My Simple Faith
Why is it that God gave us the Bible? Could it be for one reason only, to discover the character of God?
Recently I saw a great post from someone who said that Jesus came to reveal the father to us, not to rescue us from Him.
Christians often study and read the scriptures to the ends degree but yet so often we miss the beauty and the simplicity of the Gospel… The overwhelming Love and Compassion of God for mankind that led him to engineer a plan by which He and mankind would be united in love and intimacy not through any achievement on our part but by his own Power…
Much of the divisions we have seen in the Church over time have been due to people having differences of interpretation or differences of opions on doctrinal issues. But the bible was never intended to be an encyclopaedia of doctrines or a hitchhikers guide through life, it was written however to cause us to fall in love with the author.
Interestingly much of the unity and working together of churches that we see, has been the result of people putting their doctrines to one side and focussing their attentions on the person of Jesus. It might be through working together in the community, setting up soup kitchens or attending to the needs of the homeless or the elderly. Or it might just be to get together to share stories of the goodness of God. whatever it is, these are the things that reflect the heart of God, not the dogmatic adherence to a particular doctrinal point of view.
I’ve read the bible for many many years now and throughout that time I’ve learned one thing; if reading the scriptures does not change your character to become more like that of Christ’s then you aint reading it right! that doesn’t mean people who read the bible are somehow better or superior, quite the contrary it means you have realised you are the same as everyone else, that God loves you equally, that He really does not make a distinctions between black or white rich or poor, gay or straight. Christian or Muslim. Arab or European.
Most religions in the world be it Christian or Buddhism, or Islam are based on an interpretation of a Divine being by generations of limited Human understanding, Yes even christianity, we too are still learning and discovering the heart of God, stuff we now take for granted in the Church would have been frowned upon a 100 years ago. this is testemant to the journey we’ve been on.
I don’t doubt that Mohamed on that mountain had an encounter with, or an experience of, God of some kind too, but applying human reasoning or a human interpretation to an experience of God only creates another religion.
God Is, not for us to explain, to interpret or rationalise, He Is to be experienced! here! now! every day. Any teaching of God should ultimately lead to en experience of God, without it all you have is religion.
So these days I worry less about Doctrines or Theology, or even religious activities, I just enjoy spending time with the person that is Jesus. usually in the most unexpected places! As a result I’ve discovered His Love, and His Compassion for people and some of that is rubbing off onto me, but I guess that’s just me and my simple faith.
