in him. He is still trustworthy but misled.

The Bible speaks truth. It reveals who is truth. It was God-breathed and contains no errors. However, those who interpret the Bible cannot say the same thing about themselves. Their interpretations are not God-breathed and they may contain error.

Too often, we believe a preacher or theologian as one who is truth. Though they may have spent countless hours studying, their interpretations may still contain error. One error that some have is citing another person above the Bible as truth. In other words, the interpretation from some is considered as true as the Bible. While insight into others interpretations are helpful, they cannot take the place of a personal study of the Bible. That study must include the Spirit's leading in understanding.

Traditions also muddy our understanding of the Bible. Traditions often result in doctrine. Doctrine will read itself into the Scriptures if one is not cautious. In other words, the words of the scripture are translated to meet the doctrine. In some cases, it isn't necessary to make the scriptures comply with doctrine. Many just ignore the scriptures that don't agree with their doctrine.

Today, as we read scripture, we see it as God's message to us for today. That means that God knew that we would read it on this day. He, through the Holy Spirit, has a message for us. It is truth. The truth neither depends upon what others have said or the doctrine that has been developed for it to be truth. The truth may agree with others and doctrine but the others and the doctrine depend upon the Word not the other way around.

For many people this is dangerous territory. It is easy to believe in heresy when the interpretations of others and doctrines are ignored. Surely, they must be considered. We must be sure that it is the Holy Spirit who is leading our interpretation.

When in college, I took a course called "The Bible as Literature." The professor was an Episcopalian priest who left out any mention of understanding the Bible through the Holy Spirit. It was read like any novel. It left no impressions on me. That is not the proper way to handle something as precious as the Bible.

So, we read the Bible today without prejudice. We read it as God's message to us. We read it with the understanding of the Holy Spirit. We read it in prayer for we may not interpret what the Spirit is saying to us. We read it to be changed. We read it with awe. We read it as truth. 

We believe the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NASB 2020) ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷ so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.