There are many philosophers and experts of the law, religious experts even, they who seem to know everything and who can win many discussions and arguments as to who is right and who is wrong. But who can really tell which one has wisdom in him? Can we really put God inside a box and tell everyone who He is and who He is not? Can we be absolutely certain what happens after death? Can we be so confident in judging who will go to heaven and who will descend quickly into hell? Who are we at all to say these things? With what authority do we speak?
“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” - (LUKE 18:10-14)
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Various religious denominations have risen, countless discussions and arguments, a multitude of opinions and counter opinions spoken to the point of disgust or contempt with those stubbornly clinging to their beliefs. In the process however, the true Spirit of the Bible is lost somewhere, and many people leave the Bible altogether, hoping to find some peace somewhere, hoping to find their soul’s salvation. Isn’t there a simple way to interpret the Bible?
By far, I have found the following to be the simplest way:
GOD is LOVE.
And by these three words, you may now read the Bible in the light of this perspective. Is there something confusing? Why so? Does the interpretation lead to God being Love, or is your interpretation reducing God into some alien being bereft of any human emotion, observing you, picking on you, waiting for you to fall so He could punish you in the end? Is the verse you are reading a literal command you should follow or is it a glimpse of God’s face, revealing to you one aspect of Himself? Is the verse God’s infallible word? Or was it spoken thru fallible men who may have failed to express God’s true intention on the matter? Have you read a specific text and based all your interpretations on those limited words? Or have you found out the meaning of those words in the context of mankind’s journey in getting to know his God?
GOD is LOVE.
LOVE is merciful and forgiving.
LOVE is strong.
LOVE does not delight in evil.
LOVE does not force itself.
LOVE, perfect love, casts away all fear.
Is your interpretation leading to a revelation of God as Love? If not, better look deeper, better pray. At times it is not the intellect that gives true wisdom. It is God.
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Many people who read the Bible for the first time may ask, “Why is there so much violence in the Bible?” If God is a God of peace, people wonder why there is so much violence in the Bible instead. In the New Testament alone, we see the whippings suffered by the apostles, we see the passion and crucifixion of Christ. Can there be a more violent death indeed?
Yet through all these, one could see a reflection of reality, the kind of world one is living in right now where no one is exempt from pain, and from the evil that others do.
Yes, we seek peace. But peace is not the mere absence of war, or the perennial avoidance of conflict. True peace is within one’s heart, and is never shattered even with the most violent storms outside.
If the Bible spoke only of superficial peace, we would have doubted its authenticity. Instead of this however, we are presented with Truth, for we live yet in a world where Light and darkness are still mingled together for the sake of the Mercy of God giving us more time to know Him before we make our final decision.
Many people ask that if there is a God, why does He allow suffering? Yet few people ever ask, why did God allow Himself to suffer here with us and share our sorrows and this violent world we are living in.
We do not have a mystical peaceful God in some mystical heaven faraway watching us in our misery. We have a God who came down for us to embrace us in our darkest hour, the hour when we needed to be with Him the most and share His peace which passes all understanding.
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