The B-I-B-L-E

The Bible: Still Life
The Bible is a resource book for man to fulfill his life and for mankind to fulfill its highest destiny.

The Bible is a book written for man.

Unfortunately, there are many who think of the Bible as a book which is written against man. They see the Bible as a law book to tell them what they cannot do and threaten them with judgments if they dare to do those forbidden things.

Such an interpretation misses the whole purpose of the Bible.

The bible is not to keep man from doing something and going somewhere but to help man do what will make him the fullest man and help him to get to his highest destiny.

The highway needs signs which will help a person get to his destination.

Traffic Signs Over Highway with City Skyline Beyond at Dusk, Minneapolis, United States of America

Some of those signs will mark the lane one should drive in if he is to execute the proper turn. They will mark what speed that turn can be taken in order to arrive safely where one wants to go. Signs are placed there in order to help a person get where he wants to go. Even stop signs and speed limit signs serve that purpose.

The Bible is filled with injunctions which in the long run will help us get where we want to go even though we may chafe under the admonitions.

We may also be able to go over the speed limit or go through an intersection without stopping where there is a stop sign and not be arrested or have an accident. Sooner or later, however, such behavior will result in an occasion where we will never get where we want to go.

We may find that the same principle holds true as we think about the Bible. We may get by from time to time disobeying the injunctions; however, in the long run such behavior will hinder us from getting where we want to go. It is in this way that the Bible was written for men, not against men.

Thereby the Bible is the book that shapes our destiny as believing and practicing Christians.

The Bible shapes the destiny of individuals. It is persons as individuals who have faith and thereby seek the resources and guidance of the Bible. Individuals need not despair and think that the Bible was written for the great men of history. Leaders of society need not despair feeling that the Bible was written only for the common man and the less complicated issues.

The Bible deals with individual destiny.

A part of our individual destiny is death and whatever is beyond it. The Bible clearly deals with this issue, culminating in the promise of Jesus' own resurrection as being the first fruits of the destiny of those who are in Christ.

The Resurrection of Christ, from the Isenheim Altarpiece circa 1512-16

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

Prayer of Dedication

O God
of majesty and love;
We seek to follow thee down the paths of life
Until at last we are with thee for eternity.

We recognize the Scriptures
To be our guide to thee;
To be the light which shines on our path to thee;
To be the warning signs to keep us from straying
from thee.
We know that the Scriptures
Tell us of thy majesty;
Point us to thy love;
Warn us of thy judgement'
Enlighten us of thy plan.

We hold the Scriptures to be holy as they have been
Made sacred by the Spirit in his inspiring them;
Made sacred by thy church in her choosing them;
Made sacred by the saints by using them.

We go to the Scriptures because we
Seek the love of God;
Search the truth of God;
Desire what is good for man;
Covet what is right for ourselves.

We confess that the Scriptures speak to us about
the faith we should have for the unknown;
The love we should have for the unwanted;
The hope we should have in the unseen.

Lord, O Lord,
Let the Scriptures speak to us:
Let us not be blinded by our prejudice;
Let the Scriptures speak to us again
Out of the freshness of new experiences with thee;
Let the Scriptures speak to us again
Out of the needs of our own souls;
Let the Scriptures speak to us again
Out of the crises of a troubled world.

Lord, our Lord,
Thou are our God.

We thank thee
That thou hast not kept silent but hast spoken
through the prophets, Jesus Christ, and now
through Scriptures.

We thank thee
That thou hast not left us orphans but art present
in thy Spirit through the Scriptures.

We thank thee
For our salvation now and forever more;
For Jesus Christ who made it possible; and

For the Bible which made it known.

Rightly dividing the word

by Doran McCarthy
images courtesy of All Posters