Why do People Hate the Bible?

The following was written by Dr. Clay Nuttall

WHY DO PEOPLE HATE THE BIBLE?

By Dr. Clay Nuttall

We probably assume that we know why the world’s great religions, cults, and philosophers hate God’s Word, but the extent of that hatred is much deeper than most of us realize.  The atheist would say, “There is no God, so how could this be his word?”  The agnostic would postulate that, since we do not even know if there is a god, how could this be the word of God?  The modernist and the liberal would reject most of the Bible, and neo-orthodox minds would accept only what becomes the Word to them.  The neo-evangelical would cast doubt on such passages as those that deal with creation, believing that some portions of scripture are unreliable.  To hold any of these views is to despise some of the scriptures and put the rest in question.  Such humanism and intellectualism are really expressions of hatred toward the book given to us by the sovereign creator.

 CLOSER TO HOME

It’s easy for us to evaluate the above points of view in others, but asking the same question about evangelicalism or fundamentalism is another thing altogether.  I often refer to “the theological error of the month” in evangelicalism.  This phenomenon, however, has now reached into fundamentalism.  It is deeply rooted in a person’s attitude toward the Bible.  Anyone’s hermeneutic, or system of interpretation, may reflect disdain toward holy writ.

 A person’s or group’s innate negative attitude toward the Bible may not necessarily be an active one.  Detracting from, or adding to, scripture is what causes the fatal flaw in the maze of current theological errors, and it is usually done deliberately.  On the other hand, to ignore the scriptures is to reject a love for them.

 CAN THIS MAN SAY HE LOVES HIS WIFE?

We need ask only a few questions to see why this is true.  Consider a man who is married to a woman whom he claims to love dearly.  The problem is that, although they are together much of the time, he only speaks to her for one or two hours a week; and that is on Sundays.  In a normal relationship, he could say he loves her, but what he says is quite different from what he demonstrates.  The opposite of love, after all, is hate.

 And that is exactly the way many Christians are with the Bible.  They say they love it, but then they open the Word only a couple of times a week.  What that behavior demonstrates is not a love for the Bible; and remember – the opposite of love is hate!   Another practical illustration can be found in many average Christians’ approaches to finding answers for their questions about daily living; they go to the Bible in an attempt to find justification for their disobedient actions.  As a result, they reject the clear teachings of holiness and instead find proof-texts that they feel will allow them to practice sinful lifestyles.  The lesson here is self-evident.

THOU ARE STANDING WHERE I AM ABOUT TO SHOOT

One of my favorite illustrations is reportedly from an old Quaker’s sermon: “I would not hurt thee, nor do thee no harm, but thou are standing where I am about to shoot.”

 Because I teach classes in Contemporary Theological Issues, I try to read as much current material as possible.  I purchase only a few publications, but the web is full of this type of information.  Just this week, I finished reviewing a highly respected publication.  Many of the authors of the articles contained in this issue are friends who travel in fundamental circles, and I enjoy reading their work when it is published.  The problem of people’s misinterpretation of scripture might not have even crossed my mind if I had not been working on this issue ofShepherd’s Staff.  When I went back over the material, I was shocked to note how many of the printed conclusions were indeed additions to the text!

 At this point in my life, I continue to learn just how much there is that I don’t already know.  We fundamentalists have a bad habit of trying to give the impression that we have everything figured out; such pride and arrogance make us hardly any different from the liberals.  We are often so absolutely sure about our interpretations that we insert things into the text to prove that our traditional views are right. 

 How can we say we love the Bible, when we consider it our prerogative to embellish the text in order to justify our human conclusions?  One of the arguments used by those who tend to edit scripture by adding to, detracting from, or ignoring the text is that of a faulty historical method. The claim is made that, if some theological position has been held for hundreds of years, then surely it must be right.  The problem is that many a theological error has been held for hundreds of years… but that still does not make it truth.

 There certainly is value in a truth that has been tested by time, but we know it is truth only because the Bible text says so.  Profane history has immense value, but it definitely is not equal to scripture.  In the study of hermeneutics, we do not have a full and complete view until the historical setting of the written material is explored.  This type of exercise, however, though required by the one biblical hermeneutic, does not supersede the text; it only augments it.

Homework Assignment:

Let me suggest that a good test of this would be to read Acts, chapters 6 and 15.  Do not add one word of explanation.  Of extra value would be doing the exercise from the original language, if you have access to that wonderful tool.  When you have finished dealing with each word in the text, and have refused to add to or detract from it, then ask yourself exactly where we got some of our beloved traditions about polity.  Then, ask if we really love the Bible just as it was before we started editing it. 

 Why would I deal with such a sensitive subject?  The answer is that over the past few months I have seen among fundamentalists such egregious attitudes toward the Bible as to grieve a righteous soul.  I am sure that many people do not purposely hate the Bible, but there is confidence and great joy in accepting exactly what God has said in His Word.

Thank you Brother Clay for your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus!!

The Word of God is Flawless (#2)

Let’s tighten our focus somewhat here.  How about the authority of the Word of God?  When the bible speaks God speaks.   (Heb 4:12) “The word of God (absolutely perfect) is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword”.

So the word of God is QUICK the Greek word ZOAI – it means alive.  It is where we get our word zoology - pulsating with life.  This book breathes and sings and weeps – it possesses power.

Now I haven’t been doing this long but long enough to have witnessed the power of God’s word.

