By Dr. Joe Yelton
Interim Pastor
Recently I began the work of unpacking some basic theology that has been within me since childhood. I’m wishing to give greater depth to my oft superficial brush of “I believe.” It began with a quote from the great CS Lewis: “It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to Him. We must not use the Bible as a sort of encyclopedia out of which texts can be taken for use as weapons.”
Each Sunday as we receive a reading from Holy Scripture we respond, “The Word of God for the people of God “ ... or similar. And it’s true but accentuates our need to understand that JESUS IS THE WORD OF GOD ... and the Bible is the pointer used, along with good instruction.
When we insist that the Bible be received literally, we potentially suffocate what those very words are to provoke within us. Literal readings of the Bible can be used to justify slavery, the subjugation of women, the separation of the races, and the demoralizing of the poor, to name a few. Instead, when we leap forward and allow Jesus to BE the Word of God, we begin living the mind of WWJD ... What would Jesus do? When we sharpen that understanding, we likely become more forgiving, gentle, compassionate and faithful.
Jesus is the Word of God. When we allow Him to guide our interpretation of Holy Writ, we become better agents of His grace and goodness.
Joe