The best story-book in the world

 
As a child I went to 'Crusaders' (a boys' bible class where my  dad was a leader) and was taught to read the bible every day, using 'Key Notes' from Scripture Union to help me understand it better. 

It's a habit which I have followed all my life since then. As I've grown older I've questioned myself about this: is my trust in the bible well-grounded, and does it make a positive difference  in my life?
I believe the answer to both these questions is a firm 'yes'.  It starts with the belief that God made the world and made us, and that he loves us and wants the best for us: all these things are taught in the bible.  God wants a relationship with me and I believe the bible provides me with the guidance I need to build up this relationship.  My most basic aim in life is to serve God and to live a life which is pleasing to him, so the teaching of the bible helps me to get this right.  

 

Is the bible true?

Reading and studying the bible is a vital part of my life. So does this mean that I believe every word of the bible to be true?  Well, it all depends on what you mean by 'true'.  The bible is not one book, but 66 books in one volume, written by many different authors.  The Old Testament, written before the birth of Jesus, was written over many hundreds of years, whereas the New Testament was written within a few decades of the earthly life of Jesus.  

 

Bible stories

A very large part of the bible consists of stories. Some of them I believe to be literally true, such as the story of David and Goliath.

 Others I believe are made-up stories to teach a particular truth, such as the parables told by Jesus.  

The story of Adam and Eve is a hugely interesting one. It might be literally true, or it could  be an allegory.

 It teaches about the collapse of relationship between God and human beings, and of the existence of a spiritual being opposed to God, whom we nowadays call the devil, and who is the source of our temptations to go our own way rather than following God's way.  Whether the story is literally or allegorically true doesn't really matter to me: it's the basic truth of the message within it which is important: will I follow God, or will I like Adam follow my own inclinations in life?

 

History

Much of the bible is ancient history, written long ago by people whose understanding of the world about them was not, and could not be, based upon modern scientific discoveries.  Their writings were influenced by the sort of culture they lived in, and when we read their writings today we have to take this into account.  Some of the bible was written for a specific readership, and it would be silly to assume that every word of it has direct relevance to my life today. (I think for example of the long list of people who helped to rebuild Jerusalem in Nehemiah 7: the detailed list isn't relevant to me, but it would be hugely inspiring to a reader nearer the time in which it was written to know that his grandfather, say, was listed as one of those who helped in the rebuilding of the holy city. The story in the book of Nehemiah as a whole is relevant to all of us though: it's part of a long saga showing that through bad times and good, God was looking after his people and directing the decisions of Artaxerxes, king of the Persian empire, the most important world leader of that time. 

 

66 = 1

Although the bible is 66 books written over thousands of years in several different languages, some originally on clay tablets and some on parchment, the significance of the Bible as a whole is that it has one common theme: it tells a consistent story from the beginning of time to the end of time, of God's dealings with man, and his longing that we, created by him, should enter into a personal walk with him which will last on into eternity.    If we recognise and pursue this, it gives ultimate meaning to our lives.

 

I am the Way

The Bible tells us that Jesus said "I am the Way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father except by me." (John 14.6). The author    C S Lewis said of this, that for Jesus to say such a thing meant that he must be bad, mad or God. 

 C S Lewis, having been an atheist, studied the bible record deeply and was converted to Christianity, becoming one of Christianity's great spokesmen. This claim of Jesus is an exclusive one, and is recorded in the bible.  Putting your trust in the truth of the bible, and putting your trust in Jesus as the only way to know God, are part and parcel of each other.  The bible is the chief way in which God speaks to us today.  I have chosen to believe this and act on it.  Michaelangelo got the point when he painted God reaching out to man, and man responding.