What the Bible is NOT

First, let me say that I love the Bible, that I believe in its divine inspiration, and that it is our only infallible resource for guidance in matters of faith and religious practice.  On the other hand, the Bible is not like the Yellow Pages.  For those who are too young to understand that reference, the Bible is not "God's Google Page."  Getting a "biblical" perspective on a certain subject is not as simple as going to a Bible dictionary and looking up some corresponding verses that touch on that topic.

Most Christians would readily admit that, even though that is the way much of our church tradition (at least in the Baptist world) has taught us to use the Bible.  In college, I was taught by Dr. Rick Johnson that one's presuppositions about the Bible influence the way he/she will interpret it.  That seemed obvious at the time, but I am learning just how far the implications of this statement can reach.  Consider these two examples:

 1) I recently had a conversations with a young lady that told me a pastor of a certain denomination advised her to get a divorce.  The reasons for this are not due to spousal or child abuse, marital unfaithfulness, or any other horrible scenario you might imagine that could cause a pastor to give such advice.  In fact, the lady's current husband is a great guy, involved in church, and is the father of her 8-month-old son!  What on earth would cause a PASTOR to give such advice?  Bible verses like Matthew 19:9 that say when a man is divorced and marries another woman, adultery is committed.  See, earlier in life, this woman had two failed marriages, and according to this pastor, as long as she was involved in her current marriage, she was committing adultery.  His solution: divorce your husband, live a celibate life, and raise the child you have with him as "friends."

2) In a recent conversation with our church's music minister, I was asked about the Mormon practice of baptizing for the dead.  I can't say I've been unaware of this practice, but I've never seriously considered their scriptural reasoning for it.  I was pointed to 1 Corinthians 15:29 which says: "Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?"  Why indeed?!?!?!?

While MOST Christians I know would disagree with the pastor's decision to encourage divorce and baptizing for the dead, we have to admit that these Scriptures, taken alone, seem to advise otherwise.  This is why your presuppositions about Scripture are vitally important.  If you think the Bible is God's answer book to any and every situation (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth - as I've cleverly heard it called), I'm not sure there is much getting around these verses.  But if you realize that the Bible was written immediately to a specific historical context, with references and admonitions that may not always make sense to us, you can see the big picture for which the God-inspired words were written.

Jesus didn't want people to get divorced.  Specifically, he was tired of men throwing away women and moving on to someone else on a whim, and justifying it with a certificate.  The big idea behind his words is "divorce is bad!  Don't do it."  In light of this, how much more would it hurt God's heart for someone to divorce a godly person because of sins committed in the past?  Two wrongs don't make a right.

As for the Mormon practice of baptizing the dead, you can't deny it was something that was going on in Corinth.  That's all we know from Paul's vague statement.  We don't know if Christians, pagans, or both were practicing it.  Furthermore, Paul never gives the admonition for Christians to follow suite.  He simply uses this practice as an example of the reality of the resurrection.  This reference falls in the middle of a long explanation of why Christians can be sure of the resurrection, and what it will be like.  That's what the big idea of this passage is about.

This may seem like I am encouraging you to ignore passages that don't fit with your presuppositions.  That's not true.  The point is not to ignore, but rather to not miss the forest for the trees.  Most people have no problem accepting that Jesus' instructions to cut off parts of your body when they cause you to sin are figurative.  Why?  Well probably because no one wants to do that!  But also because they realize that the big idea is to avoid sin, even at the cost of sacrificing something else that you really want.  

So, next time a confusing verse comes along, or you get some crazy advice from the preacher down the road (hopefully it won't be me!), ask yourself "what is the big picture the Bible is trying to convey with these words?"  Examine the context before and after it.  Use common sense.  The Bible is NOT a dictionary or a step-by-step-how-to manual.  If you treat it that way, you just might find yourself getting baptized for your dead cousin, cutting off your foot, or divorcing your spouse that means the world to you!