“Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21 

Remember the days of the encyclopedia? For the uninitiated, this was a large tome of books that addressed all of the people, places and things under the sun, listed in books in alphabetical order. It was the prime research tool for high school students for many years. But no more. With the internet, we have all of the information we might want or need at our fingertips. One of the most interesting sites that I tend to read is  “Wikipedia”—a completely online, free encyclopedia compiled by contributions from its users. It can be a helpful, if not fascinating source of information. But I am also a bit trepidatious in using this site, because it allows anyone and everyone to contribute their “two cents” to an article – and that makes me a little uneasy.

Of course, we know this is how some people read the bible. They see the bible as an outdated source of information that has been proven to be unreliable – besides the fact that the bible is a compilation of many different authors – each with their own “take” on G-d and divine intervention. In his article “Letting Go Of Fear”, C.S. Lewis writes:

“It is a common reproach against Christianity that its dogmas are unchanging, while human knowledge is in continual growth.  Hence, to unbelievers, we seem to be always engaged in the hopeless task of trying to force the new knowledge into molds which it has outgrown.  I think this feeling alienates the outsider much more than any particular discrepancies between this or that doctrine and this or that scientific theory.  For it seems to him clear that if our ancestors had known what we know about the universe, Christianity would never have existed at all.  And, however we patch and mend, no system of thought which claims to be immutable can, in the long run, adjust itself to our growing knowledge. How can an unchanging system survive the continual increase of knowledge? A great Christian statesman, considering the morality of a measure which will affect millions of lives, and which involves economic, geographical and political considerations of the utmost complexity, is in a different position from a boy first learning that one must not cheat or tell lies, or hurt innocent people. But only in so far as that first knowledge of the great moral platitudes survives unimpaired in the statesman will his deliberation be moral at all.” (God in the Dock, Dogma and the Universe, from Preparing For Easter; Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis)

In other words, we are not just reading the mere thoughts of Moses, David, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke or even John. Rather, the bible gives us the words, the divinely inspired words that have come directly from G-d, put to paper by men “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The themes of G-d’s character and of G-d’s glorious plan of redemption wind their way through each page. Further additions, revisions, or retractions are unthinkable and unnecessary because G-d’s Word is confidently complete – entirely living and active in the world.

Thank G-d that we have what we need for every challenge and crossroad of life – words that speak to us through G-d’s Word!

What are the dangers of treating G-d’s Word like Wikipedia?

How does your view of the authority of G-d’s Word affect your commitment to live by it?

Pastor Dave