Scripture a la carte
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” –2Peter 1:16-17 (NIV)
There’s a trend among some Christians today to serve the Scriptures up as a buffet. It isn’t a new trend, but a prominent one nonetheless. The idea that the stories, statements, and commands of the Bible are to be taken a la carte, picking and choosing which parts are true, relevant, and applicable, seems to me a slippery slope.
Bible study is a nuanced endeavor because of the span of time covered by Scripture, the variety of writing styles incorporated, the purposes for which different books were written, and so forth. Was this discussion specific to a particular culture? Is this language literal or symbolic? Did these events already occur (historical), or are they yet to be (prophetic)? Some practice and some tools are helpful in discerning what we read.
Even so, there are themes that clearly emerge, the main one being that although the Bible is a compilation of the work of about forty writers working over about 1500 years, the parts coalesce to underscore a single story of God’s concern for His creation. At its core, the Bible is a love story with heroes, villains, and a Champion who is on a rescue mission to redeem and restore His people.
But can we trust the Bible? An important question, if not a new one. By standards of literary scholarship, the Bible stands the test of authenticity and accuracy.
The number of manuscripts available, the nearness of the oldest manuscripts to the timing of their original sources, the quality of those manuscripts, and their content consistency one to another speak to the bibliographic reliability of the Scriptures: When we read the books of the Bible, we are getting a true picture of what those books originally said.
Internally, we look for consistency between accounts of different writers regarding specific events and ideas covered in Scripture. Many of the writers describe themselves as eyewitnesses to the subjects being written about, so this becomes the “courtroom test”. Multiple witnesses, in some cases separated by time and space, providing testimony that is in agreement on essential elements of the narrative, help establish the reliability of their accounts, often adding perspective and detail that would otherwise be missed.
Externally, we compare what we read to the world outside. Repeatedly, archaeological evidence and scientific discovery have confirmed the historical, geographical, biological, and cosmological accuracy of the Scriptures. Almost to the point where one could reasonably say of statements in the Bible that have not yet been historically or scientifically proven, “Just wait.”
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place…. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. –2Peter 1:19-21 (NIV)
None of this is to say that fallible humans haven’t misinterpreted, mis-applied, and mis-appropriated the Bible. Regrettably, the Scriptures have been used to justify some of the most egregiously sinful activities imaginable: slavery, misogyny, and genocide to name a few. To some extent, that is the dynamic in play with this current trend. Too many are allowing the culture to dictate which parts of the Bible they will embrace, reject, weaponize, or rationalize out of relevance.
To be clear: The Bible is the word of God. The whole Bible. Not just the parts that serve my purposes. It says what it says, and every word is part of the bigger story, there for God-ordained purposes. Believing this requires faith, but as summarized above, that faith is not blind. We do well to interpret culture through the lens of Scripture, not the other way around. “If salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you 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. –2Timothy 3:14-17 (NIV)