What is the Bible about? The simple answer is one what I’ve been
taught since childhood: the Bible is about God’s love for us and how we should
show our love for him and each other.
Gordon Ferguson claims that the Bible is about relationships. Huh, what?
As a literal woman and one who feels socially awkward, I don’t like that
idea. If the Bible and Christianity are
about relationships, I’ve been doing it wrong all my life.
I should rewind a bit and explain what I’m
talking about. Nearly three years ago I
joined a campus group that was part of a non-denominational church in
town. I had a lot of fun, made some
great friendships, and listened to a lot of interesting sermons. For Christmas the pastor’s wife gave out a
book to all the kids in the campus group.
A few months later I left the non-denominational church and started
going to a church in the next town that was the more traditional denomination I
was raised in. Now, over two years after
getting the book, I’m finally sitting down to read it as a Bible study. The book is Love One Another: The
Importance and Power of Christian Relationships (New Edition) by Gordon
Ferguson.
Getting back to Ferguson’s introduction,
he makes some good points. One of them
is that a lot of modern churches don’t have a lot of relationships between
members. Although I see a lot of
conversations at the new church, it almost seems like extended family groups
hang around after church to talk, but people don’t really make new
friends. One of the things I loved about
the non-denominational church was that everyone was friendly and everyone was
friends. An extra forty-five minutes of
fellowship was built around church each week.
(Or as I thought of it, small talk time.) I’m an introvert so small talk is kind of
pointless to me but it was great to feel like I had so many friends. Now the church I go to has a lot of young
families who leave as soon as church is done and before their kids get restless
so it feels much more distant. (I also
don’t put much effort into making friends so I’m to blame as well.) Ferguson says that if the members don’t have
strong relationships, the church dies and I can see his point.
Then I read his reference texts, below,
and realized I may be wrong.
“A
new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34, 35
“‘Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law’
Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all soul
and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And
the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”
Matthew 22:36-40
Those are some powerful verses for the
argument that the Bible is about relationships, not just love. Hm, this may be a painful Bible study for
me. I wonder what the first chapter says.
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