Friday 23 May 2008

Understanding the Bible

The Bible is an outstretched palm. An invitation to know its author. God graciously and wisely gave his word to humans.

The illustrations in the Bible shows God wants to connect with the Common Man: shepherds, servants, security guards, soldiers, accountants. The vast majority of people, until recent centuries had very little education. A thoughtful grandmother, who never sat through a tertiary philosophy class, should hear the message of the Bible and nod at its rightness and feel its sound truthfulness in her guts.

I think God knew his audience and wrote so they would "get" him. I'm guessing he's far too generous to tuck precious truths away in the obscure, to lock its profound secrets in numerology. I doubt that the goal was to confound and bewilder. And even though there are mysteries too wonderful for us to understand, I suspect his aim in letting us know about it is to enlighten and to reveal. Display the most sparkling gems in the most prominent spots.




A friend wisely advised me on working out difficult bits of the Bible. He said "What's the most natural explanation? That's probably what the right answer is." If a theologian's body of work is really inaccessible and cumbersome, you got to ask what the value of it is.

So why bother with detailed studies like verbal aspect, text-critical analysis? I think they are tools like a jewelers' lens. Everyone can admire an Argyle diamond with the naked eye. But how of the glorious, subtle colours and brilliance can you take in with a magnifier? God has created beauty for us to appreciate on every level.

I LOVE COLLEGE. It's a delight to that the faculty, like master jewelers and gem collectors, show off the beauty of the word in different aspects, on many levels, from various angles.

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