WHAT DO WE DO WITH THOSE VERSES THAT OFFEND US

 

 

 

A new Christian asked if she had to accept the verses, which offend her. Since they were written by fallible men, there didn’t seem to be a reason to accept them all as from God. I answered:

 

Thanks for sharing your struggle with us. There are many things that can be said in response to what you have written: “I see it [the Bible] as a collection of books that have captured the accounts of followers of God, people who had real relationships with God, real revelations, but who were definitely fallible.”

The writers of the Bible were fallible just as we are. But was God able to work through them to create an infallible collection of books? If we go by what the Bible and even Jesus had to say, the answer is “Yes.” There is not a single verse by any of the many writers of the Bible that casts any doubt that God is the primary Author of all of it.

 

To be a follower of Jesus, we are required to believe even in the “weird stuff in the Bible.” I think all of us have struggled to make sense out of the Bible, especially the teachings of Jesus, where we encounter a lot of “weird stuff.” However, this was because He taught in parables, much of which cannot be taken literally. This means that interpretation is not easy. Therefore God has provided teachers and commentaries (Ephesians 4:11-14).

 

However, you must not dismiss any of the teachings of the Bible. Jesus didn’t. He submitted to everything in the Bible as the Words of the Father. When He was being tempted by the devil, He quoted the Scriptures:

·       Matthew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

 

This means that we cannot dismiss what might seem weird or unacceptable to us. To do this is to make ourselves the judge over the Scriptures, instead of allowing the Scriptures to judge us. In a sense, it is claiming, “I have enough wisdom to sit in judgement over the Scriptures.” But if we have enough wisdom to do that, then we do not even need the Scriptures. Ultimately, by elevating ourselves as judge, we are telling God that we really don’t need Him that much.

 

God is looking for those who will trust Him enough to accept His Words even when they don’t sit right with us. This doesn’t mean that you have to understand or like every verse. I’d simply recommend that you don’t pass judgment on the Word of God. Perhaps just set those verses aside until you grow to the point that you truly accept them.

The Holy Spirit has blessed me so much by illuminating verses that I had been unable to understand. I hope I am not scaring you away. God knows that this is a process. On the other hand, beware of those who will change or dismiss certain verses to make them more palatable to the tastes of this generation. Please do not hesitate to ask more questions.

 

Later, I added:

 

Please do not worry that if you do not have all of your "i" (plural) dotted just right, you are not a child of God. I didn't believe in the Trinity for my first several years as a believer. It just seemed too "weird" to me. I also chafed at obeying the civil authorities. I had been a radical, and asking me to obey the police just seemed like too much. However, I cannot remember denying the full inspiration of the Scriptures because of these impediments. Only later did I begin to see the profound wisdom and truth of these teachings.

 

Please know that our Lord wants to save all He can:

 

·       Romans 10:12–13 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”