In most all Christian denomination there is the commonly held belief that the Bible is the word of God. As God’s Word the Bible is the ultimate authority and without fault. There is much history regarding how the Bible came into existence and there has been much study, research to prove the authenticity and credibility of the Bible. I am far from an expert on this subject. I have read about these topics over the years and although interesting it has never been something I invested a lot of time in.
I have struggled like many with questions regarding the Bible. For there are many things in the Bible that can be hard to swallow. Similarly there are many questions or arguments that attack the Bible and can be rather convincing. To me, I absolutely believe that God gave us the Bible. For us humans needed a written document. I believe he is the ultimate authority and sovereign over all things thus he through human hands created what we now know as the Bible. I believe the Bible holds the words of God and thus God’s authority.
But I also believe the Bible is no different than any other text book. It is not made of special backing. It is not made of majic paper. The ink making the read letters of Jesus are no different than the ink in my red pin. There have been many times in my life I could not read the Bible. I could attempt to read it but was unable to get anything from it. Sometimes for years at a time. Similar there have been times I listened to the Bible being read to me and could not hear or internalize anything that was said to me. Similarly there have been times I read the Bible and felt like God was speaking to me. The words were like sweet nectar pouring life into me. They have comforted me in some of the darkest hours. So what was the difference? Sometimes I tired to read this word of God and I may as well staring blankly at the newspaper. It was nothing. Then other times I read he Bible and it was so evident that I was reading God’s inspired word and ultimate authority. The Bible never changed. It was the same Bible. What was different was me.
I am dyslexic and have a mood disorder. This combination means I struggle with reading and concentration issues. Especially when I am not feeling well. These conditions very much contribute to my ability to ready, comprehend and internalize the Bible. But despite my mental disabilities I have managed to obtain a masters and doctorate degree. So these mental disabilities although changing at times has not stopped me from being able to succeed in studies. Why is my bible study so hindered at certain times in my life?
My whole point in saying all this is that it takes the Holy Spirit within us to take the words of the Bible and make it alive, living and transforming. We need the Holy Spirit to make the Bible Gods word and ultimate authority. Otherwise the Bible is just a really thick book collecting dust on your shelf. I do not spend a lot of time memorizing all the reason why the Bible is without fault. I don’t need to prove that the Bible is the word of God. For when the Holy Spirit makes scripture come to life, God’s word is so evident it does not need convincing.
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