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About Jesus - Steve Sweetman If It Is Not In The Bible, Some people say, without thinking (not thinking is a problem with today's Christians), "if something is not in the Bible, it can't be right". Some have suggested being, (as they call it), "slain in the Spirit" is one such example. But just think about this statement a bit and reason out the logic. Think of all the things we as Christians are involved in today. Going to a church building for example. It is not in the Bible. Is it wrong? (sometimes I wonder) How about all the instruments on the platform you see each Sunday morning, guitar, piano..., are they in the Bible? No. They must be wrong too. Is using a debit machine for your offering in the Bible? No. Is driving to church in a car in the Bible? Is a man named a pastor (one man show) in the Bible? No. Is preaching on radio, TV, or the internet in the Bible? No, although Paul might have liked the idea of emails if he had access to a computer, and especially a laptop. But as we know, Paul never got online. Poor Paul, how did he ever manage? I could go on and on. Most everything we do, in and out of the context of a meeting of the church is not in the Bible. The question makes no sense to even ask. Some have tried to prove that being "slain in the Spirit" is in the Bible. For example, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, they fell backwards to the ground. I am not sure that this event could be called "slain in the Spirit" as we know it today. "I do believe" that our Lord can do specific things that may not be found in the Bible, but I am not convinced that all that people claim to be of the Lord, is of the Lord. When I was young Jesus healed me of diabetes. I can't find this disease in the Bible. Did Jesus really heal me? If he didn't, who did? The question that needs to be asked is, "what can I do in my life to make my life more Biblical"? This will keep us going for a good long time, just working this out. Really, the question comes down to "how we view the Bible, and how we interpret it". This is a big question and would take lots of words to answer. The Bible is God's inspired word. The doctrine of inspiration applies only to the original writings, which we don't have. The orthodox view of inspiration has never applied to translations. There are certain things written in the Bible that apply to certain people, and not necessarily to the rest of us, although we can learn from these things. For example, Jesus told a blind man to wash his eyes in muddy water. I am legally blind. Does this mean I need to wash my eyes in muddy water? No. Jesus was talking to a specific person, at a specific time in history. Yet we can learn from this. We learn that Jesus has the power to heal, and He can use whatever method He sees fit, no matter how dumb it may seem to us. On the other hand, for example, Paul lays out his teaching on the structure of the Gentile church. What he taught for one church was meant for all Gentile churches, or so I think. It would be wise for us to follow what Paul taught. When it comes to the truth of the gospel, it is quite clear that there is only one gospel that is not changeable. The gospel message is for everyone, in all generations. The gospel was not spoken to a certain individual, or a certain group. It applies to all of us in a direct way. What we as Christians need to learn, and what has not been well taught in churches is, "how to interpret the Bible". Some people have some pretty strange ideas when it comes to interpreting of the Bible, or hermeneutics as it is called. I once had a Bible college teacher say, "if it is not in the Bible, it is not binding". To me there is some validity to this statement. What it means is, if something is not "clearly" taught in the Bible, you can't force someone to accept, or believe it. Yet if it is "clearly" taught, then we have no other choice than to embrace it.
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