What If? — The Journey

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also
members of his household.”
— Ephesians 2:19

Before we go any farther in this journey, I believe we need to talk about something incredibly important.

The Bible.

For many of us, the Bible was placed into our hands with a very simple explanation:

This is God’s Word.

And I believe Scripture is precious. I believe it is inspired. I believe it reveals God’s redemptive work and leads us toward Jesus Christ. But perhaps there is another question worth asking.

What if we have sometimes expected the Bible to be something God never intended it to be?

What if understanding its purpose more clearly would not diminish its value at all?

What if it would actually make its value even greater?

The Book That Introduces Us to Our Family

Perhaps one of the simplest ways I can describe the purpose of Scripture is this:

The Bible introduces us to the family we have been adopted into.

In recent years there has been great interest in genealogy and finding our family roots.

Perhaps you have signed up with one of the many services to discover your roots.

There are many reasons people give for this, some say to see the stories, others to
understand how we came to this place, still others for health reasons. The Bible has
first and foremost those same reasons for being given to us. Our Father, God, wants
us to know the stories of our ancestors, others to understand how we came to this place
in time, and still others to see the eternal health condition we may experience.

Christianity was never intended to be a list of rules.

It begins with a family.

And our family story begins very early.

We meet Adam.

We meet Eve.

We see their relationship with God.

We see their choices.

We see their strengths.

And unfortunately, we also see their weaknesses.

Then something remarkable happens.

Their weaknesses begin appearing in their children.

And their grandchildren.

And their descendants.

Jealousy.

Fear.

Pride.

Anger.

Lust.

Ambition.

Faith.

Courage.

Sacrifice.

Love.

Generation after generation, Scripture shows us human beings who look surprisingly familiar.

Why? Because in many ways, they are us.

This is our family story.

A Family With Problems

Sometimes we approach the Bible expecting every person in it to behave like a stained-glass saint.

But that is certainly not what we find.

Noah gets drunk.

Abraham becomes afraid and lies.

Jacob deceives.

Moses loses his temper.

David commits adultery and arranges the death of another man.

Solomon, despite receiving extraordinary wisdom, eventually allows foreign gods and influences into the kingdom.

Peter denies Jesus.

Thomas doubts.

Paul once persecutes Christians.

That is quite a family.

And yet there is something profoundly comforting about it.

God does not give up on them.

That may be one of the most important messages contained in Scripture.

Human beings fail.
God remains faithful.

Human beings wander.
God continues calling.

Human beings make terrible decisions.
God continues working His redemptive purpose.

And if God did not abandon them when they failed, perhaps you need to hear something today:

He has not abandoned you either.

The Scarlet Thread

As Scripture moves forward, another story begins developing.

A lineage.

A promise.

A coming Redeemer.

From generation to generation, through victories and disasters, faithfulness and rebellion, something continues moving through history.

God’s plan.

Then eventually we arrive at Jesus.

The family story becomes the redemption story.

And through Christ something extraordinary happens.

The family becomes larger.

Paul writes:

“The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sons-ship.”
— Romans 8:15

Think about that word.

Adoption.

Christianity is not simply joining a religion.

It is entering a family.

You have been invited into the household of God.

And suddenly the people we have been reading about are no longer merely ancient historical figures.

They are part of our spiritual heritage.

Abraham’s faith speaks to us.

David’s failures warn us.

Job’s suffering strengthens us.

Solomon’s wisdom teaches us.

Peter’s restoration gives us hope.

And Jesus reveals the Father who has been pursuing humanity from the beginning.

But What If the Bible Does Not Explain Everything?

Here is where some believers become uncomfortable.

If the Bible is God’s Word, shouldn’t it answer every question?

Not necessarily.

Because a book can be completely truthful while still having a specific purpose.

Your birth certificate may contain completely accurate information about you.

But it does not tell your entire life story.

A map may accurately show you how to reach a destination.

But it does not describe every tree growing along the highway.

Perhaps Scripture works similarly.

The Bible tells us what we desperately need to know about God, humanity, sin, covenant, redemption, Jesus Christ, and our relationship with our Creator. But Scripture itself occasionally points toward things it does not completely explain.

Spiritual beings.

Ancient rebellions.

The divine council.

Giants.

Watchers.

Visions of heaven.

Angelic conflict.

Prophetic imagery.

Events before recorded human history.

Books mentioned or referenced by biblical writers that are not contained within our modern Bible.

Cultures and civilizations surrounding Israel whose writings can sometimes help us understand the world in which biblical events occurred.

Recognizing this does not weaken Scripture.

It allows us to read Scripture within the world from which it came.

Almost every theologian from yesterday and today accepts without question the writings of Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish priest and historian born just a few years after Jesus’ death. Others such as Tacitus, a Roman historian documented Jesus’ execution under Pontius Pilate are also used, and many more.

