I recently had a discussion on Facebook with an old high school friend who expressed that all he needed from the Bible was Christ’s sermon on the Mount. He projected doubt on Paul’s conversion and voiced an impression that the original disciples never fully accepted Paul’s apostleship.
It concerns me that we live in a reductionist environment, especially as it relates to how we view God’s written word. Obviously, we rely on the Living Word, Jesus himself, but he has blessed us with his stories of how he has been faithful to his created children and provided us with words of revelation to live by. We are blessed to have the God-breathed, inspired written word of God as we are guided through the Spirit with the abiding presence of the living Word.
During a conversation with recently retired Equipper editor, Rick Shallenberger, about this topic, he expressed a desire to write about why he believes the Bible is among God’s greatest gifts.
I’m happy to share what he wrote.
“The Chosen” is one of my favorite television shows; I love how they have created believable background stories for many of the stories we see in the Gospels. But what intrigues me in almost every show is when the disciples are talking among themselves and sharing passages of Scripture. Bibles were not available to them; scrolls were kept in the synagogues. Yet, as depicted on the show, these men were able to quote long passages of Scripture.
This was because Jewish males were encouraged to memorize the Torah, beginning at age five. Classes were held in the synagogue. Many went past the Torah to also study the writings and the prophets. As a result, some had much of the Old Testament memorized. They valued and loved the written word. This love for Scripture inspired many to write; we have several examples in the New Testament.
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