Let’s Pray Together
Church, before we dive into today’s message, I want to pause and acknowledge the heaviness many of us feel. This past week, our nation witnessed the murder of Iryna Zarutska, the refugee who was stabbed on a train and yet another act of political violence with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Regardless of where you stand politically, moments like this are tragic. They remind us that hatred, division, and violence are not just headlines – they’re wounds in our nation.

Scripture tells us in Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
That means as followers of Jesus, we are not just reactors – we are peacemakers. We are not just commentators – we are light in dark times.

So before anything else, let’s pray:

Welcome back to Redemption Church.
My name is Chris Fluitt and we are in week 2 of our Untangled series.

Last week we asked the question, Can I still trust the church? This week we’re asking a different but equally important question: Is the Bible still legit?

A few months ago, we did a series called Asking for a Friend. The very first question we tackled was Can I trust the Bible? And in that message, we dug into things like ancient manuscripts, historical accuracy, and how the Bible has been preserved more reliably than any other book in human history.

That’s important, and if you missed it, you can go back and watch it at www.RedemptionPlano.com 

 (http://bit.ly/4gsEP5I)

Is the Bible Still Legit?

But today, I want to go a step further. Because here’s the truth: You can believe the Bible is authentic, accurate, and historically reliable, and still leave it closed on your shelf.

The real question many of us wrestle with isn’t just, “Can I trust that the Bible is true?” but “Does it even matter in my life right now?”
Is this ancient book still relevant in 2025?

Let’s look at where we are as a culture.

That’s the world we live in. Scripture is drifting further from the center of our culture.

But let’s bring it closer to home. Here we are, way past the midpoint of the year. The year’s drawing to a close faster than we think. So let me ask you – how’s your Bible reading plan going?

Have you been actively opening Scripture – reading it, talking about it in your Connect Group – or if you’re honest, have you been missing a lot?

We’re sitting in church right now, but some of us haven’t cracked open a Bible this past week. That’s not to shame you – it’s to be real.

And that leaves us with the real question: 

If so many people, including some of us, barely touch the Bible anymore, does it really matter for our everyday life?

Let’s be honest about this issue.
The questions people ask when it comes to the Bible:

Those are real questions. 

And here’s the thing – we’re not here to win a theological debate or score points on social media. The point isn’t to argue people into faith. The point is to find truth that gives life meaning. And we believe you’ll find that meaning when you look in the Word of God.

1. Isn’t it full of contradictions?

Matthew 27:5 (NIV)
Acts 1:18 (NIV)

At first glance, these sound like different stories. But really, they’re two vantage points of the same event. Judas hanged himself in a field, and later, when his body fell or decayed, it burst open.

It’s not two competing truths – it’s two perspectives of the one truth.

Another example used in a contradiction argument is the resurrection:

Matthew 28:2–3, 5 (NIV): “…an angel of the Lord came down… The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.’”

John 20:12 (NIV)

Matthew describes one angel. John describes two. If there were two, there was also one. Matthew focused on the angel who spoke, John recorded both.

Let’s be honest – if you’re reading these stories, you may notice some variation, but it doesn’t really feel like contradiction. The idea of “contradiction” usually comes from people trying to forge an argument rather than find the truth. And when we use Scripture as ammunition for arguments, we’re not using it properly.

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

Notice – it says Scripture is useful. But if we twist it into arguments, we’re misusing it. Scripture isn’t given to fuel debates – it’s given to form lives. It’s meant to equip us, not divide us.

So hear me: Don’t just believe the Bible. Don’t just read the Bible. Learn how to use the Bible.
Because the Bible isn’t a weapon to win arguments – it’s a tool to build lives.

2. Isn’t it just an ancient book?

Nearly a third of Americans see the Bible as just a book of legends, myths, or outdated history. And maybe you’ve thought the same – How can words written thousands of years ago possibly matter for my life right now?

Here’s what’s worth noticing: Much of our modern world is actually built on biblical truth.

So rather than being irrelevant, the Bible actually shaped the very world we live in.

