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Thursday, January 31, 2019

I've Heard It Said

I've heard it said:
The Bible is not a "holy rule book." Concluding that "God wants us to behave certain ways" based on Bible passages is not being faithful to what the Bible teaches. The Bible was written to a specific people at a specific time and we mustn't fit prehistoric rules into modern living. We come to our position on right and wrong, good and bad, moral and immoral based on our understanding by engaging the culture, current conditions, and rational thinking, not some "biblical rules." The Bible does not tell us what God wants or thinks.
This is, of course, a view. What it is not is a view that actually believes that the Bible is God's Word. It is not a view that allows for a biblical basis of Christian doctrines and practice. Now, there can be lots of bases (plural for "basis") that might be in play here. It can be "however I see it" or "what my world tells me" or "what we come to by consensus" or lots of other things. But it necessarily excludes "what God says." Therefore, whatever basis or bases are in play, it is not applicable to all since it is individual and, therefore, lacks authority on anyone but the one who holds it. That makes it a man-made religion and not the historic, traditional, orthodox (or, obviously, biblical) Christianity.

That should come as no surprise, though, since the premise is that the Bible is not the foundational "source code" for this religion and it is, therefore, immoral to actually believe those things. It is no insult to someone who thinks that way to tell them that theirs is not historical, traditional orthodoxy. I just think it should be said ... for those who don't think that way, lest you be confused.

3 comments:

Marshal Art said...

It is interesting that those who dismiss Scripture in this way at the same time insist that teachings more to their liking be regarded and followed in a very "rule-like" manner. They'll even describe as evil those who do not agree with them on the teachings they like.

I'm also unaware of anyone who regards the Bible as only a rule book, despite it containing so many "rules" for how a follower of God should behave and what such people should avoid doing, etc. Yet clearly, whatever one wishes to call the Bible, "rule book" is certainly one thing that is appropriate, even if not the only thing.

Craig said...

My experience is that people who spend a lot of time arguing that the Bible isn’t a rule book, also spend a lot of effort trying to use it as if it is one.

Personally, I think using the term “rule book” is a way to diminish God’s sovereignty. If we can equate God’s commands to the rules for a board game, then it’s easier to minimize how important they are and who God is. We should be thinking royal decree, not Monopoly money.

Stan said...

I think that those who dismiss the biblical instructions ultimately dismiss God, starting with the reality that God is sovereign and God is good. There is a sense of "You can't make me" in it, but also that He's a cosmic killjoy or something. If God really is good, then His instructions aren't merely rules; they're a guide for healthy living, so to speak. "Do you want to be happy?" But the primary human ailment is "I will be like the Most High."