People often surprise me. That is to say I am often surprised by how people interact with other people.
This week was no different, with tensions surrounding the Supreme Court’s recent contemplations and multiple recent tragedies this week. I happened to witness a lively but very civil debate.
However while walking by I overheard the phrase, “you just need to live the Bible.”
Is it possible to live the Bible? If so than how do we go about living the Bible, or living biblically?
Living a phrase of the Bible can be damaging. Expressing the Bible in your own life can be life changing.
In our pick & choose society we can often forget that the Bible isn’t a book full of good phrases and suggestions on how to live.
It is the raw and unfiltered accounts of real men and women who were trying to live and know God in their culture.
The word Bible is a fairly new word in the whole picture of history. The word the ancients often used to describe the words of God or the inspired words of God was scripture. The word Scripture is used all throughout the Bible and Old Testament books such as Daniel and the book of Psalms. In Hebrew the word is כתב and is pronounced kathab, it means a record of things.
The Bible isn’t an account of broken people who become perfect and try to live in a certain standard. The Bible is a chance for us to see the unique paths people that people travel with God.
The Bible is an exposé, and gives us a look into what real spirituality is; a journey that for each person is unique and distinct to that person. The Bible is a raw look into different people from different cultures exploring what is means to follow God and share that hope in their day.
I believe living Biblically is essential to a life of faith.
Living Biblically means embracing diverse roads, different journeys and celebrating uniqueness.
If we take living Biblically to mean a set agenda for everyone to live by, than we are no longer dealing with a divine inspired spirituality, we are dealing with man made standards.
If that was the case living biblically would be…
Dashing little ones against stones.– Psalms 137:9
Having slaves. — Leviticus 25:44
I will not go on with the many Old and New Testament scriptures that would not be fit for today’s living. My hope is that you begin to see the Bible not as an explanation of God but as an exploration of God.
When a faith is bound by two covers, it’s a book. When faith is built on God it has no boundaries and no walls.
So let us live Biblically and embrace difficulty and rise up against injustice and destroy walls people put up around God.
Breaking Bread with Ricky Maye 