3 Mistakes About the Bible

There is much about the Bible that people are often confused about. Hermeneutics is the interpretation of literature, often associated with Biblical text. Simply, it’s the idea of realizing the writers had a purpose, audience, and style that they were writing. Often it may have been a historical narrative, like 1st and 2nd Kings, or it was prophetic, like Jeremiah. Sometimes the genres were mixed, like Daniel, but often there is a clear purpose, audience, and style used that MUST be taken into account in interpreting any passage of scripture. This is often the agnostic/atheist/skeptics mistake in dealing with Biblical text, and usually a excised verse from within a passage, their hermeneutic is based on preconceived notions, misinterpretation of the passage, and clearly misapplied use of them.

My article is not dealing with those issues. Much of what I am talking about is mistakes/misconceptions about the Bible, as a whole. I think there are many ideas that are wrong, simply ignorance of what the book purports to be, and the purpose the scripture was given to man. Obviously skeptics of the supernatural will doubt the God-inspired notion of the scriptures, and that is not as much of what we want to touch on (though it will play a part in what you think-obviously). No, the three mistakes I am addressing are things even ‘Bible-Believers’ hold to, and I want to address these, as I think they will affect your own view of the Bible if you hold to these three mistakes. It is safe to say that there are more than three mistakes about the Bible, but on the whole, these are the three that I think are the most egregious, as they will color the lens by which you view the book. So what are the three mistakes, relating to the Bible?

THE BIBLE IS NOT ONE BIG BOOK (well not originally)

The Bible is a compilation of books, letters, epistles, historical narratives, songs (Psalms), and so much more. The writers were writing their particular ‘book’ (like John or Genesis) for a particular reason. Luke gives us a good point in his account of Jesus’ life, Luke 1:1-4 (HCSB) “Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us. 3 It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.” Clearly Luke, who also wrote the ‘Book of Acts’, wanted Theophilus to know the things they were being told about Jesus were true, and he clearly states that he investigated, interviewed eyewitnesses, and did a thorough examination of the events and stories. Our oldest book (as many scholars believe written about 1500-900 BC) is Job, from where we get the wonderful story of the patience of Job, while the last ‘book’ is Revelations, penned by John, possibly about 90 AD.

These set of ‘books’ were not compiled together into the ‘Bible’ until at least the middle to late Second Century. There are arguments about the Church councils of the early church ‘setting’ the canon (the accepted authoritative books included in the Bible), but it is generally believed they simple recognized what the church had already been using as ‘scripture’. The reality, of course, is that a book that took thousands of years, multiple authors, and at least three languages was not originally ‘one’ book, but a group of documents later compiled and now we have a book we call the Bible. It is unique in its construction, history, and transmission. I’ll not take the time to defend inspiration here, but as a matter of statement of belief, I firmly believe in the management of our Bible by the Holy Spirit, as Peter notes, 2 Peter 1:21 (ASV) “For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” Peter was directly referring to “scripture” for context, noting its transmission and creation. This doesn’t negate that God didn’t use men as the means, as it is clear from Peter’s statement. My belief in inspiration also allows for God to use personal style, character, and even limited vocabulary (or expanded-whatever be the case). My point, simply stated, is the Bible is ‘One’ book of many, with one overarching theme: God and His plan for Man’s and all of Creation’s redemption (Jesus).

THE BIBLE IS NOT THE GOSPEL (well it’s in there, though)

There are many definitions for the word Gospel. If we look at it in English, we see that it came to us before the 12th Century in Old English, “Origin of gospel-Middle English, from Old English gōdspel (translation of Late Latin evangelium), from gōd good + spell tale,” and it is defined as, “often capitalized : the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation,” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gospel). Simply put, often, as the ‘Good News’, it comes to us in the scripture as the Greek word, εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) which comes to us from another Greek word, “from the same as (euaggelizo); a good message,” (Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary). As has been noted it is, “the message concerning Christ” and the ‘Good News’ that that entails. Tim Keller explained it this way, “The gospel then is not just about individual happiness and fulfillment. It is not just a wonderful plan for ‘my life’ but a wonderful plan for the world. It is about the coming of God’s kingdom to renew everything.” He also said, “God has entered the world in Jesus Christ to achieve a salvation that we could not achieve for ourselves which now 1) converts and transforms individuals, forming them into a new humanity, and eventually 2) will renew the whole world and all creation. This is the ‘good news’—the gospel.” (Keller, Tim ‘The meaning of the Gospel’ http://extendingthekingdom.org/?page_id=17).

