THE BIBLE…WHY BOTHER?

by Donna Spencer Collins
 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Micah 6:8         

The Holy Scriptures fascinate me. The fact that they are a compilation of legends, myths, histories, prophecies, poems and personal stories, all relating to the reality of God and humans existing together, amazes me.  When I study the ways people have discerned and interpreted their presence with God’s presence, I am often impressed and surprised how the authenticity of God is affirmed and confirmed in my own life.  It is for this reason I accept and call the Books of the Bible “sacred text.” When I consider the people who felt it their responsibility for maintaining with integrity and consistency, the oral and written translations, I understand they did so trying to listen to the Spirit of God in the midst of their culture and social mores. 

 When I first began reading the Bible, it was daunting because in my ignorance, I had assumed a single person wrote it, in a single lifetime. In the Reformed Baptist Church, I was indoctrinated to believe every word was the actual words of God.  One was not to argue, only trust and obey.  This was problematic for me when I read passages regarding slavery and the rights of women. For a long time I attempted to not cut my hair, not wear jewelry, not wear pants and submit.   Growing up in the 60’s and the civil rights movement  and watching the mini-series” ROOTS” my conscience would not allow me to accept slavery even though scripture seemed to condone it. I began to see justice as the plumbline regarding slavery and judging others as “less than”. 

It appeared to me Jesus’ focus was one of justice and love and compassion and community and belonging.   Today, I understand the scriptures differently.  I see the text from the point of view that God’s greatest desire is for the human family to unpack Jesus’ Divine/Human body within ourselves as members of His body through grace and revelation.   We belong to God and each other in a community of oneness. It is with this perspective, that I approach Scripture with a ‘God is still speaking’ mindset. 

Ultimately, the Bible is the history of God wanting to be involved in the lives of humanity. He calls us from one generation to the next. God respects our free will even when we make the choice not to go deeper in our relationship. So many miss out on the wonderful blessings of knowing God and miss out on how God already knows them.