You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today’s question goes out to Alia - yes, she is my daughter! She says, "Why do we follow the Bible even though it’s old?” And I think a question I’ve heard people follow up with is - isn’t the Bible out of date?
Which is a great question!
I don’t know if you know this or not, but the Bible is made up of a bunch of different scrolls. It was written over a period of 1500 years by over 40 ...
You’re listening to OKY. The place where we discuss what we believe and why we believe it to be true! Today’s question goes out to Alia - yes, she is my daughter! She says, "Why do we follow the Bible even though it’s old?” And I think a question I’ve heard people follow up with is - isn’t the Bible out of date?
Which is a great question!
I don’t know if you know this or not, but the Bible is made up of a bunch of different scrolls. It was written over a period of 1500 years by over 40 authors - some of which we don’t know for sure who wrote. It was written in three languages - Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.
We believe these words were inspired by God for man to write them.
Listen to what Paul tells Timothy about scripture In 2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how form infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Paul is telling Timothy that the scriptures are useful to help us grow and understand the wisdom of our salvation.
Ok, hold onto that set of verses for a minute.
Jump the the writer of Hebrews who tells us something important about Jesus. Hebrews 13:7-8 says to “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
The writer is telling us to remember the words that our leaders have taught us about Jesus. He has always been the same throughout the years, and he never changes. This is the thought that God is the same forever. He never changes - neither does the son of God. His heart is the same and always will be. Some might say, “Yeah, but what about the Old Testament. God ordered them to kill entire groups of people. Is God really loving then? Or did his heart change when Jesus came into the world?” I know some people think that way because I’v had that discussion before. Let me give you a brief answer now, and then I will discuss it further later this weekend.
God of the Old Testament was protecting the plan of salvation when he ordered nations destroyed. If you look, it was always nations that would threaten the existence of a Holy People. God’s love for mankind was so strong, that he refused to let anything step in the way of bringing salvation to this earth. So he was willing to destroy anything that would try and stop His plan of redemption from happening. This is because of his great love for us. Like I said, we won’t go into that now, but be watching for this conversation this weekend.
But here is the thing. Since God doesn’t change, His words never change. He said what he meant and he means what he says. So, we trust the word of God because it doesn’t change.
Listen to what Jesus said about the Word of God. This is Matthew 5:17-19
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teachers others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but however practices and teachers these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus came to fulfill the law.
What does this mean?
The law was given to help us understand what holiness looks like. But since we can’t accomplish holiness on our own, Jesus came to be our righteousness. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:21 - “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The law proved our sinfulness and that we are unable to accomplish holiness on our own. So Jesus came to fulfill holiness and make us righteous. Remember, there is a meta-narrative of the Bible. It goes like this,
1.God created life in the middle of the Chaos
2. Mankind is drawn to the chaos
3. God redeemed mankind through Jesus
4. He calls us to bring restoration to the world.
So when someone says, “the Bible Says. . . “ they better be pointing to one of these four things. Not many single verses are worthy of “The Bible Says.” In order for those words to be true, they would have to be talking about all 4 parts of the Bible
Ok, now, back to the question - why do we still use the Bible if it is so old?
Unless one of the 4 pieces to the meta-narrative of the Bible changed, it still stands as a solid piece of instruction. So let’s check it.
- God created life in the middle of the Chaos. Did that change at all? Well, when I look through creation, all the way to now, I see destruction and ruin taking place. And in the middle of it, God is the only hope that comes from it. If you’ve gone on missions trips before, when you see people in third world living situations, they always seem to have the hope of Christ as a sure foundation. When you come across a person who is transformed by the gospel, and a life that is radically changed by the love of Jesus, God is still at work breathing life in the middle of the chaos. So that piece hasn’t changed.
- Mankind is drawn to the chaos. . . IN other words, mankind is constantly trying to find new orders instead of the created order of things. .Well, I think it’s safe to say this one hasn’t changed yet. People are trying to rewrite gender ideology, the meaning of sex, when life matters, and every law that God intended to help us grow. So I think it’s safe to say this hasn’t changed a bit. We will dig into some of those topics in the near future. But mankind is still definitely drawn to the chaos!
- God redeemed us through Jesus Christ. This one hasn’t changed. It is the only firm foundation we have. Remember, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. . .
- God has called us to participate in the redemption story. You are still God’s workmanship and the vessel that he has designed to help spread this gospel message of reconciliation. You are commissioned to go into all the world and preach the gospel and baptize people. So no. . .this hasn’t changed yet either.
So if none of the meta-narrative of the Bible has changed its relevance for today, we would we ever think the relevance of the Bible to be outdated? It’s still the message of hope and how God brought reconciliation to the world through his people.
So back to the words of Paul to Timothy about scripture In 2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Paul is telling Timothy, the scriptures are what help you understand the salvation God has brought you through Jesus, and then are able to train you to understand the other pieces of the narrative. Through an understanding of these things, you will be able to do every good work that God has already equipped you to do!
So, until human nature becomes outdated and salvation is no longer needed, the Bible will be the most relevant word you will ever read!
And that, is why I believe the Bible is still relevant for today.
Tomorrow we will answer Ava’s question - my other daughter - who asks, Well then, what do we do with science if we believe in the Bible?
Great questions!
Remember you can ask me your questions too by texting, emailing, or reaching out to me on Facebook, instagram. But for now, that’s all the time we have for today. I love you, and God bless.!
