Oh how I have felt this! I have run into too many people who have put their trust in the Bible rather than Jesus. They say, “What does the Bible say?” Instead of “What does Jesus say, or what does the Holy Spirit say to you?” For years I was that way too. My prayers were searches for answers within the Bible. They were laundry lists of what I wanted God to do to miraculously help me or a friend.
But now I am trying to seek differently. I’m going to Jesus in prayer, with intention. I am asking for help, yes. But then I am trying to be still, and quiet so I can listen to His Spirit. He gave us not just the Bible, but the Holy Spirit to live in us and be our advocate.
Remember, the Bible teaches us religion. In both the Old and New Testament. Religion pure and undefined. That’s what we need instead of the many vain contortions that it has been twisted into for personal power and physical gain. There is going to be a lot of explaining tried at the judgment seat of Christ.
Just a reminder that divine love Himself, Jesus Christ, was an observant, practicing Jew. If He, "did" religion, why would He demand less of us? Humans need practice, discipline, and rules, He knows that because he designed us. Look at what happened when Adam and Eve decided they wanted to make up their own rules.
Jesus was not a Jew, He is God in the Flesh. Did Jesus comes for the Jews? Yes! Did the Jews reject Him? Yes! So what does Jesus do? Opens the door for the Gentiles, Dies on the Cross, Resurrects from the Dead, fulfills the Law of Moses & allows anyone to enter into His Kingdom through His Blood Sacrifice.
Jesus transcends traditions, religions, all of it. Just because Jesus came for the Jews doesn't mean He is Jewish because there is nothing, no not what thing in scripture that tells us that He was a Jew, but that He came for the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel and if you look into the Paleo-Hebrew etymology for Israel its actually connected to the Saviors name in Paleo-Hebrew, meaning the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel = The Entire World. It was never about titles, traditions, rules & religion. It was always about Christ. :)
You had me at “The Word became flesh—not a book,” and then baptized my whole frontal lobe in holy clarity.
Somewhere along the way, we swapped Jesus for a King James Version with a superiority complex and forgot that the actual Word of God wept, bled, and flipped tables—not footnoted Leviticus and handed out purity rings.
I’ve seen more Bibles weaponized than hearts opened. More scripture slung like stones than broken bread passed in love.
Thank you for naming it: Biblicism is not faith. It’s idolatry in a three-piece suit shouting Greek words it doesn’t live.
The real scandal of the gospel isn’t that Jesus died. It’s that He lives—and keeps showing up in the wrong places, with the wrong people, saying inconvenient things that don't fit our pre-highlighted study notes.
I don’t want a map. I want the wild-eyed rabbi who kept breaking rules to touch the untouchable.
You’re right. The Bible points. But Jesus walks with us.
May we have the courage to follow Him, not just recite Him.
Our trust in the Bible as our source, our equating it with God, is actually our trust in our own understanding, which God mentions in the Bible we should not do. Our calling it an owners manual that we can use to fix and spiritually empower our lives reveals who it is we are trusting. We are cast as the OWNER, who can use the owners manual to fix our machine. God is the owner and only God can fix the machine. He made us. He must repair us. Yet our lack of trust in His ability to fix what is broken in us leads us to trust hard in our own understanding and not Him.
We who follow Jesus must stand as pillars of encouragement to trust God, not man, to be the source of everything we need to thrive. Trust is the very basis of intimacy, closeness. To the extent we trust we are close. And whoever we trust in to be our source, that is who we make our God.
The bible, given to us by God is never just the bible. It is always our human consciousness having to understand it. Not to acknowledge that is deceiving ourselves for the purpose of maintaining ourselves as our God. If I spoke to you, what I said would be combined with how you heard what I said. We all know this is so, because we so frequently fight like cats and dogs over what we believe we actually said. This is true of what God communicates to us as well. It is even true of what He tells us about Jesus. That too, whether it came via our reading of the bible or through our experiences with His parenting, still involves us and our limitations.
We cannot trust in our own understanding, but instead, in all our situations/ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct our path. God is saying to us, ACKNOWLEDGE ME. I am here. And we go right on consulting what we currently understand from our reading of the bible, and never see God in our lives, never experience God doing much of anything in our lives. This apostacy is why we have fought over and divided over theology and bruised Jesus' image in the minds of the world around us.
Thank you for this. It needed to be said. I am so sick and tired of people saying- that’s not in the Bible- every time a question of faith comes up. How did early Christians survive before the Bible was written?