But it’s more than history – it still speaks to today’s struggles.

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

If it were just ancient history, it would be static. But the Bible says it is alive and active. It cuts right into the heart of what we’re facing right now.

And let’s be real – the world is freaking out right now. We just had a political assassination, and people are worried it’s going to spiral into more political violence. Everybody’s got arguments about gun control. Everybody’s got arguments about who’s right and who’s wrong.

You know what? I’ve got one verse in the Bible that would answer all of this – if we actually lived it. It’s not even an obscure verse. It’s one Jesus quoted straight out of the Old Testament:

Matthew 22:39 (NIV)

What would the world look like if we took this verse from this “ancient” text and started to live it in the year 2025?

This is why we look to Scripture – but it’s more than looking to it. We have to live it.

What if every Christian started living this verse out this week? What would our nation look like? What would our neighborhoods look like? What would Plano look like?

That’s not ancient and irrelevant. That’s alive and transformative.

3. Isn’t it more about rules than relevance?

A lot of people think the Bible is nothing more than a big list of rules – don’t do this, don’t do that. And if that’s all you see, it can feel restrictive and irrelevant.

But here’s the truth: God doesn’t give us commands to crush us – He gives us commands to free us.

Think about guardrails on a highway. At first glance, they look like limits. But the guardrails aren’t there to ruin your drive – they’re there to keep you alive. They don’t take away your freedom – they protect your freedom to keep moving forward.

That’s how the Bible works. Its commands aren’t about robbing you of joy – they’re about keeping you from destruction. They don’t just say “don’t”; they point you toward a better life.

John 10:10 (NIV)

Jesus didn’t come to hand you a longer rulebook. He came to bring you life – real, abundant, overflowing life.

James 1:25 (NIV)

James calls God’s Word a “law that gives freedom.” That doesn’t sound irrelevant. That sounds like the very thing our world is starving for – freedom from anxiety, from shame, from chaos, from emptiness.

So if you see the Bible as just a rulebook, you’re missing the point. It’s not about restriction – it’s about direction. It’s not about rules – it’s about life.

Big Picture

Luke 24:27 (NIV)

A lot of people ask, “What is the Bible about?”
But the better question is, “Who is the Bible about?”

And the answer is twofold: the Bible is about Jesus, and the Bible is about you.

It’s about who Jesus is – God’s Son, Savior, Redeemer.
And it’s about what Jesus can do in you – how His grace changes your life, how His Spirit gives you strength, how His Word shapes your story.

The Bible isn’t just a book of rules. It’s the living Word that points us to Jesus and shows us who we can become in Him.

The Bible is not just a rulebook. It’s a story of redemption – His story and your story coming together. And when you read it with Jesus at the center, everything changes.

So if the Bible isn’t full of contradictions… if it isn’t just an ancient book… if it isn’t just rules… then what do we do with it?

Here’s the real test: Will you let the Bible stay words on a page, or will you let it become life in your heart? Because the Bible doesn’t change us if it stays closed. It changes us when we open it, when we hear it, when we live it.

So how do we live this out? 

This week – don’t just scroll Instagram when you’re anxious. Open Matthew 6 and hear Jesus say, “Do not worry about your life.” Don’t just Google relationship advice – open Ephesians 5 and learn how Christ loves His church.

And here’s something we’re putting together as a value add: a simple guide you can take home. It’s a list of common struggles and emotions – things like anxiety, loneliness, anger, confusion – and for each one it points you to a Scripture to read and a prayer to pray. It’s like a map: If you’re feeling this… go here in God’s Word.

We’ll make that available as a resource for you – so you’re never left wondering where to turn when life hits you hard.

Imagine if we became a community where people didn’t just believe the Bible is true but actually lived like it mattered.

Plano doesn’t need more Bible facts – it needs people who embody Bible truth.

More than information – we need transformation.

The Bible isn’t just legit because it’s old and preserved. It’s legit because it still speaks. And when we listen, we untangle the mess of life with the wisdom of God.

Three Legit Actions