The Bible, more than myths and fables?

The Bible is unique.

It is also an important book, having been used by powerful people to shape much of human history, albeit not always in the best interests of humanity.

It is also important to the disciple of Jesus Christ, serving as the plumbline by which every disciple measures their progress to spiritual maturity.

If the Bible is to serve its intended purpose, it must be much more than myths and fables!

The Bible deserves serious examination.

Firstly, the Bible makes some huge claims about God.

In the beginning … the Bible is clear that there is only one ‘Creator of Everything’, God. It is also clear that every other god is a false god, the product of human imagination and speculation.

Logically, if there is a creator, there can only be one ‘Creator of Everything’; the universe is too finely-tuned to allow for competing creators. If this is true, then is it possible that the Bible plays a unique role in God’s subtle communication with a technologically-evolving humanity?

Secondly, there is a central theme throughout the biblical narrative; the promise of restoration. A promise that God will eventually restore the perfect world that humanity has ruined by rejecting God’s divine order; a process that has been unfolding over time.

This restoration theme runs seamlessly through the biblical narrative in the form of Messianic promises, prophecies and types that, in many cases, would have made no sense to the authors at the time of writing; it would be hundreds of years before the full significance of these Messianic promises, prophecies and types would be realised in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Messiah.

Thirdly, the Bible is the world’s only ‘living archaeology’. How often have biblical accounts been dismissed as myths and fables only to be validated by the archaeological discoveries of the past two centuries. And it’s not over yet!

Biblical accounts have often held the only mention of a person or nation before an archaeological discovery validated the biblical account; or could it be that the biblical account validates the archaeological discovery? I prefer the latter.

In the “30-day Introduction to the joy of Bible Study” we delve into the fascinating world of modern archaeology and reveal a strange phenomena; how ‘archaeological orthodoxy’ can often obscure the obvious!

I encourage you to break free from religious (and anti-religious) dogma and dig deep into the biblical narrative with an open and objective mind. You will soon hear an authentic, ‘Ring of Truth’, that points to a the hand of God at work in the world.

Israel’s relentless apostasy.

Finally, I find it fascinating that, when compared to other world religions, Israel is unique in its relentless apostasy.

Every civilisation has held fast to its gods and religious rites and rituals, often for millennia. The ancient Greek and Roman gods ruled supreme in the Mediterranean world until they were eclipsed by Christianity in the fourth century. The Egyptian gods ruled supreme in Egypt for thousands of years until finally wiped out by Islam in the seventh and eighth centuries. The Vedic gods of India have claimed the devotion of countless generations of Indians and continue to do so; today 79% of India’s population is Hindu. Even Christians have been more faithful to their triune god, than the Israelites have been to Jehova. (see my series of articles about ‘Christianity, the Fifth Kingdom’).

Only the Israelites seem to have a relentless problem remaining faithful to their God, the God of the Bible!

Israel’s apostasy is a constant refrain throughout the Bible; from Aaron’s gold calf at Mount Horeb, through the judges and kings to the Babylonian Exile, and ultimately to the modern Jew who is predominantly atheistic towards the God of the Bible.

There is more to Israel’s relentless apostasy than meets the eye; a spiritual war rages beneath the surface.

According to a 2021 Pew Research report, only 26% of U.S. Jews believe in the God of the Bible while 50% believe in a ‘higher power’ other than the God of the Bible and 22% do not believe in any higher power; that’s a whopping 72% who don’t believe in the God of the Bible.

Even in Israel, according to a 2016 Pew Research report, 20% of Israeli Jews do not believe in the God of the Bible while 40% consider themselves secular Jews (Hiloni) and 23% traditional Jews (Masorti); only 18% consider themselves religious (Haredi and Dati).

Conclusion.

I hope that my blogs and Bible study courses will present compelling evidence that the Bible is much more than a collection of myths and fables. While the Bible may contain some myths and fables, it is in fact, a surprisingly accurate record of one nation’s early history and the significant implications their story has for humanity.

God hasn’t finished His-story yet.

“When you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.”
(Max Planck)

I hope to inspire you to change the way you look at the Bible.

You may be surprised by what you discover.

An Invitation to Dialogue.

Spirituality, whatever it is, is a personal journey; a search for truth.

The Bible is best explored in the context of loving dialogue, not debate or argument. It’s about searching for deeper understanding, respecting that every human being has the freedom to do their own research (or not) and to reach their own conclusions.

Effective dialogue is a “free-flowing group conversation in which participants attempt to reach a common understanding, experiencing everyone's point of view fully, equally and non-judgmentally”; see ‘Bohm Dialogue’ for more about this style of Dialogue with a capital ‘D’.

In addition to these blogs, I host a free, online Bible study each week. Please check out the “Free Webinars” page and register for the next session.

If you find these Bible studies inspiring, please check out the “30-day Introduction to the Joy of Bible Study” where we explore the historical and archaeological validation of the biblical record.