Thoughts on the Bible

Some people see the Bible as "inerrant."  No errors.  Perfect.  Don't question it.  It is the magic book that will solve all of life's ills.  Just read it, open it's secrets and you are in.  But don't question it.  It is close to God.  Maybe even to be revered and worshipped.

Others see the Bible as "containing everything that is needed for faith and practice."  These folks still love the Bible, but they understand that it was written over thousands of years by many different people.  They are not concerned or threatened by it's inconsistencies.  They accept that the book is not perfect, it is not God, but they read it because it has many things that will lead us to God.

Having said that, I received a question from a blog reader... "If the Israelites left Egypt with flocks and herds, why are they only eating manna and quail in the wilderness?"

Great question from a great person.  There are many more similar questions.  For example... if God commanded Israel to wipe out various Canaanite tribes, why do they appear again later in scripture?  Were they not wiped out?  Which genealogy of Jesus is right?  Does God spare the faithful from difficulty or not?  

For those who see the Bible as inerrant and not to be questioned, these are hard questions.  Usually they find some excuse to explain them or say that the Bible is only perfect in it's original documents {which do not exist.}

For me personally, I am not troubled by such contradictions.  Imagine that the story of the United States was written down by 30 people over a period of a few thousand years.  Would it surprise you that there would be inconsistencies?  Would it surprise you that some of the perspectives of the authors would be different?  Probably not.

The Bible is a big book.  Written over a long time.  Yes you will find some things in it that do not seem to add up.  But that does not bother me.  It still contains everything that I think we need to have faith and practice it.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

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I am leading a trip to Italy in November of this year with Pastor Sherri Swanson. There is plenty of room and we would love to have you join!!!

click here for the Italy brochure