Lately, I have been having the same conversations over and over again. Is the Bible true? Is it inerrant? What about the contradictory passages? How is God love but has feelings of hate? How could a loving God destroy people groups?
These questions are nothing new. They’ve been around since the Israelites walked out of Egypt. Because on this side of eternity, the struggle to find, understand, and live in truth will always be real.
We ALL have questions. We ALL question the stories, concepts, ideas, and doctrine within Scripture. We ALL bring our personal experiences and traditions to our interpretation of Scripture. We ALL desire a deeper understanding and awareness of the spiritual (Christian or not). And we ALL want to be right.
There is a struggle around the authority of Scripture because it is not just a book of ideas around God, but God’s words to us. Unlike every other man-written book, the Bible is spirit breathed, written and inspired. It is not flat, and its words awaken our souls to desire belief. The questioning and wrestling with the Scriptures challenge us from deep within, calling us to a higher standard of living, confusing our beliefs, frustrating our ways of living, while at the same time tapping into our deepest longings and desires. If the Bible were not able to move us in these ways, what good would it be?
For many of us, this struggle is not to be dismissed. However, if we are not careful, we can elevate the wrestle with Scripture – our questions, doubts, and ideology – over believing in faith that Jesus is who he says he is. The Jewish tradition did this. They elevated a search for knowledge and truth through their ideology over believing in Jesus, God in the flesh.
I see the church doing this with the Word of God. Elevating a search for knowledge and truth through ideology over believing that the Bible is one of the primary ways God speaks to us today. Some ultimately questioning it to the point of unbelief. In the Christian faith, the Bible is not part of a chicken and egg scenario. It comes before all other spiritual authorities and teachers.
So, I want to encourage those of us who have questions to ASK GOD FIRST before we ask others. Seek God, who is not limited by our human understanding, before we seek others ideology, which is restricted by human understanding. Talk with God, through His Word and prayer, before you talk with others. Ask Him to reveal Himself and speak to you. Don’t depend on others to do it for you. Do it for yourself! Stop listening to outside voices and seek His voice. He will speak. He will not disappoint. There is nothing He desires more than your attention.
Keep cultivating,
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