I recently purchased and read through The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones with my four boys and loved it! Not only do I deem it required reading for parents with small children; I consider it a must read for all ages. The message isn’t only for the 4-7 year old audience but one that needs to be grasped by young and old.
I think it is so valuable because it emphasizes the macro-story of the Bible over the details and micro-stories within. Don’t get me wrong. The micro-stories are important but I am thrilled that my boys will know that the Bible is one massive story of love, rescue and redemption as they learn the individual stories.
Reading this book reminded me of the beauty of the Bible and I thought about the different ways that the Bible is often approached. The approach is key. If we approach something from the wrong premise then everything that follows is going to be off. For example, if I approach playing football like it is a basketball game then it will not matter how well I pay basketball; I am going to miss all that comes with playing football.
So if the right approach to the Bible is the macro-story of God, what are some of the other ways we approach the Bible? Or to ask the question another way - What is the Bible not?
The Bible is not a book of disconnected stories. All of the stories within Scripture point to God. They reveal a God with a master plan and ultimately point to Jesus. Take the stories of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22), Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 45), the healing of Naaman (II Kings 5), or Jonah at Nineveh (Jonah 4). They are great stories on their own but they all foreshadow the way in which Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, the rescuer of His people, requires a surrendered heart and the extravagance of His compassion.
The Bible is not a book of rules. God is not primarily interested in rules. There were some amazing rule keepers in the Gospels – they were the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. These were the guys with whom Jesus was most harsh. He was pushing against the notion that rule keeping is the bottom line. Life with God isn’t founded on rules but relationship. Relationship is the basis of a life with God and out of that will come a desire to embrace and obey the ways of God (I John 5:2-3).
The Bible is not a book of heroes. We sometimes think the Bible is a collection of stories laced with flawless Biblical superheroes. Take a closer look though and you won’t find any. You will find people like David the adulterer and murderer, Noah the drunkard, Jacob the liar and Rahab the prostitute. Are these the people after whom we are to try to model our lives? Maybe we are actually supposed to see ourselves in them and again realize how much we need Jesus!
The Bible is not a book of principles. One of the statements that grates on me is, “I used [insert verse here] to get [insert desire, need or dream here]”. Are there promises in the Bible? Yes. Is the Bible a book of promises that amount to guarantees that we hold God to? No. To approach it as such is to say the Bible is a self-help manual with some cool stories wrapped around some sweet if/then principles. Our American culture loves to turn everything into a product. The Bible isn’t a product to be “used” but an invitation into a cosmic redemption story.
The Bible is not about you. The Bible is about God. Obviously it has profound impact on us but it is not primarily about us. We are quick to make life all about us. Isn’t that the American way? Actually it is the human nature way. To center life around ourselves. Actually all of life including the redemptive work of Christ begins with, is sustained by and ends with God. (Romans 11:36, Colossians 1:16-17).
Roy - God of course has rules we should want to follow as a result of following Jesus but rules are not the starting point. It is always a mistake to try to get people to follow the rules first...that only leads to moralism.
Posted by: Aaron Stern | April 09, 2010 at 02:31 PM
Aaron, thanks for writing this blog. Feel encouraged even more. Copied something in my FB. Really good statement, It is not a book of rules! Too many rules are out in churches and I know you went through things. I am glad to see a glimpse of it. It takes courage to question the system.
Posted by: Roy | April 09, 2010 at 12:50 PM
Trey - you're welcome
John - I never said I thought the Bible was inerrant. I do believe it to be inspired and infallible, thus my enthusiasm for God's macro-story of rescue and redemption.
Posted by: Aaron Stern | April 01, 2010 at 09:56 PM
Great Information! Thank you!
Posted by: Trey C. Peterson | March 22, 2010 at 12:54 PM
At least you admit there are differences, that is a step farther then most fundamentalists are willing to go. You do attribute the contradictions stated clearly in that link as 'perspective'. Assuming the human flaw of perspective exists, the bible cannot be inerrant. ( interesting speech on the 10 commandments tonight, I have many thoughts on it)
Posted by: John | March 19, 2010 at 10:44 PM
Bethany - I love that. I really do believe that this is going to have a profound impact on how our kids grow up understanding God, Jesus and the Bible. What a great gift.
Jodi - a conversation that leads to Jesus is always a great conversation. Thanks for reading.
John - You are partially correct. The Bible is one book made up of 66 books but the amazing thing about it is that the message is congruent in all of it! Pretty incredible considering the fact that it was written over the course of 1500 years by over 40 authors with varying professions on three different continents in three different languages. The Gospels are each written by different authors so any difference are not contradiction but rather differences of perspective.
Posted by: Aaron Stern | March 15, 2010 at 08:50 PM
we LOVE this Bible and have given as gifts to many of our japanese friends here in Japan -- of course, in japanese. its my favorite!
Posted by: bethany | March 13, 2010 at 03:13 AM
The other day I had a conversation with a Russian Taoist (interesting combo), and after he told me about his beliefs, I shared mine and with those included the Bible. He said he would never even touch the Bible because it was full of criminals (he was angry at this point), and then I told him he was right, but that there was one man in the Bible who was perfect. This conversation made me think how grateful I am that the Bible isn't about men being heroes but expressing that God is ultimately the hero.
Thanks for the post - I always appreciate your thoughts!
Posted by: Jodi | March 12, 2010 at 07:58 PM
The bible is also not a BOOK. It is lots of books. So saying that lots of books are any of those rash generalizations is silly. But many of the books are books of law, teach us principle, and tell stories of heroes. I don't think any logical person looks for broad statements to hold onto because they can't decide what the bible is. ( It also depends on what you mean by disconnected, for example, the gospels all contain contradictory information regarding their versions of events http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/bible_contradictions.html )
Posted by: John | March 12, 2010 at 07:28 PM