In a sense the Bible is the ‘Good News’ but it is not the Gospel, but contains it. Paul describes the Gospel as such, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (HCSB) “Now brothers, I want to clarify for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand on it. 2 You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed for no purpose. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Paul clearly explains, in possibly the simplest terms possible, the Gospel, and he declares the importance and significance in the process. I firmly believe there is an overarching theme to the Bible, as I noted in my first point, and in some sense that theme could be boiled down to the Gospel, but there are many passages within the Bible (i.e. the Mosaic Law) that are not the Gospel, but help lead us to it. When I, the great Saints before me, and fellow ministers engage in “preaching the Gospel” we are declaring the age old message Paul preached; Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. It’s in there, all over the pages, the wonderful message.

THE BIBLE IS FOR BELIEVERS NOT UNBELIEVERS (well mostly)

This point is the one that sounds most controversial, at least initially. Obviously, I’ve made the argument that the Bible is one cohesive compilation of ‘books’ that are inspired by God to create a Book we call the Bible. My second point is actually related to unbelievers, in that the Gospel, the ‘Good News’ that unbelievers need, is contained within the Bible. Now I am arguing that the Bible is actually for believers (mostly)? I make this argument based upon the passage where Paul is instructing his young protégée, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ASV) “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. 17 That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” Another translation gives this verse a wonderful spin on the word translated ‘inspired’ in most English versions, (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV) “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” I love the fact that the idea of inspiration=God-breathed. This is more related to my first point (and I guess even to the second) than this last, but it is still just an AWESOME concept. Paul is telling us God breathed the scriptures to us. Noted Biblical Scholar F. F. Bruce noted, “But inspiration may be viewed as a quality of the record of revelation, as well as a means of the revelation itself. Thus Paul, as we noted, ascribes theopneustia to the writings themselves. Just as man became a living soul when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Gen. ii, 7), so the effect of the God-breathed character of the Scriptures is that they are living, and not only living but life-giving. The Spirit not only spoke in ancient days to and through the prophets and apostles, but still speaks to us to-day through the written record of that revelation, saying, “Hear, and your soul shall live. ” Thus in the Bible we hear not only what the Spirit said to the Churches of the first century, but what He is still saying to those of the twentieth.” (F. F. Bruce, M.A., “What Do We Mean By Biblical Inspiration?” Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute 78 (1946): 123).

You are probably asking yourself, “What is the point of this ‘inspiration’ stuff?” It is important because of the implication of why it was inspired, that is to say, to what end. I emphasized verse 16 while 17 (of 2 Timothy 3) is more related to my third point. Let me explain, with a little help. Barnes notes that scriptures were given so, “The object is not merely to convince and to convert him; it is to furnish all the instruction needful for his entire perfection. The idea here is, not that any one is absolutely perfect, but that the Scriptures have laid down the way which leads to perfection, and that if any one were perfect, he would find in the Scriptures all the instruction which he needed in those circumstances. There is no deficiency in the Bible for man, in any of the situations in which he may be placed in life; and the whole tendency of the book is to make him who will put himself fairly under its instructions, absolutely perfect.” (Albert Barnes ‘Barnes' Notes on the New Testament’: Database © 2014 WORDsearch). As another translation puts it, 2 Timothy 3:17 (NLT) “God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” This I think this is the point, in essence, the Bible is for God’s people, to help us, teach us, and keep us in line with God’s will.

CONCLUSION (well sort of)

Now, if you are reading this and you are an agnostic/atheist/skeptic, thanks for reading. I am thrilled you took the time to get through this article. I would say to my unbelieving friend, this book, we call the Bible, is something I would love for you to become more familiar with. Its pages are covered with stories of humanity, the good, bad, and ugly. After centuries of careful preservation, the Bible comes to us with a myriad of cultures, customs of other places, and the story of a people following their God. Within the pages is the glorious Gospel, the ‘Good News’ of God’s intervention into human history. Christ is a microcosm of the good, bad, and ugly in our story. Humanity’s story is one of sin, the Bible tells it un-glossed with no punches pulled, but it is also His story, how Jesus stepped into the story God was writing, to intervene for the characters interacting, needing a Savior. Do I think an unbeliever can find value in the Bible? I’ll let someone else answer that for me, “Some people like to read so many [Bible] chapters every day. I would not dissuade them from the practice, but I would rather lay my soul asoak in half a dozen verses all day than rinse my hand in several chapters. Oh, to be bathed in a text of Scripture, and to let it be sucked up in your very soul, till it saturates your heart!” --Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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