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:
1. 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.
2. 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…
3. 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.
Anne Budde
Read it twice…peace in turbulent time. God walks with us.
Larry Price
I love the way every word you print and how we can live by and also change. There is good in all, only some can show it outwardly.
Jeanne Olsen
Oh Katy….. thank you! You have summarized this so beautifully and succinctly. I am so grateful for you and your kind ministry to all of us!
Michele Pittington
Katy,
As always, your thoughts are put to paper with such clarity! Ironic, isn’t it?! I always make the connection to my students first and then to my own life. I certainly am reminded of several purposeful and appropriate questions to ask the students in middle school situations. This is a great article and a terrific reflection piece for me. Thank you! Michele
Diana Holland
I’m sorry Katy. With utmost respect, You lost me on this one.
Quentin Fleming
Once again, you have spoken the truth in love.
Paul Bieber
This keeps us coming back
David Farr
Your words warm my heart & make me smile. Thank you
Mark Kretschmer
I surely do wish I could express my words and thoughts as succinctly as you do Katy! Thank you so much for helping us contemplate and consider the big picture outside our own realm!
K.D. Kalber
Pastor Katy, your message speaks to me so clearly. I am more encouraged to show my faith in action, in thought, words and deeds. Thanks for this timely message. KD
Marcia Jensen
Thank you! ❤️
Marcia Willi
Katy I so appreciate you! And you helped “ clear” some of the fog I often feel going on inside my brain ! ; a very clear and concise message
Audrey Keeney
Thanks, Katy. This says it all so clearly. Will make a copy and re-read it every so often.
Sandy Townsend
Thank you so much for these words of wisdom. They are so important for us to hear in these troubling times.
Pat Koranda
Let me be crystal clear on one thing today, you are so Katy and I so love it.
Thanks for clarifying a few things from the Bible!
Rob Lewis
Pastor Katy,
Thank you for this thoughtful and challenging reflection. I deeply appreciate your humility in pushing back on the phrase “the Bible is clear that…” and reminding us how often certainty is used to close conversations rather than invite discussions.
What resonates most with me is how you framed Scripture into something living—something meant to be contemplated and wrestled with, not weaponized. The fact that we are still reading, questioning, and interpreting these same texts thousands of years later feels less like a failure of faith and more like evidence that God is still speaking through them.
Framing sin as a rejection of love—and therefore a rejection of God’s presence—gave language to something I’ve long believed but hadn’t articulated so clearly.
I was also struck by your call to peace in a world that so easily justifies division and violence. And your expansive definition of “neighbor”—those most different from us, most vulnerable, most often overlooked—is something that I’ve always believes as well.
If Christians truly lived out these few things the Bible is clear about—love, peace, and care for our neighbors—our witness would speak far louder than any argument. Thank you for naming this so honestly and faithfully.
Wanda Gilson
Well said. If only everyone would love one another and treat them like we’d like to be treated. We are not put here to judge one another. We are all sinners, nobody is perfect or will be. Love one another and be kind.
Marianne Jensen
And we all say “amen!”
Jerry Linn
Katy: An excellent & thoughtful message. Jerry
Tom Dryg
So glad you are here with us. I’m for all of this except the person in traffic! I’ll have to carry that until my next communion and try my best to leave it at the alter.
Deb Lamp
What a great message and in our world today this needs to be sounded. Thank you
BONNIE AMACHER
What a wonderful and pertinent message especially with everything going on in our world. Thank you!
Bonnie Amacher
What a wonderful message; especially with everything going on in our world!