Holy Idol? June 15, 2010
Posted by Gordon Brock in Uncategorized.trackback
I was listening to Air 1 radio this morning, and they were reporting on a new Bible initiative by the American Bible Society and the Sripture Union. They believe that people aren’t reading the bible as much these days, and they are going to put some programs into place to help with this. Their goal-”to connect the bible to today’s challenges and struggles.”
My first thought was, “don’t we want to connect ‘Jesus’ to today’s challenges and struggles?” We seem to want to get the bible into peoples hands and tell them it has the answers to ‘life’s struggles’ instead of giving them Jesus and telling them that He has the answers to life’s issues. OK, perhaps they are saying that Christians are the ones not reading, but needing, the bible. Well, what if that is because Christians are focusing more on an actual relationship with Jesus himself instead of using the bible for religion? It made me wonder if we have turned the bible into an idol, making it more important than starting with Jesus, or making it a replacement for talking about Jesus. I have learned that when you focus on anything other an Jesus, no matter how ‘good’ it might be, you have the wrong focus. Only when Christ is central and supreme, does everything else come into line, and you don’t need to focus on anything else.
Perhaps the Bible Institute and Scripture Union should have a campaign to focus on intimacy with Jesus, His rule in their lives, and THAT will cause them to go read the bible to know MORE of Him.
So true, Gordon
Like a letter from a loved one, the bible is precious because it is a link with Him, not because there’s anything sacred about it in itself. The Pharisees had made an idol of their scriptures and the traditions of the elders, but Jesus said, “You search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life, but they are they which testify of Me, and you will not come to Me that you might have life.” And yes, we do the same thing today. The bible is not a magic book nor a book of magic, but a painting of Jesus.
Blessings, Cindy
Nice addition, Cindy, I like that!