Psalm 25:5 New International Version (NIV) Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Over the years I’ve heard many preachers and the followers who parrot them state that the Bible contains the answers to every question that one has. That’s a powerful statement to make and certainly sounds authentic.
I have a little problem with it. In my humble opinion, it isn’t true. Certainly the Bible is the Word of God and I believe in its inerrancy. However, as a stand-alone document it doesn’t tell us everything we may want to know.
Of course, some folks will bristle at my claim, but to derive an answer to many of life’s questions strictly from the Bible requires interpretation, which causes differing opinions and ultimately divisiveness. It’s why more than 10,000 denominations and countless non-denominational entities exist within Christendom. Does this fact sound like everyone is on the same page?
It’s a difficult dilemma. There is only absolute truth and not relative truth, but it seems everyone has their own set of beliefs that they feel are totally correct for themselves. It’s sort of odd that we read and accept the same Bible but have so many differences.
Here’s just one tiny example. Drinking wine–is it a sin or not? In my reading of the Scriptures the answer is crystal-clear. However, I can assure you that a lot of folks would disagree with my belief.
Fortunately we have the Holy Spirit to provide us with direction. Even so, it appears everyone doesn’t connect with Him the same way. At the end of the day what’s really important is that all Christians agree on the major points contained in the Bible regarding the redemptive plan of salvation and give each other leeway on the minor points. Our salvation doesn’t depend on the little stuff that typically divides us.