Together #forSalem

Many passages in the biblical writings have been reduced to a set of pithy inspirational quotes. When this happens we set ourselves up for discontentment and a situational faith that can’t stand up to real life. When we use the right tools, however, we can discover the truth these passages are actually conveying and we can discover the life Jesus truly offers.

Should Christians obey the government? Taken on their own, some biblical passages say “yes” while others imply “no”… but do these passages actually contradict each other? Often, when it seems like we have a contradiction in the biblical writings a little study can reveal something even better than what we think either passage is saying.

Reading, understanding, and trying to make sense of the Bible can be pretty overwhelming. Especially when it comes to passages about horrific violence committed in the name of a supposedly loving God. But with the right tools and some study we can start to make sense of some of the most misunderstood and misused passages in the Bible… and it might even change how we see God and our neighbors.

How can we know, and even be confident, that when we read the biblical writings we’re actually understanding them and “getting it right?” The solution isn’t to give up or just settle for someone else telling us what they think they mean… but to begin using some basic guidelines and tools to interpret the biblical writings for ourselves.

Honestly, it seems that doing “what the Bible says” can mean just about whatever anyone wants it to mean. So what do we do? How do we read, understand, and even use the Bible properly and not just use it to justify whatever we want?

The Bible is the most read, impactful, misunderstood, and misused set of writings in history. But for almost 2000 years reading and teaching what is in this collection of writings has been at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus. So what’s the deal? Do they even apply to us now thousands of years after they were first written and if so, how can we make any sense of them?

Everyone wants to know they are accepted for who they really are. But so often, we are told to conform, clean up, and change if we want to be accepted. Is God the same way? Or is his acceptance something completely different… something completely better?

We all have questions and doubts about God. Unfortunately organized religion isn’t always accepting of skeptics and freethinkers. But what if God is big enough to handle our questions and doubts. What if he isn’t bothered or annoyed by our questions but actually invites them. What if it’s in our questions that we discover what God actually thinks about us?

If there is a God, what does he think about you? Our typical answer is: he’s mad. It seems like everyone is mad about something, so God definitely is too. And, probably mad about something we’ve done too, right? But, what if we’re wrong about how God sees us? What if he’s different? What if he's better? What if he’s actually not mad at you at all?

The question we all ask in some way is… If there is a God what does he think and feel about me? The answer we find has the ability to shape not only our view of God, but how we see others, ourselves, and our place in the world.