"I don't agree with the Bible"....

So usually I write about funny things, stuff related to movies, or whimsical fancies.  I'm going to hit 'pause' on that for a moment...


This morning I did quite a bit of 'rabbit trailing' on the internet.  You know how it goes:

Read a blog post, click on a link embedded within to a news article, read that, click on a different link on the sidelines, hear a phrase you don't know, type 'define ______' into google, see a wikipedia page for it, read that and 10 other wikipedia pages that relate to it, somewhere along the line you click on a link to a youtube video, watch 8-25 youtube videos, realize that you've trailed and you want to go back to whatever you were originally on the internet for but for the life of you, can't figure out what that was so.... type something new into the google search engine (something you just thought of perhaps because someone walked in and said something or you got on facebook for a quick check and saw someone's post) and start the entire process all over again.

Thus describes a typical 2 hours on the internet for me.

Anyway, today during my internet time I was seeing the phrase,

"I'm a Christian but I don't agree with everything in the Bible". 

I have heard this many times and it's something I'm interested in so I continued down this particular trail.  What I found prompted me to write this post. 

I NEED TO PREFACE this by saying that this is not me trying to put my finger in anyone's face.  This is me and what I believe. 

I'M GOING TO USE THE WORD 'CHRISTIAN' and this is what I mean when I say that: I believe that a Christian is a follower of Christ - one who has essentially told God, "I believe that You are the one true God, that I am a sinner, and that You sent Your Son to die for me.  Please forgive me of my sins because I am truly sorry.  I commit my life to You."

AND I ALSO AM NOT trying to make this about 'figuring out whether someone is or is not a Christian'.  Only you and God know your heart and if you have truly given your life to Him.  It's not for me to make a judgement call on that and I would never presume to do that. 

All THAT leads up to me saying this:

I believe that rather than say, "I'm a Christian but I don't agree with everything in the Bible.", one should either say,

"I'm a Christian but I think that sometimes God lies."

or

"I'm a Christian but I think I've got a better handle on how to deal with this than God does."

The Bible is not an opinion piece that one can agree or disagree with.  The Bible is the infallible Word of God to you and I - written by the hand of men, yes, but inspired by God.  This is His message of truth to us and His hand was 100% in it's making. 

If someone reads in the Bible that God created everything in 7 days (as an example) and says, "I don't agree with that" then what they're really saying is, "I know God is laying it out here and telling me that He created the earth in 7 days but I don't believe Him."  God was not giving an opinion on how maybe earth came to be - He was not presenting a possible theory.  He was telling us, "I made all this!"  One either believes that God is telling the truth in that statement (and all others) or one believe that God can and does lie.

If you do believe that God lies, then there are some pretty serious problems right there.  That would be a different blog post entirely.

Sometimes there are directions from God in the Bible.   For example, we are told by God expressly through the Bible not to lie, steal, or commit fornication.  For someone to look at those verses and say, "I don't agree with that" then what they're really saying is, "I don't believe that God knows best in this life situation.  I know a better way to live my life than He does."  I'm just going to say it:

That is arrogance.

There are some pretty serious problems there as well if one thinks that they know, understand, or can reason better than God.

Isaiah 44:6
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.'

Isaiah 55: 8-9
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, " declares the LORD.  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

I would sincerely love for people to think about this before they say, "I don't agree with the Bible" - think about what's really being said by that phrase.  It is each Christian's right to believe that God is not telling the truth or that they know better than He.  I will point out that just because we have the right to think something doesn't necessarily make what we think correct.  But it is a right.  Just, please, realize what you're saying.

Alright - I've spoken my piece.  If you think differently than I do, please don't think that I'm shaking my finger at you.  This is not an angry rant, designed to sever friendships or start Facebook debates (I loathe publicly debating over a Facebook post - PM it, text it, call me, or knock on my door if you want to have a discussion like that :-)) or anything like that. 

I'm speaking what I feel that God has put on my heart this morning.  Take it how you will.  :-)