Peace to you!
I wanted to get some thoughts out there on this subject, because there are so many people who look to the bible as the image of God. To the point that they do not look to Christ at all, but rather they look to the law or to Moses or to the OT as the image of God... OVER... Christ. To the point that the bible has become a block to seeing and coming to Christ, and hence, seeing and coming to His Father.
But this is backward. What point would there be in having your Son come as the Truth; to come as your Image and Word, to tell people to listen to Him... if people already had the truth? If all that people needed to do was look to the OT or the law, or Moses? What point would there have been in Christ correcting former understanding and even teaching, if all that was taught and written in the past was correct? Why would he have said, come to ME, for life... and admonished searching the scriptures and thinking that by them they had life?
If you claim to be a bible follower, then perhaps you give no part of it more credence than another part of it. But then, consider His teaching on searching the scriptures for life, rather than coming to HIM for life. Consider also, that you might have to twist some of the teachings of Christ to make them fit with something that is in conflict. Which, to me, defeats the purpose in Christ coming to teach us Truth.
Some people find it very difficult to understand how someone can reject some parts of the bible that would be in conflict with the Image Christ gives, but not reject it all.
Well:
A) It is not an all or nothing book. It is not all scripture. Some of it is scripture, some of it law (and some of that is damage control), some of it is parable, some of it is moral teaching, some of it is poetry and song, and some of it is history and records. Some of it is investigation, and some of it is witness testimony. It is NOT inerrant. It is NOT one book, despite having been put in one binding.
B) We, as Christians and disciples of Christ... are to follow CHRIST. We are not told, by Christ or God, to search the scriptures for Truth. We are told to go to Christ and to listen to Him.
So for me, it is very simple. I listen to Christ. Nothing that is in conflict with Him or the Image He gives of God, can be OF God. Those conflicts could be an error in translation, or in previous understanding, or in our misunderstanding of the context today. So if I do look at things written in the OT, or elsewhere, I look with the understanding of God that I have received from His Image: Christ. I do not twist Christ's teachings to make them fit with something someone else has taught. Once again, that is backward.
(Much of what i have come to understand about some things in the OT, such as the Adam/Eve account, I have learned in Spirit. Then, when i do receive understanding, i always kick myself, lol, because why did i not see it before? The understanding given is always in unity with the Image of God being loving and merciful, as Christ shows Him to be. I think we become so accustomed to seeing something a certain way, that we are blind to anything else... unless we are shown.)
There is so much more that can be said on this topic, lol. But the bottom line is: Christ is the Image and Word and Truth of God. Nothing and no one else. So why listen to someone/something else over him? And why put even the bible above Christ, Himself?
I do not think badly of the Bible. Other than that some use it to twist the teachings of Christ into anything they want them to be. I just understand that it is Christ who sheds light on previous teachings... and not the other way around.
So look through Christ to understand God.
Peace,
tammy