Thank you so much for this heartfelt response. I feel that frustration too.
When people say, “That’s not in the Bible,” it often reveals a kind of anxiety—a desire for certainty, clarity, and control. But as you so wisely pointed out, the earliest Christians didn’t have a Bible in the way we know it today. What they did have was Jesus. A living memory. A Spirit-guided community. A shared story of liberation, grace, and radical love.
For decades—even centuries—followers of Jesus survived and thrived without bound leather or printed texts. Their faith was shaped by encounter, community, and testimony. Scripture came later to testify to that living presence, not to replace it.
In some ways, we’re being invited back to that kind of trust—not in a book as an end in itself, but in the living Christ who continues to speak through it, around it, and beyond it.
Thanks again for naming what so many are feeling. You’re not alone.
What do you mean by early Christians, though? Do you mean those of "The Way," which is what early Christians were known as?
Here's how they did it: they met frequently in each other's homes, talking about the things of God. They were given divine revelation for a time. Paul heard directly from a post-resurrection Jesus and was taught exclusively by Jesus. He had a huge impact on the church, and they often shared letters from Paul amongst themselves.
They also had the ancient writings - the Torah and other scriptures.
And it's interesting that you use the word "survive" as well. Many of them were under direct threat by governments. They were dragged out of their homes, stoned, beaten, lit on fire, thrown into the Colosseum, and torn apart by wild animals. So they did survive, but only by the grace of God. And their strength and perseverance under trial were a testimony to those around them.
And also - they would have LOVED to have access to God's writings and would not have begrudged it. I can say that with utmost confidence.
Mind officially blown. Powerful, true and freeing. And the thought I had is this: In my morning quiet times, have I truly been coming to meet with Jesus, or with a book? When he says “Come to ME, all you who are weary,” he isn’t saying “open this book and read a few passages” (although as you point out, reading this book is helpful and points me to who Jesus is). Such an insightful piece - thank you for sharing.
I am so appreciative of these words. For so long I could not wrap myself around the literal interpretation that pushed aside any influence culture or history had in the development of what we know as The Bible. It seems to point us into asking questions. In reality, not responding with a "True or False", "multiple choice" answer; but an answer that urges us to ask "What is the point?" or "What is this revealing?"
This was happening when I was a kid! I left that teaching behind at age 19 because I couldn’t reconcile the hypocrisy (of judging everyone else but Christians who seemed fine with continuing their own sin) idolatry of bible worship, shaming people publicly, and the hard core indoctrination. I’m 64 now. I know it began long before me because my parents and theirs grew up with it. It’s not new, it’s just gotten louder and more obviously hateful.
The early believers understood the pattern of death, burial, and resurrection wasn’t just Christ’s personal story. It was the story of the Word itself.
“Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24)
If Christ is the Word, then the crucifixion of Christ also foreshadows the crucifixion of truth—its distortion, rejection, and burial through time.
But what did Paul also teach?
“That He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Excellent piece. I agree with all you say. I think this idolising the bible that you speak of, is the foundation of fundamentalism. Scripture is inspiring,beautiful and a pillar of the church but it is not it’s cornerstone. It reveals words of truth and knowledge and guidance - words with a small w. Jesus Himself is THE Word The Word made flesh- The Incarnation and it’s the incarnation that changes everything. The four gospels are above the rest of scripture though. They are the true story of Jesus They are especially sacred so after reading them we go out to the city and we find Jesus there often under heavy disguise but more tangible in the poor and the marginalised. ‘There you will find him.’
Thank you for your writing. It all resonates and truly helpful.
This resonates with me very well! Jesus has shown up for me so many times, even when i walked away from my trust in the church and my certainty in it all. I have been so struck by John Chapter 1 for many years . Jesus the word , logos , entailing what is before , the fullness of the loving creator.
Paul, I really appreciate this post! As a Southern Baptist lifer, I have always followed our 1963 Baptist Faith and Message which contains this statement: “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.” BF&M’s since then do not include that statement and come close to Bible worship!
Oh how I have felt this! I have run into too many people who have put their trust in the Bible rather than Jesus. They say, “What does the Bible say?” Instead of “What does Jesus say, or what does the Holy Spirit say to you?” For years I was that way too. My prayers were searches for answers within the Bible. They were laundry lists of what I wanted God to do to miraculously help me or a friend.
