{"id":29235,"date":"2016-10-26T07:22:34","date_gmt":"2016-10-26T12:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/?p=29235"},"modified":"2025-07-25T14:00:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T19:00:56","slug":"bible-rule-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/bible-rule-book\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bible: Just a Rule Book of “Thou Shalt Nots”?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Bible<\/p>\n

A lot of people get hung up on what they see as the Bible’s negativity.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Bible gets a bum rap for being “negative,” for being a bunch\u00a0of rules one has to follow, if God is to be good to us. God’s Word definitely contains “Thou shalt nots,” but God’s\u00a0intention is\u00a0not\u00a0to limit our human experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather, God’s\u00a0standards are designed to help us to\u00a0make wise choices\u00a0that will lead to our experiencing whole, satisfying lives. Lives that honor God. Lives that give us strength and stability\u00a0in\u00a0this crazy world.<\/p>\n

If we trust God — and we must make that leap of faith, if we’re to\u00a0follow Him whole-heartedly<\/em> — we will trust\u00a0that He has,\u00a0as the Bible states in Jeremiah 29:11, plans for us that work for our good. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even when difficult, painful\u00a0things happen to us. Even when we don’t get the things\u00a0we pray for. Even when it feels like God isn’t with\u00a0us. If we don’t turn\u00a0to scripture, to remind ourselves of God’s promises of His faithfulness and love, we can get in the destructive habit of\u00a0allowing ourselves to doubt that God exists or cares.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you\u00a0renew your mind with scripture? Or is your Bible closed, gathering dust, because you view its contents to\u00a0be likewise dry and dusty, with no application for the\u00a0right now? Friends, if that’s where you are in your Christian walk, you’re missing out! I’m here to testify that if\u00a0you will begin to seriously spend time meeting God in His word, He will blow you away with just how relevant\u00a0His word is to modern life!<\/p>\n

By the way, here’s what a recent study uncovered on\u00a0how millennials<\/a><\/strong> view the Bible. (Surprise, surprise: they prefer\u00a0reading it in print,\u00a0rather\u00a0than online!)<\/p>\n

Slippery Slope of Self “Truth”<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One has merely to observe human history to see that God is routinely pushed aside. Oh, we want His help when we’re in deep trouble. But the minute we think we’ve got life under control, we forget Him. Some\u00a0never give God a chance, because\u00a0they they’ve bought into the lie that they\u00a0have\u00a0no need of a creator\u00a0or\u00a0savior.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

While Christianity still exerts influence on modern society, postmodernism has definitely become entrenched in our thinking. Postmodernism teaches that words hold no\u00a0“universal truths”<\/a><\/strong> — so texts such as the Bible and even the Constitution — can only<\/em> be viewed <\/span>through the lens of each person’s subjective interpretation.\u00a0In other words, personal subjectivity trumps God’s\u00a0universal truths\u00a0of “right” and “wrong.”\u00a0Truth is not there to be discovered; truth is there to be created.<\/em><\/p>\n

You see the slippery slope down which we’re hurtling, right? If\u00a0each person gets to decide his or her own “truth,” society has\u00a0moved from concrete to sand piles.<\/p>\n

Ask a Christian couple who define “sin” by their version of truth (rather than God’s) if they’re sinning by living together and they might say,\u00a0“No, because we’re monogamous!” When Christians choose to tweak God’s standards, we have to ask ourselves why. Have they been so influenced by society that they don’t realize they’re not living to God’s standards? Are they thumbing their noses at God? Or are they not actively reading God’s Word, to have an\u00a0intimate familiarity with how God wants His people to live?<\/span><\/p>\n

We have to know, for ourselves, what the Bible says. The Bible is our playbook. When we try to make plays without it, we’re out\u00a0on the field making fouls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stability Found in the\u00a0Bible<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes, the Bible was written thousands of years ago, to cultures completely different from our own. But because its Author is a relational God, and the Holy Spirit is actively working in us to reveal God’s truth, scripture remains relevant today. We can be confident of this for three reasons: 1) The Bible reveals universal truths that provide an accurate worldview; 2) The Bible wisely counsels us on how we are meant to live; and 3) The Bible meets us at the point of our need.<\/p>\n

