to fasten our salvation on Jesus Himself, not ONLY on words of the bible

[lutherangerman]

Hi there,

I wanted to say that a strong case can be made that some parts of evangelical christianity relies too much on the bible itself than on the person of Jesus Christ that the bible is supposed to illuminate for us.

It is similar to how it was in Jesus day ... the pharisees honored the scriptures but hadn't seen God really. Jesus came and told them this and was rejected. Just like that, in our day, people honor the scriptures but do not see Jesus. This is because we don't see Jesus as the word of God but instead the old book itself. This is so wrong on so many levels and it distances us from God.

The bible was not crucified and rose again. Jesus did that in his person, not just in the story of the book. Jesus forgave even His murderers on the cross, the bible doesn't forgive anyone and it is easy to get wrong perspectives from reading this book that has highs and lows, places where it radiates only love and places where it is only a book of struggle and conflict.

So what will you do? Will you pray to the crucified and risen Jesus Christ as your Savior God, or will you believe that Jesus is the bible and that the bible loves you? God loves everyone, that is the message of the same Jesus who was crucified and rose again from the dead.

God bless you with a rich and good summer season!

Daniel

 

[RC1970]

Daniel,

Most of us get where you're coming from, but there is a problem.

There are those people who say to me: "We don't need doctrine, we only need Jesus."

To which I reply: "Who is Jesus?"

As soon as they begin to answer that question, they are now delving into doctrine.

Do you see the problem? What can a false Jesus do for you?

The Bible is the only source for the True Jesus.

 

[Job8]

Since the Bible leads us to Christ, who is our salvation, there is no way that one can avoid "the words" of the Bible, which are the words of God. Our salvation is in the true Christ of the Bible, not in "another Jesus" (as has been invented by many). Scripture says that "the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation" (Rom 1:16), and the Gospel is words about Christ and what He accomplished for our salvation.

 

[Dom Puccio]

I believe you need both, with an emphasis on Jesus.

If you only have Jesus and neglect the information and importance of the Bible, then you lose your sense of who Jesus is. We learn about Him, experience Him, and receive tastes of Him through the Gospels and what they have to say about Him.

However, relying too much on the Bible can lead to idolatry and an empty heart with a full head. We desire information and understanding over allowing our hearts to be changed by the actual words that the Bible has to say.

Do you see where I'm coming from? You need both, with an understanding that Jesus is the sole reason why we are here and live the way we do.

Mind you, all my opinoin.

 

[AndOne]

Question - how can relying too much on the Bible lead to idolatry? I've heard this before but am not sure I buy it.

 

[Dom Puccio]

It's not just relying on the Bible, but it's replacing Jesus with the Bible, as the original post was speaking about. If we replace Jesus with all of our head knowledge (theology) and let no room for Him in our hearts, rather we would rather understand everything and leave no room for faith to come in, that's when it can become dangerous. Idolizing theologies is an issue, I've struggled with it as well as some of my friends.

 

[AndOne]

What if something from the heart tells you something contrary to scripture?

I know in that case I'm going with scripture.

 

[Dom Puccio]

And I agree. It's not a matter of picking your poison. It's a matter of understanding that Jesus alone is the One we are to be worshipping, not the Bible. The Bible did not sacrifice itself for our sins, rather it tells of the One who did.