How the Bible is True

I’ve been told recently that I pick and choose the parts of the Bible that I want to believe, and ignore the parts that I don’t. That is not true.

I cannot express enough how thankful I am to those who have taken the time to say as much to me directly and engage in conversation with me about it. Those conversations have enriched me.

My beliefs about the Bible can be summarized in 2Timothy 3:16-17, which says “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.” (NIV) In the passage, Paul is referring to the Old Testament, but it also summarizes how I feel about the Gospels, the Book of Acts, the letters, and the Book of Revelation—the New Testament—as well. I have no authority to add anything more to the passage, nor to take anything away from it. I don’t take away words like “All” or “every.” It is what I believe about the Bible.

I don’t have the right to “pick and choose the parts of the Bible I want to believe, and disregard the parts that I don’t.” No one does. I don’t want to believe that God told the Israelites to commit genocide as they conquered the Promised Land, but it’s not up to me to decide what is in the Bible and what isn’t. So yes, the God of the Bible is a genocidal God, and we have to try and make sense of that, because we don’t have the option to just ignore it.

There is something that I admit I cannot do. I cannot show all of the stories of the Bible to be true with archaeology or linguistics or some other evidence from a field of expert study. There are simply many parts of the Bible that no one can prove or disprove, so I choose not to spend time doing it. I’m not going to spend time arguing with someone on whether or not God really changed everyone’s languages at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), really turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19), really caused Jonah to be swallowed by a whale (Jonah 1), really told the people of Israel to kill every man, woman, and child in the towns they conquered (1Samuel 15), really caused Jesus to be born of a virgin (Luke 1), really commanded that disobedient children should be stoned to death at the city gates, (Deut 21) or really forbade things like engagement rings or hair braiding (1Peter 3). On top of that, I also choose not to measure the faith of another by their belief or disbelief in these things.

I can show the Bible to be true by the testimony of those who have seen it’s lessons lived out in their own lives. I can’t prove the Tower of Babel happened, but I can give testimony that if I stay where it’s safe and refuse to step out in faith into the unknown where God calls me to go, I will miss out on the remarkable opportunities God offers me to make a difference in this world. I can’t prove that Lot’s wife was really turned into a pillar of salt, but I can give testimony that if I’m stuck thinking about my own past, my own heritage, my own baggage, my own grudges, etc., I’m going to miss out on the possibilities that lie before me in the future. I can’t prove that Jonah was really swallowed by a whale, but I can give testimony that if I only hang around with safe people who are like me, I will miss out on the rich opportunities for connections that will help me and others grow in to more than we were before we met each other. I can’t prove that when attacking the Amalekites, God told Samuel to tell Saul, “Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys,” nor can I prove that it was God’s desire that disobedient children should be stoned to death at the city gates, nor can I prove that engagement rings and hair braiding are against God’s will; but I can give testimony that holiness is God’s desire for me, and to have any vision for my life other than holiness leads me astray every time. I can’t prove that Jesus was born of a virgin, but I can give testimony that being available to God like Mary was, even though it can be scary and costly, is far better than being unavailable to God.

If you want a pastor who denounces other preachers or has debates over whether the stories in the Bible are all literal, inerrant accounts of real events; or if you need me to measure the faith of a pastor or another believer by their willingness to engage in those debates or denunciations—well, I’m not going to do that.

If you want a pastor who is being saved by the grace of God poured out on me in Jesus Christ despite my brokenness and unworthiness, if you want a pastor who is humbled by the unconditional love that God has for me despite my sin, if you want a pastor who is amazed by the grace of God that called me to be a shepherd of His church and His representative to His people despite my many shortcomings, if you want a pastor who wants everyone everywhere to enjoy friendship with God, if you want a pastor who is grieves over the suffering of those who are poor and marginalized, if you want a pastor who is in awe of the people who wrote and copied and conveyed their ancient words about Jesus Christ across the centuries so that they could get to us today, if you want a pastor who loves searching the Bible for new insights into the experience of the Israelites of the Old Testament and the early church in the New and considering their implications for us today, and if you want a pastor who believes that the church of Jesus Christ is God’s plan for sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ with the whole world, I’m glad to apply for the job.

For those among us who have been telling people that I pick and choose the parts of the Bible I like and disregard the parts I don’t, I hope you understand that I cannot allow that to be the last word. If you think that, or if you’ve heard that, please contact Pat in the office and set up a time to come ask me about it. It would be a privilege to get to talk about the Bible together with you. —MH