Connecting with the humanity of the Bible
It’s hard to not look at the Bible as this great and distant thing. It’s filled with amazing stories about this powerful God who wants to welcome us into His fold. However, the Bible also has a significant human side to it that we can all relate with. After all, it was written by humans with a human perspective. Cultures and technology may have changed, but we think you’ll find that a lot of what makes us human has transcended millennia.
Finding humanity in the Bible
If you grew up with Bible stories, you might catch yourself responding somewhat arrogantly to stories about people not trusting God in the Bible, such as when Lot’s wife is turned to salt for looking back on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis. We look at her and go, “Well, she should’ve trusted God, so that’s what happens!” But, let’s be real, are you the type of person who trusts God every step of the way?
Don’t you doubt? Don’t you make mistakes? Don’t you focus on other things besides God? Don’t you give into temptations too? We all have a lot more in common with Lot’s wife than we might think, and with many, many more people in the Bible.
The Bible was written by humans
Christians understand that it was literally human hands that penned the words in what became today’s Bible, but many hold the belief that God directly inspired these words. While His influence is without a doubt, there are many elements of the passages in the Bible that are purely human.
For example, some of Paul’s language in the New Testament letters would’ve been considered foul or brash in the Greek of that time. This makes sense, doesn’t it? Paul hung out with fishermen and many other lower-class followers of Jesus. They very well likely had a way of talking with slang that would've been looked down on by other people. We lose some of this in our English translations, but it’s in the original text.
Furthermore, Paul and other authors write instructions for specific people or specific churches and communities in their letters. It’s very likely that these authors had no intention of their writings ever being compiled with the Old Testament (what they called The Scriptures). If they did, the words they used and instructions they included might have looked quite different!
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. Do you want to grow in your faith, or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.