Telling Biblical Truth--Love? or Hate? I say loving.

Thought for the Week

If you have been following my ‘to be continued’ series, they have been wrapped up in the idea of the Bible being a good source for a world view and a guide to how to live life. The amazing thing in the context of several statements in the last few weeks has been an almost denial of the Bible as a source for Christian living, a dismissal of all but the four Gospels. In light of the General Assembly a few weeks ago even some ministers gave the idea of; ‘While ministers may read some of the Old Testament, they no longer read the Bible as literal or as the word of God.’ The way it was asked of me was; “You don’t take the Bible literally, do you?” To which my reply was “How else can one take it if it is the source of what you believe?” Of course that raises many issues on the topics to which the Bible speaks.

So, I have been asking about the Bible knowledge of some in our fair City, and though many have great opinions about the Bible, even of some that actually attend church, very few actually read it or know what it says. For while the Bible speaks to great values of love and compassion, it also speaks to great topics like the holiness and righteousness of God, the sinful condition of man and it really does explain why our society is in the shape it is in. It explains that lack of morals on the part of people leads to a price to pay. Look at the challenges in the area of honesty in the Parliament that has lead the news stories lately. Read the papers on crime stats and drug and alcohol abuse. Look at the rise of STD’s in our country and you will see that they are rising despite a ‘safe sex’ secular message. I have seen the late night commercials for avoiding these, as have you. The Bible tells us that we need to be honest, that we need to stay sober, that chastity is a virtue. Violent crime would disappear if the biblical mandate of ‘love God and your neighbour’ was followed. The Bible teaches us to limit sexual relations to a husband and wife married to each other. Teen pregnancy? Tayside has some of the highest rates in the UK, but it can be solved. HIV/Aids? Well, you wipe that out in short order if monogamy in marriage and/or abstinence is taught and practiced.

Are these messages popular in our world today? Not a chance! I have talked to too many even here in our City to think that. I am surprised though at the number of folk who don’t even really understand that this is basic Christian principle. But at the same time I find odd the concept that to take a stance for traditional Christian morality makes me “un-loving”? I have friends who live different than my sense of Christian values suggests they should, but we are still friends. As I was reminded, the doctor who tells the person with cancer that they need surgery or chemo is not unloving. But a doctor who tells a patient they are fine when the patient is sick is unloving.

And thus it should be with a literal Bible message, it must be shared for the truth it is, yet in love with a view to changing the world...

To be continued...

Rev. Jon Bergen, Brechin Baptist Fellowship