11/21/2023
How Are We Supposed to Understand the Bible?
A Five-Part Discussion
Part One:
The two words most commonly used regarding the Bible are infallible and inspired. The problem is that different religions—even different Christians within the same church—mean different things by using those words.
The words infallible (incapable of failing) or inerrant (without error) are often used of the Bible in order to express the belief that the Bible is trustworthy and reliable. If I can count on the Bible to be true then I am much more likely to live my life by what it teaches.
When some people use these terms what they mean is the Bible is absolutely and literally correct in every statement and every detail. For instance, they would believe that the earth was created in 7, 24-hour days. There are those who may use words like infallible or inspired and mean that the Bible can be counted on as being true in the things that really matter, but each detail does not have to be factually accurate. For instance, they may point out that the Hebrew word translated in Genesis as ‘day’ doesn’t mean what we think it does, or that the passage is to be understood poetically not scientifically. What is important to understand is that God is creator and His act of creation moved forward in a planned and evolving way, and was judged by God to be good....
Download the rest of the article at this link:
Archived Posts
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...
What’s In A Benediction?
Last Sunday I used one of my favorite benedictions.
It was inspired by a saying from about ten years ago: