The bible continues to be the number one best seller of all times and has become, I would say, the most accessible book available today. Even the poorest among us can buy one at a very economical price and I would dare say that the majority of homes in America contain at least one version.
Despite this, it also remains the most misunderstood of all books; the most maligned, the most mis-translated, it's words the most disregarded, misrepresented, reinterpreted or removed from some versions. The vast majority of mankind can't understand it, most have never actually read it and those who have are clueless as to what it really says. Even the vast majority within traditional Christianity have been taught from the pulpit that two-thirds of it (the Old Testament) does not even apply to us today and not worth studying.
I have been a bible student for almost thirty years and would wholeheartedly disagree with any who would dare disclaim one word from this most sacred of all books. I believe that it is God's instruction book for mankind and should be considered the source of all knowledge and understanding of how we are to live before our creator.
For those who do make it a part of their lives and seek it's wisdom and guidance, I offer an analogy, allegory, parable; call it what you will. I will liken it to a meal.
Some snack on it. They start their day with a bible verse or daily reading. In most cases that is the only spiritual food they partake of all day. Some end the day with a small scripture reading before retiring for the night. On Sunday, many flock to the church of their choice and receive a sparse meal served by the pastor. I remember those days. In the denomination I was once a part of, the pastor would begin his sermon by having the congregation open their bibles to a certain passage and follow along as he read it. He would then close the bible and continue to preach on the subject at hand for about twenty to thirty minutes. The topic would be primarily concerning behavior, moral character or the like, nothing too deep, nothing too long, lest his audience begin nodding off from sheer boredom. After the service, all would rise for a brief closing song and prayer and then depart to pursue what they were really interested in, their "duty" for the day taken care of. How utterly sad, and to think that was once MY "normal"!
Others sit at the table for a full meal, maybe several times a day. These are those who study the bible to a greater degree and desire to find deeper meaning within it's pages that will give purpose to their lives. They are nourished as they partake of it's wisdom, but the understanding wears off quickly when they close the bible, leaving them hungry again. They enjoy the word at the moment, but it becomes a temporary satisfaction that lingers but a short time, leaving them hungry yet again. They can't seem to discover that abiding fullness that never leaves, due to a lack of understanding. Even a very good meal can't satisfy forever.
The final group is likened unto those who, not only want the meal, but the recipe! You see, the real understanding of the bible is in the bible itself. The bible interprets itself. It doesn't need man to tinker with the recipe, or change the ingredients. All the ingredients are there, in just the right amounts, and the instructions are clearly laid out. If followed exactly, we can duplicate the recipe every time. Like kind begets like kind, as we read in Genesis.
The instructions found within the pages of our bibles are the recipe for life.....abundant life. Contained within it's pages, however, is also found the recipe for death. We are admonished throughout the word of God to choose life. The word of God is the final authority on how we are to conduct our lives before our creator. He warns us repeatedly in that word that altering the recipe in any way will most assuredly lead to death.
We are to seek and heed the bible's instructions from Genesis to Revelation and not leave out one ingredient. Women have learned that, if a recipe is not followed exactly, the end product will not be what we want. She doesn't start pulling ingredients together in the middle or two-thirds through the recipe. Neither can we discard any part of the bible. In Christianity we are often taught that we only need the New Testament. That is ludicrous. That is only part of the recipe. In fact, when the New Testament was penned, the only recipe the authors had to draw upon was the Old Testament. For them, that was the authority and understanding for everything they wrote. Just a cursory glance at the writings of the apostles reveals the numerous quotes from the Old Testament that they drew upon for their teachings.
Neither Yahshua (Jesus) nor the apostles discarded the earlier teachings of. the Torah, writings and Prophets, nor did they ever teach their followers to do so. If we have been taught anything to the contrary, we have been served a recipe for disaster.
