Yesterday I told you we’d talk about the right way to view the Bible.

It’s not a trump card to be used as an “In your face!” insult.

The Bible is the Word of God, the way in which God chose to communicate with man. His directives, the history of who He is, the redemption story, how to live a godly life, how the world will end (and begin anew) can be found in the progressive revelation of the narrative.

The Bible is the ultimate authority and the final say.

Whenever I talk with friends and family about my beliefs on a topic, I have to take them to the Bible. There’s nowhere else for me to go.

And, no, I’m not contradicting myself. My use of the Bible to define my beliefs using scriptures is not the same as using a trump card.

My use of the Bible as my guide makes me a Christian.  

I find it so funny that people are offended by this notion.

Yes, Christians make all decisions based on the beliefs found in ancient writings, yet here’s the crazy thing: So does everyone else.

Why, then, is it only “weird” when a Christian says, “Sorry, I don’t believe that because it goes against the Bible”?

I am aware of the rampant biblical illiteracy and the number of Christians who, in the name of culture, twist and bend scripture.

Besides the obvious, logical conclusion that Christians aren’t the only group with nominal followers in it’s camp, let’s put these things aside for a minute, okay?

I think the crux of the problem stems from what Christians profess:

Jesus is the only way, only truth, the only life.

This bothers people.

How can that be?

Isn’t that judgmental?

Isn’t that rather exclusive?

The beliefs about Jesus–who He is, what He came to do–are very clear in the Bible. If you don’t believe the truth about Him, you can’t be a Christian and you don’t believe in the totality of scripture.

So, when I say that this way of viewing the Bible is the best, I don’t say it lightly.

My commitment to the Bible as the ultimate authority means that everything (and I mean everything) is filtered through this singular lens.