Can a Christian Disagree with the Bible?

Hi this is breathing welcome to the Salvation Army's words of life. Welcome to life and I'm Bernie Dake, Cheryl last week in our series skeptics welcome my core officer as we see in the Salvation Army or my pastor can Argonaut address the question why should I trust the Bible this week, staying with that theme will be responding to another question by listener one of you.

Can I be a Christian and disagree with the Bible is awful and that's a tough one and I guess the question that comes is who's Bible like whose interpretation of the Bible are you listening to our have you really meditate on God's word to for him to reveal the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth that he has in his word.

I often tell a joke where you know someone will say something about a book that the reading and also does not a lot of pictures I can know I need pictures to to understand things. But the truth is, even from a scriptural point of view. I enjoy the translation that Peterson did call the message.

It speaks sort of my language, but I have a friend who is disagrees with that wholeheartedly because he feels that we should be reading the unadulterated word or that that's not a real translation but in fact it really is and to each his own I say you know some people want King James new international new revised standard there so many different versions and the point is that individually we need to get with ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and not just be dependent upon what other people are saying if I could add just even two weeks ago I heard a woman giving her testimony to tour Salvation Army leadership here in Atlanta and she encouraged them to say so often, were very quick to wake up in the morning and read short devotional on and spend some time with the Lord.

But what you're doing is kind of hearing someone else's interpretation of what God revealed to them in their relationship with them what she was encouraging the leadership to do is make sure you take time on your own to read God's word by itself so that he can reveal himself to you through his word, just the two of you. That's a beautiful thing. Good reminder not that's been spoonfed and we are adults we can do it ourselves right Only really hope and pray that this series is speaking to some of you in a way that frees you of maybe even some guilt that you've had because of your doubts God wants us to question Russell with the Scripture and bring our doubts to him. So follow us on social media, especially if one of your questions has been discussed by Ken, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Give us a call at 1-800-229-9965 or send us an email. Radio at USS.Salvation Army will the will and maybe people been looking forward to this show today where were going to discuss the question. Can I be a Christian and disagree with the Bible seems a little loaded now.

On first thought you'd say well know, that's the whole point you can't agree, agree with the Bible. If you can be a Christian. But let me turn that frees into something else and maybe this helps work through the issue to be a Christian means every day you must wrestle with the Bible and in fact sometimes I don't like what I see in the Bible.

Sometimes I don't really want to agree with what I see in the Bible, but I have to let that just sink in for a while and the Holy Spirit has to do some work in my own heart before I come to a place where yes okay that's what it says this is what I believe about what it says. Now we talked before about Wesley's quadrilateral that there is this Scripture that is foundational of all. If you look at it quadrilateral or not is a square but as a pyramid where Scripture is the foundation of the entire pyramid and then upon that you put reason that is our ability to logically look at what do the words mean and what's the argument that may be being made by the author and then on top of that there is something called experience means that in some way. The Scripture needs to resonate in your spirit.

Sometimes that resignation is a dissonance. And James says when we look in the mirror and we immediately forget what we talked about and walk away.

That's what it's like when we have this spiritual dissonance that we read and we don't do a thing about it. We just walk away and we walk away into our own dissonance. We need to experience the Scriptures and we need to allow that dissonance to resolve through the work of the Holy Spirit and that doesn't happen overnight and then on top of Scripture, reason experience of the very top. Yet this small piece of tradition and tradition is how the Scriptures have been interpreted over the past 4000 years. We don't want to throw away 4000 years of scriptural interpretation just because modern circumstances are experience what the Bible to say something else. However, there are times we have seen traditional translations challenged ring. Consider the whole Protestant Reformation and one time here in America we were led to believe in the church that slavery of black men and women was acceptable, even God ordained because of the interpretation of Genesis 9 where Noah's son Ham does something that caused the curse upon all of his descendents. These descendents, it was argued migrated into Africa and therefore it stood to reason that this curse continued upon them. These persons of color, even after the cross God for bid PC long-held traditional interpretations are not always correct. But we must wrestle with the Scriptures. Otherwise, we never ordain women or wear polyester and blended wool or even celebrate Sabbath on Sunday. You see all of us have blind spots when it comes to the interpretations of the Scriptures, which is why it should be studied not only individually but corporately. John Wesley called this Christian conferencing where Christians would meet in small groups called class meetings and ask questions of the Scripture and of each other, of how their living their life. You see, every time I go to the Scriptures. I we see something new, even more so when I study the Scriptures with someone else or with the body of other believers, but scriptural debate ought to be done not only in our own echo chambers where we all believe the same thing but with other traditions rather than continue to divide each other.

True believers should come together with other denominations that aren't necessarily like mine and let's seek commonality it in in essentials. Let's find unity and then let's agree to disagree or debate agreeably. On the other nonessentials of our faith without all these inflammatory comments are shaming someone into hell.

You see, those who disagree with the Bible and walk away from it may have done so not based upon what the Bible actually said, but what others said about the Bible friends. We shoot our own wounded here in the church and rather than allowing people to wrestle with the Holy Spirit and constant conversations about the Scriptures, they simply hear words like abomination and assure it must be met for them and they walk away from the Scriptures altogether. My friends King David was a polygamist narcissist adulterer murder and scoundrel, yet he is a Bible hero to us. The Pharisees adhering to a strict interpretation of the laws and Jesus told him they were brood of vipers.

Just because we follow laws doesn't mean our hearts are right with God.

You see, there are people in this world who are wrestling with the concept of does God love me even with all my stuff and they face judgment simply based on Christians who hold certain sins greater than other sins and the weight of all of that just falls upon all of them.

When we be better off spending our time in sharing stories of redemption rather than condemnation because my friends, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. The Scriptures are simply a mirror, a standard by which we can daily see where we fall short of his holy expectations. All of us should struggle and wrestled daily that we might reflect the true image of God implanted in us by creation. So back to the question can I be a Christian and disagree with the Bible. Once yourself the following questions is the reason I am using to interpret the Scriptures actually valid or sound does it resonate with human experience and more than that. Does the Holy Spirit give me reassurance in the body. Believers that such things are true, and is there any evidence throughout historical interpretations of what I believe might be true or false. See Scripture interpretation isn't easy and that which you think you disagree may spurn transformation either in your life experience or maybe the way that you really look at Scripture. The Scripture it says in second Timothy is God breathed.

It's useful for teaching and encouraging, but it's also used for rebuking and correcting the Scripture doesn't take sides in cultural wars, but it stands is God's revelation passed down through generations to you and as long as you keep your Bible open daily. It's okay to be a little disagreeable. My friends continue to read, continue to engage in God.

Scripture whether you agree or disagree because somewhere in there. The Holy Spirit will give you your truth. May God bless you and the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs to become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Email us at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965, write us at PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 tell us how we can help share prayer request or share your testimony. Would love to use your story here. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes. Your favorite podcast store and surely give us a rating to search for the Salvation Army's words of life. Follow us on social media for the latest episode extended interviews and more. And if you don't have a church home.

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