But now I am trying to seek differently. I’m going to Jesus in prayer, with intention. I am asking for help, yes. But then I am trying to be still, and quiet so I can listen to His Spirit. He gave us not just the Bible, but the Holy Spirit to live in us and be our advocate.
If religion dies we’re just left with Divine LOVE…I’m down with that.
Remember, the Bible teaches us religion. In both the Old and New Testament. Religion pure and undefined. That’s what we need instead of the many vain contortions that it has been twisted into for personal power and physical gain. There is going to be a lot of explaining tried at the judgment seat of Christ.
Just a reminder that divine love Himself, Jesus Christ, was an observant, practicing Jew. If He, "did" religion, why would He demand less of us? Humans need practice, discipline, and rules, He knows that because he designed us. Look at what happened when Adam and Eve decided they wanted to make up their own rules.
Jesus was not a Jew, He is God in the Flesh. Did Jesus comes for the Jews? Yes! Did the Jews reject Him? Yes! So what does Jesus do? Opens the door for the Gentiles, Dies on the Cross, Resurrects from the Dead, fulfills the Law of Moses & allows anyone to enter into His Kingdom through His Blood Sacrifice.
Jesus transcends traditions, religions, all of it. Just because Jesus came for the Jews doesn't mean He is Jewish because there is nothing, no not what thing in scripture that tells us that He was a Jew, but that He came for the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel and if you look into the Paleo-Hebrew etymology for Israel its actually connected to the Saviors name in Paleo-Hebrew, meaning the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel = The Entire World. It was never about titles, traditions, rules & religion. It was always about Christ. :)
Practice doesn’t require institutions, but certainly community informs and encourages it. The desert amma’s and abba’s knew this well.
Amen!
You had me at “The Word became flesh—not a book,” and then baptized my whole frontal lobe in holy clarity.
Somewhere along the way, we swapped Jesus for a King James Version with a superiority complex and forgot that the actual Word of God wept, bled, and flipped tables—not footnoted Leviticus and handed out purity rings.
I’ve seen more Bibles weaponized than hearts opened. More scripture slung like stones than broken bread passed in love.
Thank you for naming it: Biblicism is not faith. It’s idolatry in a three-piece suit shouting Greek words it doesn’t live.
The real scandal of the gospel isn’t that Jesus died. It’s that He lives—and keeps showing up in the wrong places, with the wrong people, saying inconvenient things that don't fit our pre-highlighted study notes.
I don’t want a map. I want the wild-eyed rabbi who kept breaking rules to touch the untouchable.
You’re right. The Bible points. But Jesus walks with us.
May we have the courage to follow Him, not just recite Him.
—Virgin Monk Boy
Lovely, Paul!
Our trust in the Bible as our source, our equating it with God, is actually our trust in our own understanding, which God mentions in the Bible we should not do. Our calling it an owners manual that we can use to fix and spiritually empower our lives reveals who it is we are trusting. We are cast as the OWNER, who can use the owners manual to fix our machine. God is the owner and only God can fix the machine. He made us. He must repair us. Yet our lack of trust in His ability to fix what is broken in us leads us to trust hard in our own understanding and not Him.
We who follow Jesus must stand as pillars of encouragement to trust God, not man, to be the source of everything we need to thrive. Trust is the very basis of intimacy, closeness. To the extent we trust we are close. And whoever we trust in to be our source, that is who we make our God.
The bible, given to us by God is never just the bible. It is always our human consciousness having to understand it. Not to acknowledge that is deceiving ourselves for the purpose of maintaining ourselves as our God. If I spoke to you, what I said would be combined with how you heard what I said. We all know this is so, because we so frequently fight like cats and dogs over what we believe we actually said. This is true of what God communicates to us as well. It is even true of what He tells us about Jesus. That too, whether it came via our reading of the bible or through our experiences with His parenting, still involves us and our limitations.
We cannot trust in our own understanding, but instead, in all our situations/ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct our path. God is saying to us, ACKNOWLEDGE ME. I am here. And we go right on consulting what we currently understand from our reading of the bible, and never see God in our lives, never experience God doing much of anything in our lives. This apostacy is why we have fought over and divided over theology and bruised Jesus' image in the minds of the world around us.
Yes, don’t we need Jesus, the author, to interpret it for us? John 8:31-32; 5:39-47; 12:47-50; 1:1-18, 29, 14:6
Thank you for this. It needed to be said. I am so sick and tired of people saying- that’s not in the Bible- every time a question of faith comes up. How did early Christians survive before the Bible was written?
