Why The Bible Is So Controversial

 

Have you ever watched children assemble a jigsaw puzzle they have never seen before? 

 

Those same social dynamics are present when we talk about the Bible with each other. When discussing the Bible, I think God gave His children this puzzle with a specific purpose in mind.

We as God's children are goal oriented and focused on an end point just like our natural children. We are focused on the completion of this jigsaw puzzle we call the Bible. 

Somehow we think that if we are right, if we see things the way God does, if we do what we think He wants us to do, then we will be rewarded for what WE did and what WE saw. 

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

All of us want be the ones that have the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle. The piece that will push God's button and make Him say, "It is finished". In God's sight, putting the last piece in will not give you favor and credit for the work of others like it does with man. Neither will being first. Remember the parable of the workers in Matthew 20:1-16?

But how important is a goal to an eternal God that can take eternity to do something and doesn't have to worry about being late?

I think to God, the completion is not as important as the relationship and the journey of how we learn to get along with each other. Maybe relationship development is what God is after?

 

The Purpose Of The Bible
 

We are His children and I imagine He has some of the same emotions that we as parents do watching our own children interact with each other as they assemble a jigsaw puzzle. He loves each of us and has given us this jigsaw puzzle for a reason. Perhaps it is a picture of Him, but that's not important, it is not the real Him, He knows it's just a picture and doesn't get offended if you at first put His nose on upside down or mix up His left and right hand. Finishing the puzzle is not the important part, nor the only part. The interaction, fellowship and harmony between the family members is. This is because He has something in mind.

John 17:22-23

²² ...that they may be one, even as we are one:
²³ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one...

He wants us to live inside, hidden in Him; part of each other. This will take love,  harmony and mutual respect.

 

 

Family Dynamics

The focus and intent of each child can be very different, but each one contributes a valuable dynamic as long as they are searching and contributing. To some people, focus on a particular aspect, color or shape on the inside of the puzzle is important. To others, it is important to discover the boundaries. There are even a few who relish bringing them all together. I think I'm one of those guys. Because of this, my perspective is a little odd, that's why I am thinking about this fascinating component I call "family dynamics".

 

I realized that parents don't always participate in a jigsaw puzzle, or judge who is right and who is wrong, but they can experience a different enjoyment and a full gamut of emotions by watching how their children interact with each other. Parents share in the experiences of their children and monitor their relationships. Understanding and working with my children enhances their ability to work together, increases productivity and creates peace. 

 

Tensions can run high when areas of focus overlap. As children, we each want to take the control of a section away from our sibling when we think we know the answer to his problem. We get excited when we see things start to take shape into something we seem to recognize. We also get obnoxious when we think someone is 'doing it wrong'. 

 

We all seem to look at the Bible comments made by others and jump to conclusions to fill in the whole picture from the stereotypes we ourselves have experienced. Many times I have taken a piece right out of my brother's hand to show him how wrong he was, but then I find out he wasn't trying to fit that piece in that place and I have created a rift between us. After the confrontation, I realize that I did not really see what he was considering when I "hijacked" his piece and called him 'stupid', I just thought I did. Embarrassing as it seems, many times I have found after I let go and gave up my point of view, knowing my way wouldn't work, that he was right! Sometimes we just need a "time out" to refresh our attitude and perspectives; then we can get back to the puzzle. God doesn't kick us out of the family because we made a mistake or misbehaved, should we follow God's lead on this?

 

What can we learn from this?

 Is it possible for me or my brother to to have a partially correct perspective without understanding the whole picture? I think so. Can I have a conviction that a little piece of the puzzle is in the right place, but acknowledge I don't have the next piece? I think so. Doesn't the Holy Ghost lead you and guide you into all the truth, or does it just let you know when you have arrived? Leading and guiding sounds suspiciously like a relationship and a journey.

 

To look at it in a different way, I'll  throw a couple of seemingly opposing 'puzzle perspectives' together and see what I can learn.

 

We know that God hates pride, so why would He want people to worship Him? We know that God is not proud, so I must be looking at these two random pieces in a perspective or way that God does not. What is the reason behind these two seemingly opposing facts?

 

It would stand to reason that God, not having pride, is also not self-centered. That being said, the worship itself would not seem important to Him. I think He is more interested in what His children experience. Let me explain.

 

As a parent, one of the most memorable and touching experiences in my life came from the relationship between myself and one of my sons when he was about 3 years old. Logan was just learning to talk, so he still had an immature way of communication; he did not have all the words, but what he said had an impact on me in a profound way. He walked up to me out of the blue one day, hugged my leg, looked me in the eye and, with his whole being, stated, "Daddy, you are a good Daddy!". Wow! The emotions that simple phase evoked were incredible!

 

He was not "worshiping me" in a "religious context", he was describing the value he saw in our relationship. 

John 4:23-24

²³ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

In Logan's case, "spirit" was emotion and feeling, just like the team spirit they have at sporting events. To Logan there was no doubt in his mind, what he said was true. You could see in his eyes that he completely put his trust and faith in me and was ecstatic that I was his daddy.

 

The phrase, "They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" is not a law, or a justification for who God's people are; thereby excluding others. It is an observation of 'how' worship happens. It defines and describes what worship is, listing its components. God is desirous of the same kind of relationship that I have with Logan. 

 

My attitude towards God just changed. Whoa! 

 

The pieces of the puzzle fit and I really didn't know what would happen when I just threw them out there and started working on them just a few minutes ago. We serve a living God, able to meet our needs! Isn't He great? Our Daddy is a GOOD Daddy! Thank you, Lord.

