The Bible What do we make of it?

galilee The Bible What do we make of it?

X Theologian ? Neither of us claim to be theologians. What we both bring to this exploration are 80 years or so, between us, of serious searching for truth and meaning and it in that spirit that we offer the following thoughts.

My journey with scripture to date has been one from… From outer to inner authority From superstition and fear to trust From believing to experiencing From knowing about to just knowing From certainty to being comfortable with uncertainty From puzzlement to excitement

If you ain’t got no questions then you ain’t on the ride From the Martyn Joseph album “Whoever it was that brought me here…..”

The core issues as I see them today Views about scripture are many and varied and I have chosen to portray them as points on a spectrum. This is just one way of thinking about the issues. It will work for some people and not for others.

So what is the Bible?

The Bible A collection of ancient documents, written over an extended period, in worlds very different from our own Human product the words of man Divine product the words of God Collected together for a variety of reasons – spiritual, social, religious, political, recording oral tradition There may be equally valuable writings outside the canon and written since it Useful ‘scriptures’ may have been left out of the bible (e.g. because they were explicitly written by women) It reflects an evolving understanding of God Collected together under the direction & guidance of God. The 66 books have a status well above anything else written before or after. Its view of God is static – the picture & understanding of God in the OT is the same as that in the NT

And how do we think of the relationship between man and God that gives rise to the written scriptures?

Human product the words of man Divine product the words of God God discloses himself Connaitre Jesus loves me this I know Our experience of God is essentially intuitive (Christians interpret this experience within a biblical framework) The emphasis is on experiencing God and living in tune with this experience. This tends to lead to a more inclusive approach. God discloses information about himself Savoir For the Bible tells me so Our experience of God is based upon hearing & believing propositions, statements of truth etc The emphasis is on believing doctrines formulated on the basis of what is written. This tends to lead to a more exclusive approach.

Human product the words of man Divine product the words of God A masterpiece of classical literature exploring man’s developing understanding of himself, his place in the world, his religious beliefs etc Men who have had life changing experiences of the real God seek to communicate this experience and their (& the community's) understanding of it and its implications for their community, in a specific cultural and historical context God communicates truth about himself to man and oversees the writing down of this in such a way that ensures it conveys what God wants conveyed sometimes this is seen as accurate – historically, scientifically etc God dictates the words to man – man holds the pen but God writes

The two extremes • The Bible is no different from other books • The Bible is inerrant –let’s explore

The Word of God • Most Christians regard the Bible as the Word of God (in some sense). • Exercise - Look through theses verses, which mention ‘the word of God’ or ‘your word.’ What are they referring to? In which of these verses does ‘the word of God’ mean ‘the Bible’?

1KI 8:25 = 2CH 6:16 "Now LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, `You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.' 26 And now, O God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David my father come true. 1KI 12:22 But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 `This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.' " So they obeyed the word of the LORD and went home again, as the LORD had ordered. 1CH 17:3 That night the word of God came to Nathan PS 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. PS 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. PS 119:17 Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. PS 119:25 = 28 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.

PS 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. PS 119:41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; 42 then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. PS 119:49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. PS 119:65 Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD. PS 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. PS 138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. PR 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

MT 15:3 Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, `Honor your father and mother' and `Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 5 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, `Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' 6 he is not to `honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. LK 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. LK 5:1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, LK 11:27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.“ 28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.“ JN 8:52 At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

JN 17:6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word…..14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. AC 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. AC 6:2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables…. AC 6:7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. AC 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

AC 11:1 The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God…. AC 12:24 But the word of God continued to increase and spread. AC 13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. AC 13:6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. AC 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. AC 17:13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too AC 18:11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. 2 COR 2:17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit….

EPH 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. PHIL 1:14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. COL 1:25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness 1TH 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. TIT 2:3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. HEB 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

HEB 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance 1 PET 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1JN 2:14 I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. REV 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. REV 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

REV 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. REV 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. REV 20:4 And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God.

The Word of God • When the Bible writers refer to ‘the word of God’, they do not mean ‘the Bible’. • If they do want to refer to the Bible, what do they call it? Scripture (which referred to Old Testament writings – the New Testament did not even exist)

A key scripture, often quoted as supporting inerrancy, is found in 2 Timothy. But what does it actually say? That it is useful. And what were the ‘scriptures’ that it referred to? Certainly not the New Testament, which had not been written & collected together.

2 Timothy 3 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 references to Scripture in this passage

2 Timothy 3 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The first is its use in leading Timothy to faith.

2 Timothy 3 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. The second is its use as Timothy’s equipment – tools of his trade.

2 Timothy 3 - 4 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. What was Timothy’s task, as a man of God?

2 Timothy 3 - 4 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. The job description in 4:2 is what the Bible is useful for in 3:16.

2 Timothy 3 - 4 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.

So where did the idea of inerrancy arise from? And when?

