The Bible: Your Way

Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us. Most of us have heard that "jingle" before, and likely taken advantage of it; or if that particular fast food restaurant doesn't satisfy our palate, there are many more to choose from. And we all not only enjoy choices, we expect them. Making choices is what makes us, us. Right?  We define ourselves through choices and decisions. And God gave us the freedom to "choose", He gave us free will.  But, do you suppose he intended it for His Word, also? That we can pick and choose what to obey and how to interpret it?

As free-willed individuals, we have the ability and the right to make choices. Yes, I believe we do. However, I don't think that Christians should CHOOSE to accept some and reject other parts of God's word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   John 1:1

Upon Googling it, I found that there may be as many as 450 translations of the Bible into the English language. We all have our favorite, right? And some of us are totally convinced that our's is the only  right  one! And we have our reasons: it's the "original" translation, or it's the easiest to understand, or it's the only one that really talks about life today. Could it be that we are trying to find one that "suits" us, that we can live with? Who hasn't searched for the translation that has "just the right wording" to get your point across when posting on Facebook or similar media? I know I have!

Then beyond the actual translations, there's interpretation. "It's all in the interpretation", a bet more than a few of us have at least thought those words, even if we didn't actually voice them.  Let's look at some of the Ten Commandments. "Remember the Sabbath", how many interpretations are there on this one? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", now hopefully, anyone claiming to be Christian will not worship actual "other gods", but doesn't that also imply that we should not worship ANY other person or thing; like money, food, clothing, an actor, a singer, your spouse? You get the picture? "Thou shalt not bear false witness"...pretty sure this means we shouldn't gossip. Yet, who among us can say we ONLY speak positive about everyone, all the time. 

Then there are some that seem so obvious like "thou shalt not kill", yet some Christians are "pro choice", or "pro killing".

“You shall not commit adultery."  Exodus 20:14

If I haven't hit a nerve yet, I just might soon. The 7th commandment regarding adultery is one that surely gets several interpretations. If looked at independently, some may take this as "no sex with someone else's spouse". If combined with other instructions from God, it is clear that God wants us to wait until we are married to have sexual relations, and then only ever have them with our spouse.

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4

To be clear on what a fornicator is: Someone who has sex outside of marriage. Period. God will judge fornicators.  I recently watched (and listened to) a speaker on TV (I would give her credit by naming her, but I am terrible at remembering names). Anyway, she was speaking to a group of youth, and she said "You are either married or you're not.  If anyone is not sure if they are married, see us after the program and we'll help you figure it out."   Yet, as a society, we seem to accept things like premarital sex and living together. 

I think all too often, our interpretations "water down" God's Word. We like to understand things in a way that make it a little easier "to live for Jesus"

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18

And yet another topic that people seem to interpret to their liking is that of alcohol consumption. The Bible is filled with wine and has stories about beer. It appears that God does not forbid the drinking of alcohol. He does tell us not to be drunk. So define drunk. Wow, now we need Webster's dictionary to understand God's word. Or do we? I think that this and many other topics and subjects can be interpreted with our heart. If we ask the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us, our conscience will tell us when we are living outside of God's Word. A good rule of thumb, if it seems like the way the world is doing something, likely it's not pleasing to God. 

Why don't we make living the Christian Life look differently than the worldly life?  We need to be deliberate about our choices, always looking to the Scriptures and asking God to help us understand His meaning. We should always ask ourselves would we do this or that thing if Jesus was in the room with us. The Bible teaches us about Jesus; consider His character and apply that to the Scriptures when interpreting them. We need to not look for the most liberal or lenient translation or interpretation of the Bible. God's word is Holy and Living, so it is very applicable to our lives. Listen to preachers that teach sound messages, based upon Scripture; again, not watered down.

I find myself blogging about things that I feel strongly about, and as I blog, many times I am convicted of specific sin in my own life, as I put my thoughts "to paper" (so to speak). Search within, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Take the narrow gate.

One more thought. A wise man (my husband)has been very instrumental in me learning the most basic and by far the most important lesson that Jesus taught. Love. I don't think that anything can be more clear than the Scripture itself from Matthew.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So, in reading the Bible, if there is doubt in it's meaning, consider this; what would honor God and what would be more respectful and loving to those around you?

Thanks for stopping by. Blessings to you and your family!