What the Bible is Not

“For the Word of God is living, and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12

The Bible is not primarily a list of rules. It certainly contains rules, but it is not primarily a list of rules. You cannot arbitrarily pull a list of rules from the pages of scripture, place them on a list, check them off and cast judgement on yourself or others based on how many you, or they, can check off. If you do so, the scriptures become an unbearable, suppressing weight than no one can bear. Rather, the scriptures are the story of a people who broke all the rules, and a Person who kept them perfectly, yet paid our price for breaking them, to free us from the consequences of the rules and helps us to keep them. That is good news.

The Bible is not primarily a book of fables told to children to build moral fiber. It is certainly a book of stories, but not the kind used to patronize children. It is not morality tales with unrealistic superheroes who place unimaginable expectations of giant sized faith on flawed individuals like you and me. If it were it would place crushing burdens on our chests, burdens that none could lift. Rather, the scriptures are stories of flawed individuals just like you and me, individuals who made mistakes, who doubted, who sinned, yet were redeemed in the end. Redeemed by the one who sets unimaginable expectations for us…then fulfills them on our behalf. That is good news.

The Bible is not primarily a book of advice. It certainly contains practical teaching for everyday living, but not the kind you put on a coffee mug, or a toilet book, or a motivational poster, stare at for five seconds, think, ‘well isn’t that nice,” and move on from forever. If it were it would be pointless, and petty. It would be irrelevant and mindless. Rather, the scriptures contain Good News. Good News that, even though sometimes it seems like the world doesn’t make sense, like getting up and going forward is impossible, like there is no hope, yet the answer lies in the One who faced every sorrow, trial, temptation, thankless day, and hopeless night that you have faced and more, yet endured, yet finished the race. And now, because He did, you can too. That is good news indeed.

Caleb Land is the director of the Gilmer Christian Learning Center in Ellijay, GA. You can find out more about the CLC at www.gilmerclc.org.