This is my respond on answering a question: ‘Amidst changing values and cultural practices, how can Christians defend the authority of Scripture and its continuing relevance?’ I hope that you find that this essay beneficial and helpful in your faith in the Scripture, that is, the Bible. P.s: Someone had checked my English – thanks to my editor for making this writing readable.
Bible Culture, not relevant for us today?
Everything changes, doesn’t it? Values and cultural practices shift across distance and time. What was acceptable, for example, to “greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16) during Paul’s time is very much awkward for us to practice in the twenty-first century culture. So it makes sense when certain Christians argue that somehow the Scripture (what is widely known today as the Bible) has lost its relevancy due to this unavoidable change of culture or rather, because of differences in our culture. How do we overcome this issue? How do we overcome this cultural gap?
Transport ourselves into the culture of Bible Times
It is important to note that since the Bible writers and characters lived in different cultures from ours, we must do some work to understand how their environment affected what they believed, said, and did. The more we understand their culture, the more we will understand the writings of Scripture. If we fail to do this, we could become guilty of interpreting the Bible through the lenses of our twenty-first century world. Brian McLaren writes, “Too often we see the Bible through whatever lens we get from our culture.”1 Thus, when it comes to reading and interpreting the Bible we must leave our culture and transport ourselves into the culture of Bible times. [One of the best things one could do in this regard would be to read Michael Vlach’s Overcoming the culture Gap2, Fred White’s The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times and by reading commentaries.]
It is good to remember that a significant reason why we need to transport ourselves into the culture of Bible times is because of the nature of the Bible itself. The Bible, as the historical church believed, is at the same time both human and divine. The Bible is the Word of God given through human words in history. Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart writes,
“Because the Bible is God’s Word, it has eternal relevance; it speaks to all humankind, in every age and in every culture. Because it is God’s Word, we must listen – and obey. But because God chose to speak his Word through human words in history, every book in the Bible also has historical particularity; each document is conditioned by the language, time, and culture in which it was originally written (and in some cases also by the oral history it had before it was written down). Interpretation of the Bible is demanded by the “tension” that exists between its eternal relevance and its historical particularity.”3
Cultures change, Biblical principles Stay
Therefore the most important task in overcoming this ‘tension’ is to interpret the Bible with a right approach. Briefly, there are 2 basic levels of interpreting the Word4; first, one has to hear the Word they heard; we must try to understand what was said to them back then and there. This is called exegesis. Second, we must learn to hear that same Word in the here and now. This is called hermeneutics. By doing this, we are much closer to the meaning of the text in its original context. This will help us to understand what God is trying to communicate to us and to apply its principles to the new situation, to point out the ethical action required.
Cultures change, and even laws change, generations come and go, but the Word of God is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. Not all of Scripture necessarily applies explicitly to us today, but all Scriptures contain truth and principles that we can, and should, apply to our lives today.
But, how are we to be sure that the Scripture is still speaking to us today? Why does the Scripture have such authority over human lives?
The Authority of the Scripture
By authority we mean the right to command belief and/or action5. Many popular religions are based entirely on human ideas and thus are merely theories or philosophies. Christianity, however, is based on the Scriptures which we accept as our final authority because we believe it to be inspired by God. God’s inspiration covers all Scripture and every word in it.
