Does God give eternal salvation to people who are better at memorizing? Or those who are able to figure out the truth of what happened more than 2k years ago? Maybe Hebrew and Greek scholars have an easier time getting into heaven?
So what then is the point of the Bible?
In my mind, the point is simply to guide our spirits to Christ. The Bible contains morsels of truth, but is not "The Truth". It shows us some of the way, but it is not "The Way". If gives us echoes of life, but is not "The Life".
The Bible points us to Christ, and directs us to engage with him one-on-one. The Bible teaches us to pray, to seek, ask, and knock, and promises we will find, receive, and that the doors will be opened.
I don't want to get involved in discussion over whose Bible is better. Pick one, and read it, and pray about what you are reading. Use it as a tool to get closer to God. Don't worship it as if it were God, because it is not. It is, after all, just a book.
As for me, I prefer the King James Version. Why? Because I've read it my whole life. Give me a different Bible, and I'll feel weird reading it. But I understand why many people do not prefer the King James Version, and I only recommend it to them because its was by far the most popular version throughout our (modern) English-speaking history. Knowing the verses in the KJV will help you better connect to your ancestors who also used the KJV.
Other versions are good, and I appreciate that I can actually understand some of the more complicated verses in those versions. So I do not say "Don't read them!" Just don't get hung up on which version.
And the same goes for the stories. Don't get hung up on whether they are true or factual or not. That's not what they are for. Get from them what spiritual insight you can to draw closer to God. The Bible is going to read very differently as a child and as an adult. You are going to see Abraham differently when you are a grandpa than when you were a young man. The meaning of the stories will change too. At first you might say, "Don't be like those guys!" and later in life, "Why am I like these guys?" Or even, "It's so clear we should do X" and later you'll see, "Maybe X isn't the whole story, Perhaps X+Y is the right way." Don't get hung up on that sort of thing. Let the Bible provide a beautiful vista from which God will reveal his will to you at that moment!
My take on it all:
Why do we even read the Bible at all?
Does God give eternal salvation to people who are better at memorizing? Or those who are able to figure out the truth of what happened more than 2k years ago? Maybe Hebrew and Greek scholars have an easier time getting into heaven?
So what then is the point of the Bible?
In my mind, the point is simply to guide our spirits to Christ. The Bible contains morsels of truth, but is not "The Truth". It shows us some of the way, but it is not "The Way". If gives us echoes of life, but is not "The Life".
The Bible points us to Christ, and directs us to engage with him one-on-one. The Bible teaches us to pray, to seek, ask, and knock, and promises we will find, receive, and that the doors will be opened.
I don't want to get involved in discussion over whose Bible is better. Pick one, and read it, and pray about what you are reading. Use it as a tool to get closer to God. Don't worship it as if it were God, because it is not. It is, after all, just a book.
As for me, I prefer the King James Version. Why? Because I've read it my whole life. Give me a different Bible, and I'll feel weird reading it. But I understand why many people do not prefer the King James Version, and I only recommend it to them because its was by far the most popular version throughout our (modern) English-speaking history. Knowing the verses in the KJV will help you better connect to your ancestors who also used the KJV.
Other versions are good, and I appreciate that I can actually understand some of the more complicated verses in those versions. So I do not say "Don't read them!" Just don't get hung up on which version.
And the same goes for the stories. Don't get hung up on whether they are true or factual or not. That's not what they are for. Get from them what spiritual insight you can to draw closer to God. The Bible is going to read very differently as a child and as an adult. You are going to see Abraham differently when you are a grandpa than when you were a young man. The meaning of the stories will change too. At first you might say, "Don't be like those guys!" and later in life, "Why am I like these guys?" Or even, "It's so clear we should do X" and later you'll see, "Maybe X isn't the whole story, Perhaps X+Y is the right way." Don't get hung up on that sort of thing. Let the Bible provide a beautiful vista from which God will reveal his will to you at that moment!
YES! exactly how I feel about the Bible too. It’s meant to bring you closer to God. It’s a tool to enhance your faith and grow spiritually.