The Bible
A Double-Edged Sword...
The Bible is the written record of the lives of Abraham and his descendants,
whose teachings and experiences gave rise to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As
such, every people and nation is profoundly influenced by its message and it continues
to shape the world in which we live.
Depending on how it is used, the Bible is a source of
both compassion and hatred, justice and injustice, life and death, war and peace, hope
and desperation. As comedian Jon Stewart once remarked, religion is like splitting
atoms: it can create electricity or an atomic bomb.1 In the
hands of God, it is a two-edged sword, delivering both mercy to the meek and
judgment to the self-righteous.2
Bible teachers may often fail to unveil the nature of God, but they always
reveal the true nature of their own hearts. When they inspire people to judge and
condemn others based on the letter of the law, they are not led by the spirit of God. If
they instill hate instead of forgiveness and compassion, they are not of God. Whenever
teachers are consistent with the overall message of the Bible, their teachings will
always yield the fruits of God's spirit:love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.3 If they say that they teach
both judgment and mercy, they deceive themselves because a fountain cannot yield, at
the same time, both sweet water and bitter.4
References
1 CNN Larry King Live. Interview with Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central TV’s The Daily Show. December 8, 2004.
2 Ps 149:6; Heb 4:12; Rev 1:16
3 Gal 5:22-23
4 Ja 3:11
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