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
“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.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The Greek word for “carried along” in 2 Peter 1:21 is pheromenoi, which means to be carried or brought along. It is the same term used of a sailing ship being carried by the wind (Acts 27:15). “The idea here,” writes Robert M Solomon “is that the inspired prophet was profoundly influenced by the Holy Spirit when he spoke or subsequently wrote.6” Peter’s point was that the Bible writers did not speak from themselves, but were “carried along” by God’s Holy Spirit to write what they did. The Greek word for “God-breathed” in 2 Timothy 3:16 is theopneustos, which is derived from two Greek root words (theos [God] and pneo [to blow or breathe]). It implies that the contents of the Bible are therefore the result of God blowing on the human writers7. In other words, it is the condition of being directly under divine influence. Thus, Paul’s point was that every scripture is “God breathed.” [The word “scripture” in 2 Timothy 3:16 refers primarily to the Old Testament Scriptures. However, as the New Testament was written, it too, was referred to as “scripture.” Peter, for example, referred to Paul’s epistles as authoritative and “scripture” (2 Peter 3:15-16). Thus, “all scripture” refers to both testaments.8]
Here we can conclude that it is God who initiated the writing of the Bible and by His Holy Spirit; “all Scripture” is the result of this God-breathed inspiration. Therefore, it is right for us to submit to the authority of the Scripture because it is God’s Word to us. What the Bible says is just what God would say if he were to speak directly. Because the Bible conveys His message, the Bible carries the same weight God Himself would command if He were speaking to us personally.
One more point to make here is that: we should remember that the Bible is God’s gift to mankind, the absolute authority and ultimate judge of human behavior and morality. It reveals the way mankind should walk (e.g. Psalms 119:105), as taught by the Being who created us. Theologian Rene Pache once noted, "If God entirely inspired Scripture (as we have seen that He did), then Scripture is vested with His authority9." It is also true: if God is still “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), then the Scripture is still authoritative (and relevant) as it was before – and it is still vested with His authority for eternity.
God’s Word Then and Now
There is no doubt that the Bible cultures were very different from ours today, so different that we have to dig into the Word and transport ourselves into the culture of Bible times. But as we explore the Scripture daily and understand the principles/truths in it through the right approach of interpretation, we find that the Bible does not only have its origin from God – it is also very much relevant in guiding our lives as we apply it. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105), says the ancient Psalmist about how God’s Word should be to us.
Conclusion
The relevancy of the Scripture is evident by its divine perseverance throughout history. Throughout time, skeptics have regarded the Bible as mythological, but archeology has confirmed it as historical. Opponents have attacked its teaching as primitive and outdated, but its moral and legal concepts and teachings have had a positive influence on societies and cultures throughout the world. It continues to be attacked by pseudo-science, psychology, and political movements, yet it remains just as true and relevant today as it was when it was first written10.
It is a book that has transformed countless lives and cultures throughout the last 2000 years. No matter how its opponents try to attack, destroy, or discredit it, the Bible remains; its veracity and impact on lives is unmistakable. The accuracy which has been preserved despite every attempt to corrupt, attack, or destroys it is a clear testimony to the fact that the Bible is truly God’s Word and is supernaturally protected by Him. It should not surprise us that, no matter how the Bible is attacked, it always comes out unchanged and unscathed. After all, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31).
After looking at the evidence, one can say without a doubt that, yes, the Bible is truly God’s Word; therefore it has authority over our lives. And yes, the Bible is still relevant today!
THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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References:
1. Tentmaker Ministry; available from http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/biblequotes.htm; internet; accessed 13 August 2012.
2. Michael Vlach, “Overcoming the Culture Gap”; available from http://theologicalstudies.org/resource-library/how-to-study-the-bible/360-overcoming-the-culture-gap; Internet; accessed 13 August 2012.
3. Douglas Stuart and Gordon D. Fee, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth – 3th ed.(Zondervan, 2003) p.21
4. Douglas and Gordon, How to Read the Bible for All Its. p.23
5. Millard J. Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine (Baker Book House, 1992, 2001) p.77
6. Robert M Solomon, The Enduring Word: The Authority and Reliability of the Bible (Genesis Books, 2011) p.27
7. Robert M Solomon, The Enduring Word p.27
8. Bert Thompson, Ph.D., In Defense of… the Bible’s Inspiration [Part 1]; (http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=13&article=1333); internet; accessed 14 August 2012.
9. http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/biblequotes.htm
10. “Is the Bible truly God’s Word?” in Got Questions Ministry; http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-God-Word.html; internet; accessed 1 September 2012.
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