by Karla Perry

Created on: September 14, 2010

The Bible is not THE Truth.  How’s that for an opening statement?  Let me explain, before anyone gets the wrong idea. 

The Bible is not, by itself, the essence of Truth. It is only bound paper with words on the pages that speaks of something greater than itself.  When people believe that its words are the highest revelation of Truth they hold them so high that God and their neighbors come second to the words and the readers’ interpretation of them.  Even in the day of Jesus, this was happening with the Torah. Jesus told them, “You search the Scriptures because you think in them you will find life, but it is I who these Scriptures are speaking about.”

Jesus is the One who is the full presence of Truth.  It is He, not the Scriptures about Him that is life. John 1:1-14 expounds that Jesus was the Word, the Logos.  The ancients believed the Word/Logos was the essence, the reality, the core absolute.  Thus in this passage the Scriptures are saying that Jesus is the Word made flesh. He is the essence of essences. He is the real deal. He is the reality the Scriptures point to.

Some may argue that the way we know what is true about Him is via the Scriptures that speak about who He is.  However, this is not fully correct.  It is true that the Scriptures are valuable and have an important role in revealing truth.  The Bible does tell us true things, but it points beyond itself to the Truth itself which is not itself. 

The Bible does tell us many things about Jesus, but a book illustrating a few years of His life, teachings, miracles, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension does little for us if we do not connect tangibly with the One it speaks about.  The Bible is there to draw us away from natural earthly existence to open our awareness of Someone who can open our heart and spirit to a new world; a world we where we were always meant to have access.   Otherwise if all we have is a book to tell us about God rather than real present contact with the One it points to, we only have religion and nothing more.

The Bible does tell us true things about history, living, the future, and God Himself.  But it was never meant to be idolized and revered over God Himself.  This is why the words of Scripture without the Spirit of the Lord can be death rather than life. This is why someone can quote a Scripture that is supposed to be full of life and love and it feel like

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>