All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
In a previous essay I wrote,
The Bible is the Divine/human Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, communicated through and to humans. Just as Jesus Christ is the incarnate, fully-divine/ fully-human Son of God who was tempted in all ways but remains sinless; likewise, the Bible is the inscripturated fully-divine/fully-human book of God that reveals the righteousness of God and the sinfulness of humanity with infallibility.
Let’s flesh this out a bit.
Jesus Christ is the innocent and holy Son of God who assumed upon himself the guilt, sinfulness, and corruption of all humanity so that humanity might “become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). In the same way, Holy Scripture is the divinely inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God that has embedded within it the systemic corruption and sinfulness of humanity. In other words, Holy Scripture reveals the corruption of humanity. Just as Christ assumed the sinfulness of humanity in his body (without compromising his holiness), the Holy Scripture embeds the sinfulness of humanity within its narrative (without corrupting its integrity).
The Bible is not hagiography – it does not present an idealized view of humanity. The Bible tells the full story of humanity with all secrets revealed, all skeletons uncovered, with gritty detail. I have often said that the Bible is an X-rated book filled with sex, exploitation, and violence. Lot has drunken sex with his daughters, Abraham shares his wife with other men, Sarah gives Hagar to Abraham, Abraham and Sarah disown and abandon Hagar… all of this in the first book of the Bible. Most of us tend to read over those sections of the Bible, reading scripture uncritically and without reflection. Tragically, we prefer to read Scripture with corrupted eyes and all too often normalize the very sinfulness that Scripture reveals. Do we really think using a slave girl as a surrogate concubine is pleasing to the Lord?
Are we to read the graphic violence portrayed in Scripture without reflection? The psalmist declared,
Daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, Blessed will be one who repays you with the retribution with which you have repaid us. Blessed will be one who seizes and dashes your children against the rock (Psalm 137:8-9)
Do we really think that God is pleased with such brutality?
What about slavery? The Torah legislates slavery. Paul acknowledged the presence of slaves in the early church and encouraged their submission. Does this imply divine sanction of an oppressive institution that trades human lives like cattle and pigs? For centuries, the nations of Christendom justified slavery based on a corrupt reading of Holy Scripture.
What about the place of women in society and in the church? Are women property of men to be traded and used as men desire? Are women to remain quiet and submissive?
To ask these questions is not to question the integrity of Holy Scripture. Rather, to ask these questions is to take scripture seriously. As I have said, human sinfulness is embedded within the sacred narrative. Not only does Holy Scripture assume the corruption of humanity, Scripture is often corrupted by bad interpretations. Paul exhorted, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Paul is concerned that bad interpretation reduces Holy Scripture to “worldly and empty chatter” that leads to ungodliness (2 Timothy 2:16). There are many cases in history where Scripture has been used to justify violence, oppression, exploitation, slavery, racism and a host of human offenses. That’s why it’s important to understand reception history – the way Scripture has been adequately (or inadequately) interpreted.
Let’s use the role of women as a case in point. One reading of Scripture suggests that women are created to be subordinate and inferior to men, silent in the church, and therefore women should not be educated, nor allowed to vote. Lest you think I jest; this was the majority view in the 19th century. An alternative reading suggests that women, like men, are created in the image of God, may be filled with the Spirit of God, are therefore equal to men, may speak and fully participate in the church and public square. Both readings use the same Scripture. The question becomes, “Which is the faithful reading?”
We should learn to read Holy Scripture through the eyes of Jesus – the Holy One. He had no issue with challenging the theological traditions of the Pharisees and Sadducees as corrupted readings of scripture. Jesus interpreted scripture through a redemptive lens which emphasized mercy, forgiveness, deliverance, and liberation. When the Jews were eager to stone the woman caught in adultery, Jesus reminded them of their own sinfulness, and offered mercy. Throughout the gospels, Jesus reinterprets the Torah in favor of Publicans, Gentiles, women, and slaves. Just as Holy Scripture embeds the corruption of humanity within its narrative, Scripture also is embedded with the narrative of redemption, sanctification, and glorification. We must be careful not to impose a corrupt reading on the Sacred text. Scripture provides a diagnosis of the human problem, and the remedy for the human problem. A faithful reading of the text can discern the difference.
