What importance do you attach to the Bible? Are you aware of why this is the case? And while we’re at it: How did Abraham deal with his faith, given that he was neither Jewish nor Christian and had no Bible? There is a long period of time between Abraham and us, during which a lot has happened. The comparison should nevertheless be interesting because it highlights differences. The way we believe and understand things today is very different from other times. The matter-of-factness with which one might think that our view is the correct or only view fails to recognize that we too are children of our time.

The stories in your head

He who believes trusts. This is the meaning of the word “believe”, both in the Hebrew Old Testament and in the Greek New Testament. However, this does not say it all. A translation alone still does not convey the full meaning, especially not for everyday life. We use words to link emotions, ideas and stories. It is the stories in our heads that give us direction. Those who believe know stories. That is human.

You can choose stories. Why we believe is an important question. What we believe in is another question. How we express this is worth further consideration. The stories in our heads not only shape our thoughts, but also our actions, feelings and hopes.

Some terms are listed below. Which ones are important to you? Discuss!

Versatile community

What is most important to us is often sought or depicted in the community. Bible-believing Christians often choose communities in which the Bible is central. However, this is not attractive to everyone. And, remember the questions above, is that necessary? Does the Bible have to have the same meaning for all people? Paul describes the church as a body in which the individual people are like members of the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Everyone has their own task.

The human desire to move around among like-minded people may make sense. However, if the image of the church as the “body of Christ” is correct, then any one-sided community is incomplete. There is no body that consists only of a head, only of hands, only of feet. The apostle continues in the same chapter with tasks in the church and says: “Are they all apostles? All prophets? All teachers? Do all have miraculous powers? Do all have gifts of healing? Do they all speak in tongues? Do they all interpret?” (1Cor 12:28-31). Not only are people different, but they also have different tasks. Paul speaks of spiritual gifts, but the context is about the versatility within the church. The emphasis is not on spiritual gifts, but on diversity. The text shows this as an example.

Perhaps you feel comfortable in circles where the Bible is at the forefront of everything. However, I have also met people who have stayed away from communities precisely because of this imprint. Elsewhere, there are communities that are only driven by emotions. Still others find security in rich traditions. People are different, need different things and not everything has to do with biblical teaching. Being aware of this creates freedom to imagine the community differently, to make the community more diverse.

Equalization of assumptions is not a goal, even if like-minded people like to meet. You can maintain the same mindset even if you have different opinions.

After all these questions, how important is biblical teaching? Has it become clearer why it is important or why the score is different? Did you notice that this was not only about “biblical teaching”, but also about understanding faith in general and how to shape a faith community? Do you think it is useful to think about this?

What do you want to do next?