When You Can't Be Who Are – Part II

An average of Gallup polls taken between May 2005 and 2007 indicate that only 31% of Christians believe the Bible to be the actual word of God. Although 47% believe it to be the inspired Word – they don’t believe that everything in it is true; a startling 19% believe that it is a book of ancient fables. If you look closer at these statistics and examine the educational levels of those who responded, you will find that 32% of Christians who have some college believe the Bible to be the actual word of God, while 20% of college grads believe, and only a startling 11% of post grads believe it to be actual.

If the Bible is our message from God on how to live this life, and the basis of our faith and only about 1/3 of Christians believe it to come from God – then what is the basis of their belief? An examination of what Christians really believe is like a smorgasbord of food delicacies – there is a little bit of every thing! Many Christians pride themselves in believing that Christians should be diverse in their thinking – and that there should not be literal constraints which separate us. In their rejection of what they say is old-fashioned doctrine, has come a doctrine of moral relativism that justifies a hodgepodge of values and behaviors under a general banner of Christianity.

While our sophisticated brethren would like to feel as if they have a patent on New Age belief, we can see upon closer examination of the Bible, that once again, there is nothing new under the sun. Let’s look at the same passage we read yesterday:

“We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That’s why we have this Scripture text:
No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this,
Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
What God has arranged for those who love him.
But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.
The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.” 1 Coriinthians 2: 6-14 (MSG)

In plaiin contemporary English, we find that Paul is yet speaking to this generation – the mystery is revealed – but you can’t be who you are – you’ve got to be born again to uncover this mystery.

God Bless You,
Maria