Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)
There is a lot of confusion about the Bible. Some Christian traditions seem to believe the Bible was almost dropped out of heaven intact. Others think about it almost that way – that God literally chose the words and the “writers” of the Bible were really just like a court reporter, transcribing it word for word from God. For Christians in these traditions, words like “infallible” and “inerrant” are prominent in their teaching.
But in most mainline churches, there is a different view of scripture. It is one grounded in the way scripture sees itself and in the actual claims the biblical writers make about their own work. The Apostle Paul says to Timothy, “all scripture is inspired and profitable for teaching.” Inspiration is important when something is deemed to be scripture. Luke tells his readers, “I, too, decided, as one having a grasp of everything from the start, to write a well-ordered account for you…” In other words, he’s done his homework and arranged his work in ways that he thinks will benefit his readers.
It is in this light that we come to the verse at the top of this article. John also tells us why he wrote what he did and why he chose the materials he did. He did so because he believed that “Jesus is the Messiah.” Not only did he believe that, he wanted the people who read these accounts to believe it to. His agenda was simple – to share the good news about Jesus in ways that helped everyone know how amazing the God we meet in Jesus is!
That’s how people in mainline churches understand the Bible. It is not infallible or inerrant. It did not drop down in perfect form out of heaven. It was not given word for word to the writers. Instead, real people were inspired by the Holy Spirit to take the faith that was theirs and share it in ways that they felt were faithful and helpful in sharing the good news of God’s love for us in Jesus.
Over the centuries, generation after generation have found their work to be helpful. Books were sorted and assembled into the collection of books and letters that we now know as the Bible. People risked prison and even death to translate them into the languages of the people so everyone could know about Jesus and have access to the Bible. And in church basements and congregational sanctuaries people have shared the stories and their thoughts about Jesus in their own words – inspired by the words from the biblical writers but also using their own words to make the stories about Jesus fresh and alive for the people who they taught.
So, if you find John’s desire for the Bible to be life-giving, you stand in a long line of people over two thousand years of history. Don’t be overwhelmed by that – be inspired. Because it may be that the Holy Spirit is calling to each one of us to keep telling the stories of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. And it may just be our turn to be the ones inviting people to know the love of God in Jesus.
