The traditional mantra of evangelical Christianity since the Protestant Reformation has been sola scriptura, or scripture alone. Whether or not the original intention of this idea was to make an idol of the Bible, that has too often become the case in modern evangelicalism. Truth, as an objective reality, has been equated with the actual words of the Bible. Was this ever the intention of God, or has Christianity become a book-based spirituality rather than a person-based spirituality?
Whenever I think of Truth, I think of it in terms of relationship, not in terms of propositions and doctrines. To me, Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ. Otherwise, how can we possibly understand the many verses of scripture referring to Jesus (a person) as the truth? Take a look at the following verses while trying to reconcile the modern idea of truth as right propositions.
"For me, to live is Christ."
"I am the way, the truth, and the life."
"I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
"You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life."
To live is Christ. How can this make sense in any other context than truth as relationship? It makes much less sense to say, "To live is the virgin birth." People do not live by propositions, but by relationships. Everything that is anything is bound up in a series of relationships, without which there really is no meaning. I ... am the truth. This is the most plain biblical statement of the person of Jesus being equated with actual truth. Christ does not precede "the truth" with statements of dogma - He begins the sentence with a proper noun, Himself. There is no full truth outside the person of Jesus. A book cannot be perfect truth. Only a Person can accomplish that. The third verse gives Christians a clear view of what the Bible is: a witness to the Truth. Jesus encoutnered the same problem in his day, with religious people wanting to make the scriptures the end all of truth. Life is found not in religious texts, but in a personal relationship with Christ.
Robert Webber asks a relevant question: "Do we believe in a book or a person?" It is an either/or question. Either there is one, perfect true direction of worship, or there is not. Only God can be perfect, and perfection deserves our worship. Leonard Sweet has written a wonderful book dealing in part with this subject:
http://www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781578566471
Peace & Blessings.
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E-Merging is my birth into the blogging world. The general purpose of this blog (and I am sure to stray) is to express some thoughts on the emerging church, the emerging conversation, my own journey of emergence, and other various and sundry spiritual and theological topics. I hope you enjoy, or at least are interested in what you interact with here. Welcome all!
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- daniel.emerging
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1 comment:
Respectfully, I'd like to respond to your notion that the Bible is viewed in modern Christianity as an idol and that Truth and the Word of God are exclusive.
In John 1 Jesus is referred to as THE WORD which became flesh and dwelt among us. The BIble is GOD'S WORDS. Want to know His will? His Word IS His will. The Bible IS His perfect Word.
It is also the standard by which Truth is judged. In a world where "truth" has been undermined, the Bible's claim to holding the ultimate truth is also being attacked. And why shouldn't they attack it? Those who hate truth hate God's Word because it IS truth.
There are several things to note:
1) The words in the Bible are God's Words from and through holy men and women of God. They can not be equated with say, Steven King's approach to writing, where his own life perhaps might be the source of his inspiration. The Bible on the other hand, and this can't be underscored enough, is inspired by the HOLY Spirit. This is very important since the Holy Spirit IS God.
2) God is not a man that He should lie. His purpose has always been reconciliation to Himself. Therefore He left us with a written account to encourage and strengthen us (His people) through the centuries as a map and guide to follow until His return. God often in the Old Testament referred His people to recount who He was by WHAT He did- "I Am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." God would say, "If you want to know Me, go back and remember what I've done. Remember my promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." The same God who was faithful to them through their circumstances will be faith to us today. But how would we know WHAT He did through these men if we had no written account to reference? The Word of God is a written account of God's faithfulness and expectations.
3) Jesus IS THE WORD. Again, John 1 says that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The "WORD" is Jesus. Jesus is the Word.
4) The Bible also says that not one jot or tittle will pass away until ALL is fulfilled that is written.
5) Jesus Himself also pointed to the Word as it was written in that day, the Torah as a reference for His ministry and teaching. He honored the Word as we honor the Word today.
6) When the Word is removed as the foundation of our faith, then men do what is right in their own eyes.And that's really what we see happening in the modern church today.
If you therefore have been led to believe that the Bible is full of contradictions, which is becoming a mantra sung by many modern skeptics (frankly because of their own refusal to adhere to its pages), I would HIGHLY recommend you do your own research.
Here are a couple of wonderful resources to point you in the right direction:
Ravi Zacharias Ministries:
http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Watch.aspx
The Veritas Forum
http://www.veritas.org/media/talks/
A Christian Think-tank
http://www.christian-thinktank.com/topix.html
Lee Strobel
http://www.leestrobel.com/videoserver/video.php?clip=strobelT1142
In Him with You,
A Brother in Christ
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