Is The Bible Old-Fashioned?

That's a legitimate question, right?

We live in a culture today where the bible is thought of as a little old-fashioned. We won't openly admit it, but I just don't see people taking The Word of God seriously anymore. People just use it to pick out a cool phrase for a tattoo or to post on their Facebook status. We like to pick and choose certain verses out of the bible to "live by" and overlook the rest. We like to pick out certain verses that make us "feel good" and get us through our day. Don't misunderstand me here, there is nothing wrong with doing that, but I think we have the bible all kinds of wrong. The Bible was given to us. The whole thing, from Genesis to Revelation, all 66 books. You can't add to it nor can you take away from it. It doesn't need your help. The bible doesn't need your opinion. It is finished. It was given to us as a complete book; therefore, we have to read it as a complete book.

The bible isn't meant for us to pluck our “favorite” verses out of their original text and "live by" those. We need to dive into The Word like a sea of living, breathing, hand-written goodness that causes our very souls to awaken and cause an unshakable change in these human hearts of ours.

"...Give them my entire message; include every word."

Jeremiah 26:2 (NLT)

We should engage in full contextual study of our precious Bibles before we start plucking out verses and applying them to our lives. So let's do just that right now. Look up these verses in your bible with me and let's see what The Bible says about itself:

 

Deuteronomy 17:19 - "He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of this law." (NLT)

Psalm 119:98-100 - "Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for your commands are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your decrees. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments." (NLT) 

Revelation 22:7, 18-19 - "Look! I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the prophecy written in this scroll... And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the Holy City that are described in this book." (NLT)

Do those verses shake your soul like they do mine? If not, read them again.

We have to realize that one of our first steps toward a real, intimate, passionate relationship with our Christ Jesus is plunging our hearts into the vivid, living, up-to-date Word of God. It’s not only up-to-date, it’s way ahead of its time. The Bible is where our Faith comes from. It's the Truth about our Lord. I think of my Bible as a love letter that Jesus himself passed down to me across a 2,000 year bridge. That’s what our bible is: a love letter to us. It’s not a book full of rules to keep you from having fun. Not in the least bit. It’s not a book of ancient stories that have no relevance to your life. The Bible was written for your own good. So pay attention when I say this, circle this, highlight this, take heart: You cannot be a follower of Christ without reading the Message that God has given to you. Point, blank, period.

Maybe you're like I was a few months ago... I owned a Bible. I knew where to find it if I needed it, but that is exactly where it stayed: tucked away until I needed it. I took it to church and looked up the verses that were being discussed in church, but when I was at home, it never opened.

 

How dead my life was. Do you see what I said? Read it again: Oh, how dead my life was!  

 

I've been in church for 20 years. I used to think that I knew everything The Bible had to say. I'd read every page. What more could there be to it? Boy was that ignorant. You could sit on your rear and read scripture for the next 100 years and you would still learn something new every day, Lord willing.Sometimes when I'm reading my bible, I'll be reading over a verse that I've read over 500 times, but all of sudden, that verse has a completely different meaning to me. All thanks to The Holy Spirit who helps us understand what we're reading. Some people can read scripture and get absolutely nothing from it. Pray over your Bible. Pray that God will allow His Holy Spirit to reveal what He really wants you to know from His Word.

"But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by His Spirit and His Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets."

1 Corinthians 2:10 (NLT)

Darlin', a bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't. Our Bible is bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions. We need to treat it similar to how we treat God. Some of us only call on God to get us out of trouble. We only call on Him when we want something from Him. You won't get anywhere with a relationship like that. He wants your constant love. He wants your constant praise--when you're broken and when you're not. The same goes for Scripture. You need it every single day, not just when you're feeling a little down.

I hope you're a little bit inspired to study your Bible. We, as Christians, should know the whole book better than we know the back of our hands. If we want to start scraping off the nasty, worldly layers that lie on top of our hearts, this is a start. Picking up our bible is just the beginning: it's picking up your knife, preparing ourselves for the layers to come off.