Clear as can be
Whenever I hear someone say something like “The Bible is clear that…” I brace myself for what’s coming next. It’s likely that whatever they’re about to quote isn’t really so clear at all.
Someone might say “The Bible is clear that anyone who doesn’t believe in God is going to hell.” To them, I might suggest studying John 12:32, where Jesus says, “I will draw all people to myself.”
Or another might say, “The Bible clearly says that marriage is for one man and one woman. That’s why God created Adam and Eve.” But if anyone bothered to read a bit further into the Old Testament, you might stumble upon a verse like 1 Kings 11:3 – “Solomon had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines.” Not quite a one man to one woman ratio.
We could go on and on.
The point is this: there is little that’s truly clear in scripture. It’s why we’ve been reading the same words for thousands of years and still wrestle with what it means. It’s why there’s hundreds of different Christian denominations, many of whose differences come down to understanding these same words in different ways.
The truth is, we each decide what we think the Bible clearly says. And we base our faith and understanding of God on such decisions.
So… if you ask me… here’s a few things I think the Bible is pretty clear about:
- To love or to be loved, is to know God. If “God is love” (1 John 4:8), then any time or place where love is shared, God is there. Which means the opposite is also true. Anything at all that’s hateful, harms another, is done out of spite or anger or cruelty… by definition cannot be of God. When we fail to live with love, in any way, shape, or form, not only have we sinned, but we’ve rejected the very presence of God.
- Next to love, peace is our greatest aim as Christian people. If God is love, there’s no justification for violence. Period. (see #1). We had these words from Romans 12 read at our wedding: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I hope those words continue to inspire me, not only with my spouse or family, but also with the person who cuts me off in traffic, my next-door neighbor who votes differently than me, or my neighbor thousands of miles away in Greenland. Speaking of neighbors…
- Love your neighbor as yourself. If ever there was a crystal-clear sentence in the Bible, this one might be it. If “neighbor” is too ambiguous, just picture someone who is different from you in every possible way. A neighbor isn’t just the person who lives next to you. But they are the immigrant, the prisoner, the hungry or homeless or struggling ones. If you wouldn’t want it done to you, then it’s not okay for it to be done to your neighbor.
All scripture is sacred and holy. Every word provides guidance, hope, or inspiration. Not all of it is as clear as we’d like it to be. But if we could all agree that the Bible is clear on these three things (and then actually lived them), what a wonderful world this would be.