When we study and read the Bible as a worldview book, we are able to relate the great universal truths of Scripture to our everyday lives. This gives us\u00a0understanding of who we are as humans in relationship to God, how to distinguish\u00a0right from wrong, and how God’s way can\u00a0bring resolution to the physical, relational, social, moral, ethical, economic, and environmental problems we experience in life.<\/p>\n

I think that’s what I am most struck by today: that our God is a personal God. He’s not just a rule giver. He’s not just some distant deity who doesn’t see every aspect of my life. He’s an engaged\u00a0creator who birthed\u00a0each of us for specific purposes.\u00a0So\u00a0His word is personally relevant to me. And you.<\/p>\n

The amazing thing about scripture is that it speaks to the human condition: our very predictable, natural drift\u00a0to go our\u00a0own way. Fortunately, scripture also speaks to God’s unwavering commitment to chase after us. He wants us to have a very real, very\u00a0personal relationship with Him.<\/p>\n

If you’re not reading the Word, friends, you need to. It’s that simple. If you can’t find the time for God, you will never experience God beyond a superficial level. You won’t get to the deep level of trust that will allow you to fully believe that God holds you, and everything else, in the palm of His hand. Your money troubles? The Bible speaks to them. Your temper issues? The Bible speaks to them. Your fears of abandonment? The Bible is weighty with encouragement for you. Your inability to relinquish control? The Bible will show you how, if you will only open it and\u00a0let its wisdom sink into your heart and mind.<\/p>\n

\"bible\"How might you engage with God via His word? What tools might you use that will help you to view the Bible as a living, breathing document with huge relevance for\u00a0today? You might\u00a0start with a daily devotional<\/a>.<\/strong> Devotionals are helpful because they focus our thoughts on a particular issue in scripture.<\/p>\n

The Bible is so much more than a rule book! It’s the greatest love story ever told. It’s the story of our past and our future. And its power helps us to deal with the right here, right now. Get excited about that! Christianity will come alive for you when you start reading the Bible. You will become firmly cemented in just how crazy in love God is with you. Once you taste that truth, you’ll never again be able to settle for just a ho-hum Christian experience!<\/p>\n

When we trust that God is working in our lives — through collaboration with our active participation — we can live in joyful expectation of what He will do for us and through us to bless others. We’re invited to participate in an intimate adventure!<\/p>\n

Thought to Ponder<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

This week, take up the devotional challenge<\/a><\/strong>. Find a 10-minute period of time each day in which you can read your selected\u00a0devotional. Then go to the bible with the devotional’s scriptures as your guide.\u00a0God is able to speak through His word and address specific issues in our lives — if we will give Him the time to speak to us.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheThis blog post has been adapted from the book The Beauty of Intolerance<\/i><\/strong><\/a>, by Josh and Sean McDowell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lot of people get hung up on what they see as the Bible’s negativity. The Bible gets a bum rap for being “negative,” for being a bunch\u00a0of rules one has to follow, if God is to be good to us. God’s Word definitely contains “Thou shalt nots,” but God’s\u00a0intention is\u00a0not\u00a0to limit our human experience.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23327,"featured_media":76439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"The Bible gets a bum rap for being a book of restrictive rules. In reality, the Bible is our playbook for successful, meaningful living.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[349,184,243,266,122],"translator":[],"blog-author":[78],"class_list":["post-29235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apologetics","tag-bible","tag-god","tag-relationship","tag-sin","tag-truth","blog-author-josh-mcdowell-ministry-team"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/607\/2016\/10\/Bible-rule-book.jpg","meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23327"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29235"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92548,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29235\/revisions\/92548"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29235"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/translator?post=29235"},{"taxonomy":"blog-author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-author?post=29235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}