Faithful Writers

When I read that verse or heard it from the pulpit, I thought it meant: Read your Bible. It’s the inherent, infallible Words from the mouth of God. In reality, it was intended to reinforce the notion that the preacher’s dogmas (called doctrines) represented God's word and will on the matter.

When I finally slowed down to read whole sections — sometimes whole books at a time — it hit me: this is a story. A messy, winding, human story about people trying to follow God.

The textbook asserts they were only talking about the Old Testament, except 2 Peter 1:21 & Acts 2:38–39 show differently.

If you say you are a Christian yet whip out the Enochs, Maccabees, Gad the Seer, Wisdom, Tobit, Judith, etc, when trying to prove a view, doctrine, or use it to object to something in the Bible. You're not even on the right track to begin with. If you're not a believer and do this, then that’s a whole different conversation.

The Bible isn’t dead ink. Not because the pages themselves are like a magic potion. But because they have the ability to inspire the reader to living a wise life. There are lines in Scripture I’ve read a hundred times. But then one day, in the middle of a mess, or a moment of quiet, or a hard conversation with God, I’ll read that same line again — and it lands different. It breathes.

We’ve built entire sermons around words Jesus never spoke. It’s time we stop preaching a misquote and start living the truth.