"For every one man who reads the Bible, one hundred men will read you and me." D.L. Moody
Given the gender political incorrectness of Moody's statement, he still makes a startling observation: Christians not only have a Bible; they are the Bible to many people. Where would old D. L. get a thought like that?
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3
I've noticed two undeniable ways that the Bible is not given its rightful place in our lives and in the church at large. First, there are those who shout about inerrancy, authority, inspiration and they "battle for the Bible" in the public square. We must not remove the 10 Commandments from the courthouse lobby! What are the 10 Commandments? "Well, uh, uh, something about no other gods…uh, don't kill…y'know." Some claim to be all about protecting the Bible, but they hardly ever read it. Secondly, there are those who read it…diligently…so they can slice and dice it and so they can slice and dice anyone else who does not slice and dice the Bible the way they do. Oh, they know it all too well…as a weapon to blungeon those who disagree with them. "We have the BIBLICAL view of the end times." "We have the BIBLICAL view of baptism." "We have the BIBLICAL view of women in the church." "We have the BIBLICAL view of the atonement." And on it goes. The Bible is used to winnow out the chaff from the otherwise pure church (and usually the "pure church" is some little tiny theological ghetto of adherents). They are the contemporary version of the Essenes of Jesus' day; God's pets.
Another version of those who do read the Bible a lot is that group who read the Bible as a diversion from the Holy Spirit. It's much easier to have a relationship with a book, than with a Person, especially the third Person of the Trinity. Some say in effect, "No thank you. The B-I-B-L-E that's the book for me. Don't talk to me about a growing, intimate relationship with God the Spirit. The Spirit freaks me out. I'm told the Spirit can sneak up on you like the wind. He comes and goes at his own will. No thank you. I need to stay in control. I prefer the book."
Some have so divorced the Bible, the written Word, from Jesus Christ, the living Word, that some feel they have the right, even the duty to use the Bible in very unChristlike ways. And do they feel righteous when they do! They're daring! They're prophetic! They're powerful! They don't compromise! And every unbeliever in their sight runs for cover thinking, "If that is the kind of person the Bible produces, I'm outta here fast!"
One of the reasons I think Jesus made up and spun out compelling stories about the kingdom of God was that he was so sickened by the way the Bible was used in his day by the Bible experts and teachers of the Law. He saw how people were jaded by the oppressive use of Scripture. Scripture was turned into heavy weights to carry rather than a vital Story to live. So Jesus told stories about the big Story. The common people heard him gladly. They hung on his every word. It was the professional exegetes who really got snotty with farm-boy Jesus. Alas, there is nothing new under the sun.
By the way, John Wycliffe didn't give his life so that we could read a page in "Our Daily Bread." He died giving us for the first time in history the WHOLE Bible in the English language so we could read about and live the big Story. Wycliffe was so hated by many that after his death, his body was exhumed and burned because Wycliffe had been declared a heretic by those who wanted to keep the Bible in their control. I wonder if Wycliffe were alive today, would he think he had lived, labored and died in vain?
We not only have a Bible; we are the Bible. What are people reading?
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