The idea of inerrancy • The 18th Century Enlightenment • Rationalism gave birth to • 19th Century European Liberalism • “The bible is just like any other book” led to • 20th Century American reaction • ‘The Fundamentals’ (Published 1910-1915)

“The Fundamentals” The irreducible minimum of Christian faith: • Inerrancy of the Bible • Virgin birth and divinity of Jesus Christ • His vicarious atoning death • His bodily resurrection • His imminent return and millenial reign* Published in 12 volumes of essays, distributed free of charge to 3 million Christian workers.

“The Fundamentals” The irreducible minimum of Christian faith: • Inerrancy of the Bible • Virgin birth and divinity of Jesus Christ • His vicarious atoning death • His bodily resurrection • His imminent return and millenial reign* Questions: Which of these doctrines are part of the Creeds? Which find support in the Bible itself?

“The Fundamentals” The irreducible minimum of Christian faith: • Inerrancy of the Bible • Virgin birth and divinity of Jesus Christ • His vicarious atoning death • His bodily resurrection • His imminent return and millenial reign* Answers: Probably all of them in some form, except for inerrancy!

One of the key problems of the idea of inerrancy is that it takes only one clear error to bring the whole building tumbling down. So let’s look at just a few of the discrepancies in the New Testament….

MT 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 "Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. The writer of the gospel interprets the words of the prophet to mean there were two animals although that is not what the prophet says.

MT 20:29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" LK 18:35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." LK 18:38 He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" This seems to be a discrepancy. Nothing hangs on it, EXCEPT the doctrine of inerrancy. There may be a way around the problem, but if you face enough of them, you inevitably conclude that the doctrine of inerrancy is itself a millstone.

MT 23:35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 2CH 24:20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: `Why do you disobey the LORD's commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.' " 21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD's temple. 22 King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah's father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, "May the LORD see this and call you to account.“ ZEC 1:1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo: The writer of the gospel has mixed up the two Zechariahs.

MK 1:2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" – MAL 3:1 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. The writer of the gospel mixed up his prophets

MK 2:25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.“ 1SA 21:2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, `No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find." 4 But the priest answered David, "…There is some consecrated bread here.“ The writer of the gospel mixes up the names of the priests

There are lots of discrepancies of this sort. • Do any of these minor errors matter? • Only if we wish to claim that the Bible is without error. • Doesn’t honesty force us to conclude • That the doctrine of inerrancy is a late invention, supported neither by scripture nor by tradition • That the doctrine is impossible to believe with integrity • That it is not a high view of scripture at all, but one which brings the bible into disrepute?

So is the Bible the pure word of God?

Human product the words of man Divine product the words of God There is no divine light The bible has no greater status than other pieces of classic literature A likely conclusion if we don’t recognise experience of God as ‘real’ The divine light is pure (ish) Because God has overseen the writing, the teachings of the bible are authoritative, although they may need to be distinguished from the authors’ assumptions (which derive from culture etc) The divine light is pure God wrote it and as God cannot lie it is true, accurate and authoritative in every respect “God says it & I believe it!” Requires that we ignore the apparent discrepancies and are prepared to treat all scriptures equally

Is the writer of Genesis teaching that the world was created in 7 days? Or is he teaching that the world has its origins in God while, in the process, assuming that the world was not very old? In Philemon is Paul teaching that slavery is acceptable? Or is Paul teaching that a Christian master might be called to be a brother even to his slave while appearing to assume that slavery is acceptable. In Romans 1 is Paul teaching that same sex intercourse is wrong? Or is he teaching about the relationship between human responsibility, the failure to worship the true God, and ethical faults and in the process assuming, as a Jew in the first century would have, that same sex intercourse is a good example of sin?

Human product the words of man Divine product the words of God There is no divine light The bible has no greater status than other pieces of classic literature A likely conclusion if we don’t recognise experience of God as ‘real’ The divine light is distorted by the human personality & context through which it flows But it is still visible because the authors knew, by experience, the truth about which they wrote The divine light is pure (ish) Because God has overseen the writing, the teachings of the bible are authoritative, although they may need to be distinguished from the authors’ assumptions (which derive from culture etc) The divine light is pure God wrote it and as God cannot lie it is true, accurate and authoritative in every respect “God says it & I believe it!” Requires that we ignore the apparent discrepancies and are prepared to treat all scriptures equally

Look at the next slide and decide what the doctor says to the patient!

“Tell me doctor….. How can I be slim? You see I only eat normal meals, but look at me!”

Did you think the doctor was the man or the woman? Why? You see we bring to all of our experiences and interpretations a wealth of presuppositions; our own maps of the world. We cannot do otherwise. So how can the Bible writers not also be influenced by the world in which they write?

Human product the words of man Divine product the words of God Culture is an influence but as God has overseen the writing it will be historically and scientifically reliable, if not totally accurate – if it describes something as having happened it must have happened, if it attributes a saying to God, God must have said it, if it makes a value judgement it must be valid.

For example…… Joshua 10 The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not go down for about a whole day. (It must have happened) Deuteronomy We utterly destroyed the men, women and children of every city…..as the Lord God commanded us. (God must have said it) Romans For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged that which is natural for that which is unnatural….(the value judgement must be valid)

The Bible What do we make of it?