We Should Not Be Afraid of Information

Imagine studying the American Civil War but refusing to read anything except one history textbook.

That textbook might be excellent. It might be accurate.

It might provide everything necessary to understand the basic story.

But would reading soldiers’ letters threaten that textbook?

Would studying photographs threaten it?

Would reading newspapers from 1863 threaten it?

Would archaeological discoveries threaten it?

Of course not.

Those sources might actually help us understand the textbook more clearly.

So why should our approach to biblical history be different?

When ancient documents help us understand how people in the biblical world thought, we do not have to panic.

When archaeology uncovers something interesting, we do not have to run from it.

When another ancient writing provides cultural background to something Scripture mentions briefly, we do not have to automatically treat that writing as Scripture in order to learn from it.

There is an enormous difference between saying,

“This book is Scripture,”

and saying,

“This ancient book may help me understand the world of Scripture better.”

That distinction is going to become very important during the weeks ahead.

Truth Should Never Be Afraid of Investigation

If something is true, investigation should not frighten us.

Questions should not frighten us.

History should not frighten us.

Archaeology should not frighten us.

Science should not frighten us.

Ancient literature should not frighten us.

Because ultimately, all truth belongs to God.

The danger does not come from asking questions.

The danger comes when we decide beforehand which answers we are willing to hear.

And that brings us again to the question at the heart of this entire journey:

What if?

What If Scripture Is the Beginning of the Journey?

What if the Bible was never intended to end human curiosity about God?

What if it was intended to awaken it?

What if Scripture introduces us to an enormous story and occasionally allows us to glimpse realities extending far beyond the page?

Consider how frequently the biblical writers themselves encountered mystery.

Ezekiel saw things difficult to describe.

Daniel received visions he did not completely understand.

Paul spoke of being caught up into paradise and hearing things he could not repeat.

John described astonishing scenes in Revelation involving heavenly creatures, angels, thrones, judgments, and cosmic conflict.

Even the disciples continually asked Jesus questions because they did not understand everything He was teaching them.

Apparently being close to God does not eliminate questions.

Sometimes it creates more of them.

The Difference Between Scripture and Our Interpretation

There is another distinction we must learn to make.

Sometimes what we defend as “the Bible” is actually

our interpretation of the Bible.

Those are not always the same thing.

Someone taught us what a passage meant.

Someone created a theological system.

Someone preached a sermon.

Someone wrote a commentary.

Someone handed us a tradition.

And perhaps that interpretation is correct.

But perhaps sometimes we should return to the passage and ask:

Is that actually what the text says?

That question is not rebellion. It is responsible study.

The Bereans were praised because they examined the Scriptures to determine whether what Paul taught them was true.

They listened. Then they investigated.

That sounds remarkably similar to the journey I am inviting you to take.

Where We Are Going

During the weeks ahead, we are going to look at some fascinating questions.

Some may feel comfortable.

Others may stretch us.

We are going to examine Scripture.

We are going to consider history.

We are going to look at ancient writings connected to the biblical world.

We are going to explore questions about creation, the unseen realm, spiritual beings, prophecy, and the long story of God’s relationship with humanity.

But there will be one important rule guiding everything we do.

We are not searching for reasons to abandon God.

We are searching because we want to know Him more deeply.

We are not tearing Scripture down.

We are trying to understand the world Scripture describes and how it may relate to my world today.

And we are not asking questions because our faith is weak.

We are asking them because we believe truth is strong enough to be examined.

Perhaps the Bible Is an Invitation

Maybe we have sometimes treated the Bible like the final sentence in a conversation when God intended it to begin one.

I’ve heard people say over my life: “God said it, I believe it, and that does it for me”. But what if there’s more?

It introduces us to our Creator.

It introduces us to our broken human family.

It introduces us to covenant.

It introduces us to redemption.

It introduces us to Jesus.

And ultimately, it introduces us to the incredible possibility of becoming sons and daughters within the household of God.

That is not a small purpose. That is breathtaking.

And once we understand that purpose, perhaps we no longer need to fear every archaeological discovery, historical document, scientific question, or ancient writing that comes across our path.

We can examine them carefully.

We can compare them with Scripture.

We can keep what is helpful.

We can reject what is not.

And through it all, we can continue asking the question that began this entire journey.

What If?

What if the Bible was never meant to make you afraid of questions?

What if it was given to introduce you to the God who welcomes them?

What if the stories inside it are not simply stories about strangers who lived thousands of years ago?

What if they are the story of your family?

And what if understanding that family is only the beginning of discovering just how enormous God’s story really is?

That is where our next journey begins.

And next week, we are going to open a door that many Christians have been told should remain closed:

What if there are ancient writings outside our Bible that can help us understand the Bible more clearly—without ever replacing Scripture?

That is a question worth asking.

And it may take us somewhere fascinating.

Until then, keep searching.

Keep thinking.

Keep praying.

And never be afraid to ask:

What if?