Let's Talk About It- The Bible
Let’s Talk About It-The Bible
Recap
The Bible can be beautiful, comforting, challenging—and sometimes deeply troubling. For many of us, the questions we have about Scripture aren’t trivial. What does it mean to say the Bible is inspired? Why does God sometimes seem so different in the Old Testament than in Jesus? What do we do with passages that seem violent, contradictory, or simply wrong?
One of the most important things we can do is stop demanding that the Bible be the kind of book we think it is supposed to be and begin paying attention to the kind of book it actually is.
The Bible is ancient. It was written by ancient people living in an ancient world. Understanding that world helps us understand what they wrote.
The Bible is also deeply human. The culture, assumptions, limitations, and perspectives of its authors show up in its pages. God didn’t bypass humanity to give us Scripture. God worked through humanity. God lets his children tell the story.
And yet Christians have also insisted for thousands of years that these writings are inspired—God-breathed. Scripture is alive. One of the places we can see that life is in the way the Bible wrestles, grows, and pushes against the world that produced it. God meets people where they are and keeps pulling them forward.
For Christians, we believe that movement ultimately leads us toward someone: Jesus.
Jesus is the capital-W Word of God. He is what God has to say. That means Jesus becomes our lens for reading everything else. We don’t use a verse to disobey Jesus.
The purpose of Scripture isn’t simply to give us information about God. It is meant to bring us into communion with God and form us into the likeness of Jesus.
Go a Little Deeper
One of the words Christians use to describe Scripture is inspired.
The word comes from 2 Timothy 3:16, where Paul describes Scripture as theopneustos—“God-breathed.”
That’s an interesting image because throughout Scripture, the breath of God is associated with life. In Genesis, God breathes into the human creature and it becomes
a living being. So perhaps one way to think about inspiration is not simply that God gave us a perfect collection of information, but that God breathes through these words and uses them to bring life.
That changes the way we approach the Bible.
We don’t only come to Scripture asking, What information can I get out of this? We can also come asking, God, what are you trying to do in me through this?
Sometimes Scripture comforts us: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted.”
Sometimes it confronts us: “Search me, God, and know my heart.”
Sometimes it reminds us of what we have forgotten: Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Sometimes it gives us something to hold onto when we’re afraid: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
The Bible is not merely something to analyze. It is something we can learn to listen to.
And maybe that means one of the most important practices we can develop isn’t simply reading more Scripture, but learning to slow down enough to let Scripture read us.
Discussion Questions
1. What part of Sunday’s message stayed with you the longest? Why do you think that was?
2. How would you describe the view of the Bible you were given growing up? Has your understanding of Scripture changed over the years?
3. What happens when we remember that the Bible is both divinely inspired and deeply human? Does one of those ideas come more naturally to you than the other?
4. Sunday we talked about Scripture having movement—God meeting people where they are and pulling them toward Jesus. Where do you see that kind of movement in your own life? Are there things you understand differently today than you did five or ten years ago?
5. What does it practically mean to read the Bible through Jesus? How might that change the way we approach a passage that seems inconsistent with the life or teaching of Jesus?
6. Has there ever been a passage of Scripture that seemed to meet you at exactly the right moment—comforting you, challenging you, or helping you see something differently?
And bring your questions with you. If Sunday’s message stirred up another question about the Bible—or made an old question feel even bigger—bring it to MidWeek on Wednesday. This series is built around the conviction that questions aren’t something we have to hide from. They’re something we can explore together.
Suggested Practice
This week, try spending a few days listening to Scripture instead of simply reading it.
One easy way to do that is through the Lectio 365 app on your phone. It offers short, guided times of prayer built around Scripture and the ancient Christian practice of lectio divina—slowly listening to a passage and paying attention to what God might be stirring in you.
Try it at least three times this week. Don’t worry about taking notes. Don’t try to master the passage or figure out everything it means. Listen. Notice a word or phrase that catches your attention. Sit with it for a moment.
And simply ask: God, what might you want to say to me through these words?
The goal isn’t to get through more of the Bible. The goal is to let the Bible get through to you.
Closing Prayer
God who still speaks,
Thank you for meeting us in these ancient, human, inspired words. Give us the courage to ask honest questions and the humility to keep listening.
Help us read Scripture with open minds, whole hearts, and eyes fixed on Jesus.
When these words comfort us, help us receive them. When they challenge us, give us courage to listen. When they confuse us, keep us curious. And through all of it, breathe life into us.
May these words keep leading us toward the Word—Jesus Christ.
Amen.