 

The puzzle itself then does not become the focus. The REASON for the puzzle or the REASON behind the puzzle becomes  paramount. The REASON gives purpose to the puzzle. The puzzle by itself may seem like just a mental exercise, a waste of time, but the family interactions are priceless!


Jesus boiled it down to two commandments:

 

 

Love God and Love Your Neighbor

 
 

Bringing Again Zion, Something The Lord Does...Not Us.

Seeing eye-to-eye is not a prerequisite for interacting with our brothers.  Why are we so stuck on seeing everything the same right now? Relax, that will come in time. The following scriptures should be taken as a matter of observation and fact. We don't have the whole picture yet.

 

1 Corinthians 13:12

¹² For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 

1 John 3:2

² Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Isaiah 52:8

⁸ Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
 

 

While we are figuring out this puzzle, we need different perspectives. Face it... life would be boring without diversity. Creation shows us that God enjoys diversity. What IS important though is our flexibility, to try and see from another person's viewpoint. This develops respect, fellowship and unity. Seeing eye-to-eye then becomes a tool we use to love our brother, it is not the goal.

 

 

Bringing again Zion is the goal, but this will never happen if we do not have brotherly love.

 

If we are to become one with Him, we must have this respect for each other; for all involved in that oneness.

John 17:23

²³ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

 

 Here comes some more of that 'out of the box' thinking...

Speaking simply but meaning no disrespect (this is just how my mind works), God is the only eternal being... we are not... yet. Not only does He want us to be like Him, He wants us to become one with him. If we become one with God, we will live for eternity. The only way for a mortal to have immortality is to become immortal... become like God. This seems to be God's plan from the beginning.

 

1 Corinthians 15:53

⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Why did God create man? He was lonely and wanted fellowship. Why fellowship? Different points of view make life more interesting. Spending time with those you love makes life more worthwhile. Why the tree in the garden? Free will. Who wants to live with someone who hates your guts? Give them a choice.

 

Was the tree a set-up? Absolutely! Was the serpent lying when he told Eve the fruit would make her as a god to know good and evil? No, not if that was God's intent from the beginning, so what's the problem? Subtlety. The serpent hid something, it held some information back. It deceived Eve, but Adam wasn't deceived. Why wasn't Adam deceived? Because Adam was educated about the beasts that he had dominion over by God, and God taught him enough in that time not to be deceived; the Bible doesn't say God spoke with Eve at all till Genesis 3:13. I think the job of teaching Eve became Adam's job, God's way of furthering Adam's education.

During his education, I think God was teaching Adam not only of the natural world, but also how to become one with Him; relationship development. He created Eve, a helpmeet for Adam to learn to become one with another, other than Himself (thinking of John 17:23). God stepped out of the way so Adam could share of himself and what he had learned from God. Adam had that chance to fully share of himself and become one with his wife, but he didn't. He held something back.

Adam knew the things of God, but didn't pass on that information to Eve after she came on the scene.  He didn't share everything with her and she didn't know; she was deceived. Adam was not one with his wife.

God caused Adam step up to the plate and take responsibility for that relationship because of that wonderful curse. Because of the curse there are many good things a man can learn that will enhance his relationship with God, his wife and others. But a man must actively choose to become one, choose to partake of the tree of life and share with others. How can a man eat of that spiritual tree of life; to really become one with God if he refuses to become one with someone else besides God and Jesus? The requirement for immortality is clear. It is the reason Jesus was sent. Perfection is living in harmony with those whose lives are in Christ and in God; this is love.

 Many of us mistakenly try to put our own worldly definition of love on the Bible, trying to change the Bible, instead of letting the Bible change us. The definition of worldly love changes from day to day. One day we love this person, tomorrow we love a different person. One day we love this group, the next day we love a different group. Whichever group we are in, we seem to love that group. This is not really God's love, it is a reflection of self-love... self-centeredness... the love that a beast has towards itself and its own... those that think like him.

Matthew 5:46-48

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

...and God is Love, perfect love. We are supposed to become "perfect love" which casts out all fear. 

John 13:35

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The clarification and definition of "another" in John 13:35 must become "someone different than yourself". This is love.

John 17:22-23

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.  ... perfect in love, perfect in God. God is perfect because His love is perfect. 

If we have perfect love, that is perfection in God's eyes.

Living By Faith

If we truly believe that God is good, then we have faith He can do no evil. Everything He does to us is either good to us or for our good and for those around us; even curses.  If we learn to embrace these good things God does to us or for us, we quicken the time it takes to have God's perspective; we quicken the time it takes to become good... we quicken the time it takes to become one with God. This is obedience to God. But how do we get there? Sometimes we need help.


Helpers

A scripture came to mind... Doesn't the Lord rule over men?

Daniel 4:17

¹⁷ ...that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
 
 

Doesn't God place others to be helpers of your joy?

2 Corinthians 1:24

²⁴ Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Hebrews 13:17

¹⁷ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
 
Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

 

Obedience then becomes a voluntary thing to become one with God.

If  we want to become one with Him, this is important.

 

 

 It therefore behooves us to work with others and not despise them. Despising is not love.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:8-10

⁸ He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy spirit.

⁹ But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

¹⁰ And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

 

 

God IS love and He teaches us to love one another. Remember that our perspective of the Bible is not as important as our brother. The Bible is a tool to teach us how to love each other and give us practice doing it... like a jigsaw puzzle, we cannot throw one of those pieces out, we need both. If we love God, we will love our brother. If we do not love our brother, we cannot love God.

 

 

1 John 4:20

²⁰ If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

 

John 15:10

¹⁰ If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.