THE BIBLE IS NOT AN ANSWER BOOK

Sometimes we think it is, we think the Bible is an answer book. In fact I have seen several books that have lists of countless questions that we would like the Bible to answer and, believe it or not, those books list the correct Bible passage that will answer that specific question. Well, maybe in some instances that works. But the Bible is not an answer book in that sense.

Nor is the Bible an answer book akin to our Constitution in that those whose responsibility it is (judges) to interpret that document have to read into and decipher out of the words issues that were never in the minds of those who wrote the document. Yet, we have to do that as well with the Bible. The Bible never addresses issues such as birth control, organ transplants, stem cell issues – the list is long.

Even so the Bible is the only document we have when we search for the answers to deep moral issues. Thus, we have to read into and decipher out of those words answers to those moral issues that Moses or Jesus or Paul or anyone else never addressed. That is why we have deep disagreements about what the bible says on a subject it says nothing about but for which we still demand answers.

Thus, while we demand that the Bible be an answer book, can we ever be certain that the answers we read into or decipher out are morally correct? We certainly hope the answers we derive are such, but we may be wrong.

Rather, the Bible is not so much as an answer book as it is certainly a witnessing book. It witnesses to the mighty deeds of God throughout the Bible’s history and especially to the deeds of those who spoke for God throughout that history, Jesus especially. This witnessing, however, did not end with the Book of Revelation. It continued on throughout the centuries and continues on today.

Unfortunately that witnessing has almost become secondary as we who claim to follow the words of the Bible argue about what it says more that witness to what it calls us to do.

We are called to live out our faith, witness to our faith, every moment of every day. In Old Testament times if others wanted to know what it meant to be a follower of God, all they had to do was watch how those who believed in God lived. Today, if anyone wants to know what it means to be a Christian, all that person has to do is observe how we Christians live.

Frightening thought, isn’t it? Is it any wonder why so many who claim to have no faith but may be looking to find faith want nothing to do with Christianity given the way we Christians witness to what we say we believe? Yes, we need to read the Bible to help us discern answers to deep moral questions. But we, even more, need to understand that the Bible calls us to witness to our faith by living it as fully as we can each day.