What is the Bible About...

A few years ago, Erin and I had the privilege to attend a fantastic marriage conference. It gave hundreds of excellent reminders about how to love, communicate, have conflict, have prayer, and more.  We were challenged and blessed. 

There's one moment I'm troubled by.  It had nothing to do with marriage - the speaker was simply trying to communicate the the conference uses the Bible as the basis of their philosophy of healthy marriage. He was trying to describe the Bible for those who are unfamiliar.  He rightly said "the bible isn't one book, it's actually 66 books, written by even more authors over the span of 1500 years." Yes, that's right.  But then he added: "All these books tell us how we should love each other and how we should love God."  That was his summary of the Bible: it tells us how we should love each other and how we should love God.  

I immediately had a pit in my stomach.  That's all many believers and most non believers alike think the Bible is: a rule book. You should do this.  You should do that.  You shouldn't do this.  You shouldn't do that.  The Bible does contain a major element called “law,” which is what God requires of people. But if it were only law, the Bible would be deadly… and that’s what many think it is.

 You see, before it can ever be “Law,” and to make even one iota of “law” possible, the Bible must be something much bigger. It must be “gospel.” Before it tells us what we must do for God, it lays out what God has done for us. The Bible is the story of God.  It tells about his amazing act of Creation, about his just response to rebellion, about his gracious mercy amid more rebellion, and then about his incredible rescue mission, which allowed (ALLOWED) people to love him and love each other.  The bible is not a rule book first, it is good news.  God made right relationship with himself and others possible.  And for that, we love him. 

As has been said in many ways, every religion on earth essentially says: "Do this, and you will live." But the gospel, says "Here is the free gift of life, here’s how you can live it."