Sermon for April 18th "Why is the Bible Important?"

Why do Christians, especially Lutheran Christians, make such a big deal out of the Bible? It’s only a book, right? There is nothing that special about any book. Some are big, some are little, some are shiny and some are old and falling apart. A book is only a book. During my college years, an intern pastor at my campus ministry church was teaching a class about Christian/Muslim relations and invited the Muslim student association at our state college to come one week so we could all discuss the similarities and differences between our faiths. That night, I remember that one of these students came out of the bathroom of our church with a horrified look on his face and started whispering to the rest of the group with him. A bit later, one of the group asked us how we could allow a holy book, such as the Bible, to sit in the bathroom. (I guess someone must have taken it in once cause they thought they’d be in there in awhile and left it in case someone else also might have some extra time on their hands to read.)

Why was this such a big deal? Well, for a Muslim, the Koran, their holiest of books, must be treated with the utmost respect. You wouldn’t risk degrading the cover, the pages or the binding by placing it next to a potty. But the Bible is not like the Koran. The Bible is as welcome in a bathroom stall as it is in the most expensive of hotels where the Gideons leave theirs. I know that in court, we are called to swear on the Bible, but putting your hand on the cover of a book, even on the cover of a Bible, really has nothing to do with the issue. In court, you are promising to tell the truth and, as a Christian, whether the book is there or not, telling a lie about your neighbor breaks the eighth commandment—THAT’S the problem. It’s what’s IN the Bible that matters, not just the book. The message is what matters.

For the next several weeks, I would like to focus on one part of the Bible, the book of Galatians and its message. It’s a small letter written by the apostle Paul, but it talks about some of the most important tenants of our faith in a very short amount of space. In today’s first reading from Galatians, after just a few opening lines, Paul explains the reason that he wrote this letter at all, “I am astonished,” he says, “that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”

What is this “gospel” that Paul is talking about in his letter to the Galatians? What is the gospel and what does it have to do with the Bible? The word “gospel” just means “good news”. It’s a message, or a story, hot off the presses. The news of the day, so to speak. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the story of Jesus, the news about him. To make it real simple, here is the gospel in a nutshell. There are five parts: Jesus, the Son of God, was born as a human being, he died, he rose from the dead to become Lord of all. That’s the gospel. It’s the story of Jesus Christ.

The reason that Christians make such a big deal out of the Bible is that it holds the story of Jesus Christ in it. It’s got the gospel in its pages. It’s not the book that’s important; it’s the message in the book. Martin Luther called the Bible, “the cradle that holds the Christ child”. When people come to check out new babies, they don’t spend a lot of time oohing and ahhing over the crib or the cradle: it just the baby holder and we want to check out the baby. As Christians, Jesus Christ is the main thing and the container he comes in is of secondary importance. (picture of cradle with Jesus Christ)

A professor of mine was asked by his mother once which Bible was the best. He told her: for you, large print. It didn’t matter what translation it was because if she couldn’t read it, it wouldn’t matter. The best kind of Bible is the kind that you will actually want to read. This leads to all kinds of other questions: What kind of preacher is the best? Or what kind of sermon is the best? Or what kind of service, contemporary or traditional or blended is the best? Well, the kind that you will come to. The one that helps you hear the message the best. The answer might be different for somebody else. The message is more important than the container it comes in. While containers can change, the apostle Paul says that we must be careful not to change the message.

In the book of Galatians, Paul argued that the gospel, the story of Jesus Christ, was being changed by some people. And he says that people who change that message should be eternally condemned! Now THAT is a strong statement don’t you think? Why would he say something like that? I mean, what’s the problem with tweaking it a little bit to make it easier for us to swallow? What if you just have too hard of a time believing that Jesus could be really both God and a human being? What if you just want to respect Jesus as a man, but don’t want to worship him as God? Do you really HAVE to believe that he died and then rose from the dead? Well, if we change the message, it doesn’t matter what container we put it in—all is lost and so are we.

Why is the Bible important? Why does it have the final authority? Because the message in the Bible is different from any other book. The apostle Paul says why, “I want you to know, brother and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin—it’s not made up. I did not receive it from anyone, nor was I taught it, rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” The Bible may be made of pen and ink and the words written by human hands, but the message is inspired by God himself, the author of life. Paul knew that if the revelation of Jesus Christ could be changed, then what about all the rest of scripture? What about when you are told to honor a dishonorable father or honor? What if you are really, really thirsty and need to steal a water bottle from the local grocery store? What if you just have to tell that latest bit of juicy gossip or you’ll just BURST!!! If we can’t trust the revelation of the gospel, the story of Jesus Christ, then ALL God’s laws become questionable as well. But because the message is from God himself we can trust it just like we can trust God. The message is our authority because God is our authority.

But the Bible isn’t our authority just because it is inspired by God. The message in the Bible is so important for a reason that is referred to at the very end of the chapter, ‘The man who formerly persecuted Christians is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” The message of Jesus Christ, the message in the Bible, is our authority because it creates faith in our hearts—even creating faith in a man like Paul who once had killed Christians. It’s our authority because it authors our faith. It’s writes the story of our faith on our hearts. God uses this message to create faith in you.

Through the words of this message, God the Holy Spirit gives you faith. Those who heard the words first wrote it down for you and put it in a container: the Bible. The Bible finds its goal when you start believing. When you have heard and you are given faith. When you start looking to it as your authority. When you look to it for peace when times are difficult. When it causes you to repent when you do something wrong. When it provides guidance when you need direction. It’s the power of the message that gives the Bible its authority.

When you read the Bible at home or hear the message here at church, or discuss it with your friends Get Ready! Because when the message is heard, you might just find that God has written a new future for you, becoming the author of your eternal life, healing and forgiveness. Writing a new story on your heart. Sure, the Bible is only a book, but it contains a message of life for you. Jesus the Son of God was born a human being, died, was raised from the dead and has become Lord of all. That’s the message. But the power of the message is that he did all this for you. He is not just the Lord of all. He is your Lord. He is your God. He is your Authority. He is your Savior. Why is the Bible so important? Because it was written for you. Amen.