March 8, 2021 – Click here to listen
I went out to dinner with some friends last night and the subject of mega preacher Andy Stanley came up. I am not enamored by him due to his rejection and disbelief of certain parts of the Bible. He seems to think parts of it, especially the Old Testament were written by old men and are not to be believed. Stanley argues that our faith is based on the resurrection and not the Bible.
Hmmm . . . Severing the Scriptures from the resurrection is the very thing that Jesus said could not be done, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31).
Paul told Timothy, “the sacred writings” are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15). When Paul devoted an entire chapter to the resurrection, he began by clarifying that it was “in accordance with the Scriptures.” For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (emphasis added, 1 Cor 15:3-4).
I believe the Bible to be the inerrant word of God with all my being, but I don’t believe every word should be taken literally. In fact I read an interesting piece concerning believing the Bible that began by saying, “There is a big difference between saying that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and saying that every word should be taken literally.” Take a look at the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: Jesus said, “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it’s better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
Was Jesus actually urging us to pluck our eyes out? No! He was talking about the seriousness of sin, how we must repent and trust in Him, lest we wind up in hell. But, if every word Jesus uttered is taken literally, every one of us would have to immediately gouge out both eyes!
Remember that Jesus taught in parables, metaphors, and allegories. He used these devices to communicate a broader spiritual point. Does that water down Scripture? Absolutely not. Jesus was simply using memorable illustrations to communicate perfect truth. And that’s where the guidance of the Holy Spirit comes in to play — to help us distinguish between literal truth and a parable. In this way, we are able to understand the absolute truths of our faith.”
But Andy Stanley is not referring to this, He says, “the problem is, ‘If the Bible is the foundation of our faith, as the Bible goes, so goes our faith’ . . . Christianity cannot survive if somehow, every single part of the Bible isn’t absolutely true if the Bible is the foundation of our faith.” Essentially, Stanley’s sermons make the case that too many Christians put the Bible on the same level as God. He also discouraged a “version of a Christianity” that is “a house of cards” that falls apart if we find out that certain possible historic or scientific details of the Bible are inaccurate or that there are apparent contradictions. He went on to say that “Christianity does not exist because of the Bible.”
I could not disagree more! And I was not alone Stanley unleashed a firestorm with his liberalistic views in a sermon entitled, “The Bible told me so” and in an answer to his detractors responded. “During ‘The Bible Told Me So’ sermon, I wanted educated, de-churched millennials to know that I knew that those who supposedly know everything are convinced there was no worldwide flood or Hebrew migration from Egypt. While addressing them directly, I gave them the benefit of the doubt to make the following point: Even if those events never occurred, it does nothing to undermine the evidence supporting the resurrection of Jesus and thus the claims he made about himself. And yes, as noted above, I know Jesus made claims about the Jewish Scriptures.
He threw the Bible under the bus to give some who question its validity???
Why? Why not just stand up for the Bible?
Contrast Andy Stanley with Billy Graham who directed his hearers to the Bible for the answers to life’s tough questions. Billy said, “The Bible is the only book that fully answers the ultimate questions that youth are asking: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the purpose and meaning of my existence?”
Few Christians have had a larger impact on the world than evangelist Billy Graham — in all of history. He will be remembered for his character, his accomplishments, and his amazing connections with global leaders over many decades. We will perhaps most remember him for his words — and perhaps one phrase that he never tired of repeating: “The Bible says . . . ” Billy Graham did not proffer an exotic personal interpretation. His explanations of the Bible were not cliché or elitist.
When Billy Graham said “the Bible says” it was like watching an eagle catching an updraft with outstretched wings. He invited us to be borne up and carried along by the truth of Scripture. He also brought the truth of Scripture to us as a healing ointment and as a stinging antiseptic.
Most important, when Billy Graham said “the Bible says” he was letting the world know: This is not about me. I am nothing but a desperate sinner like everyone else. I would have no hope without God’s promises.
This, of course, was what gave Billy Graham that rarest of qualities these days for leaders: trustworthiness. He was voted “most admired” man by many polls for many years because we are all looking so desperately for that person who really is without deviousness – who is genuinely humble, grateful, and reverent.
Though Billy Graham repeated “the Bible says” over and over, we always knew he did not worship the Book. People did not accuse him of “bibliolatry.” What came through was his reverence for God the Father, his unswerving belief in the Bible being God’s word, submission to Jesus, and a wide-eyed expectancy of what the Holy Spirit would do next in a stadium, or through television, or within a youth movement.
“The Bible says” means “God says.” Billy Graham knew there was nothing more important.
John 1:1
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.