The bible properly prayed over, interpreted and preached causes JESUS to JUMP of the pages – Jesus is alive.

Jesus is the essential and central personality of the bible – he is pictured throughout the word of God – He is the word of God – the bible is alive.

Not only is it quick it is POWERFUL.  The Greek word “inergase” – means energy.  It is a busy book – this book is always working.  We read other books – the bible reads you.  It’s also like a SWORD – the word of God does surgery on us.  Has God’s word ever done surgery on YOU?  Has God ever split you open with the word of God?  OH BOY!!

It also DIVIDES “piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow.”  What does that mean?

God’s word gets down to your attitudes and your actions – the heart and the hinges – BUT the writer also mentions the “soul and the spirit.”

You see God gave us a body inside that body is a soul and a spirit (1 Thess 5:23) “May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit AND soul AND body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (I hold to a bipartite view by the way) 

Now it is the spirit that makes man absolutely unique – and in the image of God.  Plants have bodies and animals have bodies and a soul but only man has a body, soul, and spirit.

The bible says “They that worship God MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth.”  So the trouble we get into is we aren’t able to divide soul and spirit the reason we don’t is we don’t know the word of God.

The problem with most churches is they have too much soul and not enough spirit – when the soul over powers the spirit is when we run into problems – when that happens nobody is blessed – JUST ENTERTAINED.

You will find that most folks have a knowledge of the bible but it is soulish knowledge NOT spiritual.  They use the bible more as a club than a sword.  Even the Pharisees walked the straight and narrow but they did it in soulish power not spiritual.

The bible is a “Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

That word DISCERNER is where we get our word CRITIC.  The word of God criticizes you.  That’s why most don’t like to read the bible – because the bible reads you.  It does exploratory surgery and praise God it does corrective surgery.  But not only is God’s word a sword for saints it’s for sinners as well.  The book literally stabs people.  Remember when Peter was taken before counsel (Acts 5:33).  Was it Peter’s wit that cut them?  NO it was the word of God.  How about Stephen that ole bible toting deacon?  Stood in front of them all and preached a glorious sermon and they stoned him to death (Acts 7:54).

When a man preaches the word in power folks will get cut and don’t ever get the idea that the preaching is bad because people don’t like it.  When people  go to church and hear the Bible preached, something ought to happen to them.  They leave either MAD GLAD or SAD.  Simon Peter preaching at Pentecost he didn’t stab them to death he stabbed them alive.  “When they heard this they were pricked in their hearts.”

Not only does the word have convicting power and converting power, it also has condemning power.  If the bible doesn’t cut you to heal you it will cut you to kill you.

When we come to the judgment seat we will be judged by the word of God – these words are the very words that will judge.

Jesus said when you go into a house to preach…….and they won’t hear you…….shake the dust off your feet.  If you have never been born again and die in your sins – When you are screaming and begging the Lord to have mercy on you – He will say “You heard the word of God.”

The Word of God is Flawless

Does it really matter what we call the bible?

I think it does because I believe the more liberal a man gets in his theology and thinking the less he calls the bible the Word of God.  You see those who take that point of view call it things like “the biblical records” or “biblical materials” a bunch of non-sense like that.  It all may sound good but it dims the issue; it takes it a half a step away from what it really is – it is the Word of God – God’s word.  You see because if it is the Word of God that means some things.  That means it is absolute perfection.  Common sense tells us that if it’s the word’s of men it will contain error.  But with God there is NO error.

Look at (1 Tim 3:16 and 2 Pet 1:21) – God used the Holy Spirit to keep men from error.  Using that train of thought  the more liberal one gets he starts to tell you the bible is inspired in its thoughts but NOT in the details.  I believe that the bible was verbally inspired.

There in 2 Pet 1:21 that word MOVED means to move along by bumping along.  They were bumped along to write what they were INSPIRED (Greek God breathed) – the Latin word VERBA – verbatim.  Remember Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every (What?) – word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” and Pro 30:5 “Every word of God is pure.”  You see you CAN’T have thoughts without words.  The word of God means absolute perfection – wonderful character.  God loves the bible so much he named His son after it - look at (John1:1-3).  Rev 19:13 “His name is called the Word of God”.  The character of the bible and the character of Jesus are linked together.  If one is fallible then the other has to be – if one is fraud then the other is as well.  You look at the word of God and you see where Jesus said “The scriptures cannot be broken they are they which testify of me.”

The written word and the living word both came from God.  Remember (2 Pet 1:21) “Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as ethylene moved by the Holy Ghost”. Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His son made of a woman made under the law.”

How did we get the bible?  It is the supernatural work of God.  How did we get the living word Jesus?  It is the supernatural work of God.  Both the living word and the written word live forever in eternity.  Look at (1 Pet 1:25 and Rev 1:18) – both come from God and both endure forever – both are absolutely unchanging (Matt 5:18 and Heb 13:8).

Both are light in dark places.  The Psalmist said “thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”.  Jesus said “I am the light of the world he that followed me shall not walk in darkness.”

You ever notice both include the human element?  You see the written word was written by men and the Lord Jesus was given birth by Mary but that doesn’t make them NOT perfect.  The same Holy Spirit who kept the Lord Jesus from sin as well as the very divine nature of our Lord, kept the human writers of the scriptures from including error when they wrote.  The written Word is divine as well.  “The word of God is perfect converting the soul.”