Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
On one occasion, Jesus said that he did not "bear witness" of himself, adding that if he were to bear witness of himself, his witness would not be true (Jn. 5:31). He trusted in God to bear witness of him (Jn. 5:32). Pharisees were present when he made that statement, and they remembered it. Later, the Pharisees challenged Jesus for contradicting himself because they noticed that he did bear witness of himself, for he proclaimed, "I am the light of the world! He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." They interrupted him and shouted, "Thou bearest witness of thyself; thy record is not true!" (Jn. 8:13).
In the beginning, God said, "It is not good that man should be alone", and He proceeded to created woman from the man's rib so that the man could have a mate. But Paul, who had no mate and lived alone, said, "It is good that a man abide [alone] even as I."
Solomon gave this counsel to his son: "Answer not a fool according to his folly" (Prov. 26:4). And then, in the very next verse, he counseled his son, "Answer a fool according to his folly" (Prov. 26:5).
The list of Bible contradictions goes on and on. The Bible is filled with what seem to be contradictory statements, from one end to the other. Many years ago, I started to make a list of every set of verses from the Bible that contradicted each other, but the project grew to such a size that I gave it up. Without faith in God and understanding from the Spirit, the carnal mind can only see the Bible as a confusing mass of contradictions. But God has planned it to be this way, to frustrate vain man and to keep His secret with those who humble themselves before Him. To God, the Bible is not complicated at all. Nor is it impossible to understand, for those who are guided by God's holy Spirit to read it.
Jesus did not say, "I will have a book written that shall guide you into all truth." He said, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth" (Jn. 16:13). And then again, "The comforter, which is the holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things" (Jn. 14:26). Without the Spirit, no man can comprehend either the Bible or the hidden mysteries of Christ. It is vain to look to the Bible for the answers to the deepest questions of our soul. No modern translation of the Bible can reveal the truths of God; no old version can reveal them. The Bible was never intended to guide the saints; it is merely a tool, and it can be used either rightly or wrongly, depending on whether or not the person reading it is led by the Spirit in his reading.
When Paul said, "The letter killeth; but the Spirit giveth life", he meant that the Bible, taken alone, can only lead to death, but that the holy Ghost will enlighten us to understand God's ways. The Spirit gives us life with God, so that we understand what those who wrote the Bible were saying, for it requires the same anointing from God to understand the Bible as was required to write it. Much controversy exists among believers over whether or not the original manuscripts of the Biblical books were verbally inspired by God. That is an irrelevant issue, invented by our crafty adversary to lure God's children into a worthless debate and controversy. The real issue, my dear brothers and sisters, is not whether or not those ancient men were inspired by God to write the Bible; rather, the issue is, are YOU inspired by God to read it? If you are not inspired by the Spirit of Christ to read the Bible, it doesn't matter what those ancient men wrote. It will be impossible for you to judge it rightly.
Jesus warned certain proud ministers of his day that they were in danger of losing their souls because they loved the Bible as they should only have loved him. He said, "Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me, and you will not come to me, that you might have life" (Jn. 5:39). The Bible is not essential for salvation; only Christ is. It is possible that you can, in the Final Judgment, be judged worthy to spend eternity with God the Father even if you do not own a copy of the Bible. But please do not meet God on that day without having the Spirit of Christ.
The Bible is not our life; Christ is our life. The Bible is not our wisdom; he is our wisdom. The Bible is not our redeemer; Christ is our redeemer. The Bible is not at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us; Christ Jesus is. The Bible can never forgive and wash you from your sins; Christ Jesus alone can do that.
I love the Bible. Everyone who knows me can tell you that. But the Bible is not my God. It is a tool given to us from God. We do well to know it, but we do much better to know God than to know the Bible. I was asking Bible questions some years back, and one old saint told me, "I may not be able to tell you where that is in the Bible but I can tell you whether it is right or wrong." Well, isn't that the whole point? Isn't the whole point to know what is right and wrong in God's sight?
This is not a well-known truth, and to speak it may cause some to flinch, but you can trust this saying: If you know God, then you don't need to know the Bible. If you don't yet know God, then the study of the Bible can help you "tune in" to the voice of His Spirit, and the wonderful stories in the Bible can encourage and thrill us all. But to know God is the goal. Jesus said it this way, "This is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent" (Jn. 17:3). The point of God giving the Bible to His people, the point of God giving shepherds to His people, the point of God giving the holy Ghost to His people, is so that we may come to know Him. If we fail to do that, then everything He has given us has been in vain. But if we humble ourselves to give heed to what we have from God, then we will come to know Him and enjoy eternal life with Him. It no doubt pleases God for us to study the Scriptures and to learn them well. But nothing will ever give our God more joy than for us, His children, to come know Him. And in the end, nothing will give us more joy, either.