We’ve all probably had some ‘deal’ with the Bible or what it says. Maybe you don’t like what Jesus says about loving your neighbor. Maybe you don’t like the book of Song of Songs—and hey, I can get behind that. (Kidding, kidding.) Maybe you don’t like what Paul says about electing elders of the church. These are just random little parts of the Bible that I’ve heard some Christians say they basically have beef with.

Now, everybody at some point has probably heard or read something in the Bible and said, “Wait, do I agree with that?”

But it’s not a matter of agreement, because while the Bible was written for you and other Christians, it wasn’t written to keep your personal beliefs or opinions happy.

Yes, in the Bible you can find comfort and encouragement—that was for you. But also in the Bible, you can find things you might not agree with—those are your opinions and we don’t change what the Spirit led.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

The Lord loves you dearly. He cares for you very much and protects you and leads you. But He does not submit to you.

Yes, that is right. As much as we might not want to admit it, while God does care for your heart and opinions, He is not going to change His word because of them.

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV

Our opinions will likely die with us—and yes, people like Martin Luther King Jr. or St. Augustine of Rome or Winston Churchill all have their words reigning on long after their deaths. But either way, they were human, they weren’t God, and their words were not Scripture.

I’m sure you’ve seen pins or reels or images that say, “The Bible was meant to be daily bread, not cake for special occasions.”

If you are a Christian, reading your Bible is nonnegotiable to grow your faith and walk farther on your faith journey.

But oftentimes, the Bible’s purpose and use is often misinterpreted—more often than the words in the Bible itself. We say things like, “Oh well the Bible is written by man so we can’t trust it.”

Maybe so, but like 2 Timothy says: it is God-breathed and comes from the Lord. Someone just had to put it on paper.

There’s more to the Bible than it just being a book—it’s also a historical source, it has poetry, stories, nonfiction, prophecy, songs—but the most important part is obviously the Gospel.

Bryce Crawford, when asked to explain the Gospel in thirty seconds, says it this way:

“You and I deserve to be punished for our wrongdoing because that’s just, and everyone wants justice. We cry out for justice until it comes to God, but we deserve to be punished and separated from God. But because God loves us so desperately, He desired to become so close to us in the form of skin, living a perfect life, not just telling us how to live it, but showing us how to live it. [He died] the death that you and I deserve to die and defeated the only thing that we can’t defeat—sin and death—so that you and I can have true life with Him. He who knew no sin became sin so that you and I could become the righteousness of God. And that gift is on the table for anyone, anywhere, at all times.”

That right there is the Gospel, the core part of the Bible and the reason everything has a second chance today.

The Bible itself is a book of goodness, instruction, love, teaching, and wisdom. But to find that, we have to open it up first. And once we do, we will see the goodness that the Lord has in store for us.

Have you ever read the entire Bible? I did a Bible-in-a-year plan a couple years ago and man, it was wild. Three hundred and sixty-five days of reading God’s word from back to front and seeing all the connections and saying, “Hey wait, I remember reading the prophecy they just quoted!”

I encourage you guys, whether or not you have done it, to try reading the entire Bible! It doesn’t have to be in a year (although that’s a fun mission to have) but there’s so much goodness we can find in the Bible. (And there’s humor—God is funny, guys.)

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Now put away your computer or phone and open your Bible.
~Willow