Thank you so much for this heartfelt response. I feel that frustration too.
When people say, “That’s not in the Bible,” it often reveals a kind of anxiety—a desire for certainty, clarity, and control. But as you so wisely pointed out, the earliest Christians didn’t have a Bible in the way we know it today. What they did have was Jesus. A living memory. A Spirit-guided community. A shared story of liberation, grace, and radical love.
For decades—even centuries—followers of Jesus survived and thrived without bound leather or printed texts. Their faith was shaped by encounter, community, and testimony. Scripture came later to testify to that living presence, not to replace it.
In some ways, we’re being invited back to that kind of trust—not in a book as an end in itself, but in the living Christ who continues to speak through it, around it, and beyond it.
Thanks again for naming what so many are feeling. You’re not alone.
Good question!
What do you mean by early Christians, though? Do you mean those of "The Way," which is what early Christians were known as?
Here's how they did it: they met frequently in each other's homes, talking about the things of God. They were given divine revelation for a time. Paul heard directly from a post-resurrection Jesus and was taught exclusively by Jesus. He had a huge impact on the church, and they often shared letters from Paul amongst themselves.
They also had the ancient writings - the Torah and other scriptures.
And it's interesting that you use the word "survive" as well. Many of them were under direct threat by governments. They were dragged out of their homes, stoned, beaten, lit on fire, thrown into the Colosseum, and torn apart by wild animals. So they did survive, but only by the grace of God. And their strength and perseverance under trial were a testimony to those around them.
And also - they would have LOVED to have access to God's writings and would not have begrudged it. I can say that with utmost confidence.
Jesus is absolutely the focus!
But we must also be careful not underestimate the role of the Bible.
God's word must also regulate whatever we believe the Holy Spirit is saying to us. The two aren't contradictory.
Ohhhh. I could have written this. But I didn't even have a fourth person in the Trinity, I just had Father, Son, and Holy Bible. 🙃
Jesus is getting me caught up to speed now, and I'm so grateful. 🙏
Mind officially blown. Powerful, true and freeing. And the thought I had is this: In my morning quiet times, have I truly been coming to meet with Jesus, or with a book? When he says “Come to ME, all you who are weary,” he isn’t saying “open this book and read a few passages” (although as you point out, reading this book is helpful and points me to who Jesus is). Such an insightful piece - thank you for sharing.
I am so appreciative of these words. For so long I could not wrap myself around the literal interpretation that pushed aside any influence culture or history had in the development of what we know as The Bible. It seems to point us into asking questions. In reality, not responding with a "True or False", "multiple choice" answer; but an answer that urges us to ask "What is the point?" or "What is this revealing?"
This was happening when I was a kid! I left that teaching behind at age 19 because I couldn’t reconcile the hypocrisy (of judging everyone else but Christians who seemed fine with continuing their own sin) idolatry of bible worship, shaming people publicly, and the hard core indoctrination. I’m 64 now. I know it began long before me because my parents and theirs grew up with it. It’s not new, it’s just gotten louder and more obviously hateful.
The early believers understood the pattern of death, burial, and resurrection wasn’t just Christ’s personal story. It was the story of the Word itself.
“Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24)
If Christ is the Word, then the crucifixion of Christ also foreshadows the crucifixion of truth—its distortion, rejection, and burial through time.
But what did Paul also teach?
“That He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
(1 Corinthians 15:4)
Excellent piece. I agree with all you say. I think this idolising the bible that you speak of, is the foundation of fundamentalism. Scripture is inspiring,beautiful and a pillar of the church but it is not it’s cornerstone. It reveals words of truth and knowledge and guidance - words with a small w. Jesus Himself is THE Word The Word made flesh- The Incarnation and it’s the incarnation that changes everything. The four gospels are above the rest of scripture though. They are the true story of Jesus They are especially sacred so after reading them we go out to the city and we find Jesus there often under heavy disguise but more tangible in the poor and the marginalised. ‘There you will find him.’
Thank you for your writing. It all resonates and truly helpful.
This resonates with me very well! Jesus has shown up for me so many times, even when i walked away from my trust in the church and my certainty in it all. I have been so struck by John Chapter 1 for many years . Jesus the word , logos , entailing what is before , the fullness of the loving creator.
This was a fantastic read
Paul, I really appreciate this post! As a Southern Baptist lifer, I have always followed our 1963 Baptist Faith and Message which contains this statement: “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.” BF&M’s since then do not include that statement and come close to Bible worship!