Fiction and myth
The Bible is full of entertaining stories about people and the choices they make. No other book can rival its imagination and creativity of its authors. Better yet,Biblical stories bring us moralistic meaning. Like fables. As we read, we are able to extract enlightening force from them’ awakening our souls.
Historical account
This is about information. Factual accounts and records of what happened in the past. History is useful to know, of course. I’ll bet that we can all recite the phrase “he who forgets the past is doomed to repeat it.” The Bible can be our opportunity to learn from others’ successes and failures.
Self-help
I want to be a better person and the Bible is full of wisdom. It allows us to evaluate our thinking and behavior. In fact, I am often surprised that self-help gurus do not quote the Bible as their source of insight to the human condition.
I readily admit that I have read the Bible for all of these reasons. Each of them have proven true for me. As I think about them, my gut reaction is one of judgement. To view the Bible through any of those lenses is hypocrisy, right? Maybe it is, I don’t really know. What I do know is that God is bigger than that. In fact, when I go to the Bible with any of those selfish ideas, something happens. My soul is awakened. I realize that it is this awakening, this enlightening that I have been craving. My soul is filled with hope. Not just hope for a better tomorrow, but real hope. The kind that draws me in, reminding me of the glorious riches waiting for me (Eph 1:16-23). A real hope that brings riches without hardship and toil. Instead, they are freely given by the immeasurable greatness and power of God. More-so, there are no barriers to entry, no obstacles to overcome in attaining them because the full price has already been paid. That’s right, hope, joy and glorious riches are immediately mine when I remember the price that Jesus paid on the cross (1 John 2:2).
The great mystery of the Bible is how this works. How is it possible to gain all of this from even a few simple verses. The answer lies in the power of the HolySpirit. He is the reason that Paul describes the Bible as being “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12). This is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. I am so grateful for it. Every time I come into the Word, looking for anything, he finds me. And, he talks to me. In fact, sometimes I come to the word not looking for a conversation, and he finds me anyway. I find that his pursuit of me is relentless. Clearly, he wants something more for me. He has something for you too! He wants us to be complete and perfect, exactly the way he intended with all of his creation (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Check out the handful of verses Ive outlined here and see what the Holy Spirit wants to tell you!