No, but before you break out the tar and feathers read this.
It is in fact heresy to equate any book, even the Bible, as equal to Jesus. The Bible is not the 4th member of the Trinity.
The Bible is a group of writings inspired by God and its purpose is to reveal Jesus to us. Each book (or letter) was written to a specific group of people for a specific purpose. It never claims to be the Word of God, it is without a doubt God inspired for the purpose I have already stated. It is best described as written words about the Word of God, Jesus. It reveals accurate and truthful information about Jesus. Jesus reveals Himself to us through His indwelling.
Until recent history the vast majority of people never read a single word of the Bible, and yet Jesus made His person and message known to billions down through the ages.
John 1:1-4
John 5:39-40
1 John 2:27
I think the reason that Jesus did not write a single word of the Bible is that He knew people would regard it as a "sacred" object and worship it instead of entering into relationship with Him.
Unfortunately many have done almost that anyway. They see the Bible as the "container" for God, as a manual and rule book. They constrain God to what they think they know of Him through study. It is like knowing every word of your favorite book but not ever having met the author and engaged in a conversation to verify what he meant by what he wrote. Instead of turning to Him for truth they "learn" a doctrine, filtered and constructed by men to serve their purposes, not Gods purpose. This is called Bibiolarity, it is a form of idolaltry that is no better then worshipping a rock.
Does that mean I discount the Bible? Not at all. I spend many hours a day studying it to learn more about Jesus. Even then, I am not dependent on written words to know Jesus. I know Him best through His presence within me. If for some reason the Bible were to disappear from earth my faith, my trust, my joy in Him would not be diminished one bit.
Are you dependent on words written about Him to know what is true about Him or is His indwelling Spirit real and tangible to you? If it is not it can be, all you have to do is seek Him.
Chapter 11: Love, Rest, and Play
2 days ago
I do have a question, one I know has been asked before but I’d be interested to hear what you think. What do you do when someone says that their experience contradicts something that is written in the Bible and they claim to be lead by His Spirit. I understand the freedom we have in Christ and that the Bible is not the 4th person of the Trinity but I struggle with those who seem to just make up their own theology to fit their own lifestyle. The most obvious example would be those who claim that God approves of living a homosexual lifestyle – as long as you are monogamous (or so they say).
ReplyDeleteI’m not one to hold to closely to a certain doctrine – Calvinism vs Armenianism or should women be allowed to teach men, etc. I think the Bible is full of paradoxes; most notably that Jesus was fully God and fully human. I try to practice unity in the essentials, liberty in the non-essentials and charity over all – of course then the questions becomes what are the essentials. My faith is very much based in relationship, day to day, moment to moment; of knowing Him as my Lord, my Savoir, my Father, Brother, Beloved and Friend but a part of knowing Him and His will has come from my understanding of His written word.
Perhaps we are saying the same thing – only seeing it from a different angle . . . I've never posted on a blog before so wasn't sure about the "identity" part but you can call me joyful heart!
When we say that someones experience contradicts something that is written in the Bible we then assume that our understanding of the the written words are the "correct" interpretation. I beleive that our paradigm for understanding scripture is so tainted by Augustinian, Greek and modern Western philosophy that we fail to see the forrest for the trees. Often what we think is so clearly written is not clear at all.
ReplyDeletePersonally I measure what my experience (revelation by His indwelling) tells me against the one most true standard, love. If my experience tells me something different then what I read in the Bible, does what I experience move the situation or relationship toward love or away from it? If what I think is truth moves away from restoration, reconciliation, peace of mind and heart then I am not hearing the true voice of God.
I think in todays world we have an over dependence of the written word. In the early church and for centuries afterword the true followers of Jesus listened to Him as they had no access to written words. Mans interpretations of the written words have proved just as wild and wacky (and sometimes dangerous) as those who say they are led only by His voice within.