Is the message true?

I was poking around on the web this morning, trying to find out more about the issue of Biblical "inerrancy" and "infallibility." A lot depends on the meaning and usage of those words, I discovered. From what I can gather, some have taken the meaning of those words too far and have tried to confer upon the Bible more than some noted theologians are comfortable with. I'm not smart enough to follow all the arguments. I'm not sure I wish to try.

As you know, my view of the Christian faith tends to focus on broader themes and frameworks, not on specific passages. It's quite possible to go find two sentences from this 1000+ page book, compare them and suggest a contradiction. The same is true of any book, including anything scientific.

It's also quite possible that somewhere across time the reproduction of the Bible produced "errors," such as the age of Ahaziah reported as 22 or 42. In my mind these don't detract from the central Truth of the Bible, any more than it would detract from a Stephen Hawking book if he used the word "there" when he should have used "their" or "they're."

Viewed at a higher level, the Bible provides revelation into the nature of God, the things he demands of us, the things he promises to us, and a wealth of instruction and insight into how we are to live our life. I believe that in these things the Bible is true; that is, divinely inspired and from God, therefore of God, therefore True.

As I mature -- oh, so slowly -- in the Christian Faith, I am coming to be more comfortable with my acceptance of the Bible as "true." It's not a precise definition. I don't tend to focus on minor items of apparent discrepancy ... probably because I know I'm just not smart enough to really hash out the issues at that level. Perhaps one day I will become more articulate in defending Scripture at the finer level, but I doubt it. I'm not sure I want to.

You wonder why God didn't provide a more "foolproof" (my word) method of revelation. He may have; the "garbage" genetic instructions may very well carry God's message. But here's the essential question: let's say we decoded it and it said something like this: "This is God. Trust and obey me and you shall enjoy me for eternity." Would we believe it?

There is ample evidence that we as humans do not follow instructions that even we know are true. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that inhaling the byproduct of tobacco combustion every day for year after year can't be good for our lungs, yet many do just that. The speed limit signs very clearly spell out the limit we may drive, but many -- including me -- disregard them.

On a Christian radio program here in Tucson I heard the host talk about how children often ask some of the most challenging questions about the faith. One he cited has stuck with me: "If Satan saw God face to face, why then did he disobey God?" That is an exceptionally important question to ponder. It gets to your question, and to the mine: if God very clearly made himself known, irrefutably, undeniably -- would people then turn over their lives to him? I doubt it.

I was blessed with an experience whereby God touched my mind and I truly understood, for a brief moment, the full scope and breadth of forgiveness through Christ. Yet today I am not fully committed to God. You claim a direct intervention from Jesus, yet you are not fully committed to God. So many others are the same way.

We yearn for "proof" of God's existence, yet I'm not certain it would make a difference.

There is elegance in the way God has revealed himself generally (in nature, in our consciences) and specifically (in Scripture, in Christ). It is compelling but not undeniable. It requires an extension of effort and will on our part to seek. In return, God rewards our sincere seeking with further understanding and guidance. When I willfully sin, God removes some of that and I flounder, requiring me to repent and come back to him. Each time -- and I must take care not to assume it will always be the case -- each time he provides me with a sense of his presence and assurance of his continued promise.

It appears to be God's divine plan that we are to trust him through faith, not through proof. To my eye it appears to be an progressive process, with decisive steps of faith along the way. I am firmly committed to the notion that belief in the Bible's essential truthfulness is one of those decisive steps. Doing so opens up new vistas of understanding. Such appears to be God's plan. If it were a definitive one-page declaration from God, we would quickly grow bored with it and drift.

Grace and peace be with you, brother. In Christ.