I am thankful for the opportunities that I have had to connect with apologists all over the world. I am greatly impressed by the intellectual ability of Christians striving for the Gospel. I know some who read books on philosophy and science whose titles I can’t even pronounce. We badly need these intelligent defenders of the faith.
But do we sometimes miss out on our most important resource?
Are we so motivated to read that newest book on philosophy of religion/historical Jesus/ intelligent design that we have lost our interest in the Bible? Did you know that it possible to be more passionate about the inerrancy of the Bible than about the Bible itself?
Think about what the Bible claims to be. The Bible is a God-breathed text. God knew that we needed reliable information about who he is, who we are, what he wants and how to be right with him. Instead of leaving us to our own devices, God inspired people over many centuries to write the books that would eventually make up the Bible.
Think about the Bible from a human perspective. Think about the early Christians trying to preserve New Testament texts in the midst of persecution. Think about the penalty paid by those who attempted to translate the Bible into contemporary languages, a price handed out by those within the church. Even today, there are those who pay a high price for having or distributing copies of the Bible.
It is easy for us to look at these things and to place them in the appropriate categories of historical theology or missiology. However, there is something more required of us.
We will be approaching a new year in a few short weeks. Even if you do not do “new year’s resolutions,” it is always appropriate to make changes for the positive.
What role does the Bible play in your Christian life? Have you ever read the entire Bible front to back? How much non-apologetic reading do you do?
I would like to put forward the following challenges:
- Put together a Bible reading plan that will take you through the Bible in at least two years.
- Experiment with journaling. I recommend using a journaling Bible.
- Read the Bible without an apologetic purpose in mind.
- Pick a book of the Bible and blog your way through it.
What matters is that the Bible once again become the center, not just of our apologetics ministry, but of our Christian life.