Over the last 30+ years I have spent a fair amount of time studying the Bible. I was deeply taken back by my first professor and advisor at Luther Rice. His name was Dr. William Beck. In all my life I had never met anyone like him and am not sure that I ever will again. He was the gentlest and most knowledgeable person I had ever met when it came to the Hebrews and their history. He made the first course on Ezra, Nehemiah and Ester come to life. I could actually picture (in my mind) what it was like – and even had dreams about it. From that point forward, I took every course he offered.
Since he was an Old Testament/Hebrew expert, over time I fell in love with the stories of these characters who shaped the minds of most kids who attended Sunday or Bible school. But he was able to take you into the minds of these people through the Hebrew language so you understood how they thought. He helped me see that they were real people just like you and me – they had their good points, but they also had their flaws.
I learned that Abram, who later took the name of Abraham, was a bit of a fibber and he used his deceptions to get rich. After being around him all his life, his son Isaac told similar untruths. Now if the falsifications weren’t enough, we see that Isaac’s son Jacob, who later was assigned the name Israel, was somewhat of a pessimist who complained a lot. Yet in each and every case God used them to be the patriarchal fathers of the Hebrew people – not because of their great personalities, etc., but because of their faith and commitment to the King of the Universe. I cannot tell you what that did for my heart as I tried to put so much of my past behind me. It gave me the assurance that even though I am not or ever will be perfect, there is still something there for God to work with.
When I studied the New Testament, things seemed different. All the doctrine and finite points that Paul seemed to focus on really stretched my intellect. It wasn’t horrible by any stretch, because the Greek was rich and insightful. But, there were just so many concepts that had to be interpreted and depth that had to be explored that it stretched my “average person’s” reason. Whenever there were options, I would elect one of the gospels where more stories existed that I could relate to. The disciples seemed like regular fellas that had, at times, intense agendas, but they were also real. After growing up and thinking: “How could they not understand what Jesus was saying?” I began to look at the context of the world they lived in. Even more so as I read the pseudophygripha and other extra-Biblical literature, especially Enoch, which I dearly treasure.
Paul was a deep thinker, probably a lot deeper than I will ever be, but someone needed to be because there were going to be popes, priests, monks, reformers, preachers and the likes to follow who needed something to argue about or discuss. Now, I am hardly against theological discussions, but some people carry it a bit too far in my estimation. I can appreciate the fine points of there being three types of Baptism, but the most important thing is that it is a symbol of our obedience and loyalty to the man Jesus, who left heaven even when he did not have to, but did, so we could have eternal life.
I often wish I had studied and become more adept at telling stories, because they bring ideas and people to life. They help us understand truths and realities by putting them in context. Just like no man will ever be perfect (like Jesus) we will never be 100% accurate in our theology, so why argue? Tell me a story about a real person with flaws just like you and me and I will understand your point. Share your story with your friends and let them see that your heart is what makes the difference – not your flaws. Love Dad