Kristen Grossman Prose

Reflections on The Bible for Grown-Ups by Andy Stanley, Episode 2

About five years ago, I had to trade in my small-print Bible with the concordance at the bottom of each page for a big-letter edition. More recently, it is the Blue Letter Bible on my phone and laptop that I rely on the most. I can pull it out anywhere, highlight the text, and use the Search and Study features for in-depth information. Yet, I had not given deep thought to how the book that speaks so deeply to my heart made its way from the mouth of God to my own hands. Furthermore, in a world that questions matters of faith, how can I explain my reverence for this book?

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“God said it, I believe it, that settles it” or “because the Bible says so” are acceptable phrases for those who have a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father. However, when sharing faith or explaining a Christian worldview, these phrases fall short for the hearers who want to know why or how they should place their hope and trust in our Father God.

As a society with great reverence for science and facts, the very opening of the Old Testament book of Genesis raises questions. So often, we get hung up on the creation narrative as we debate whether seven days means seven days. We get caught up in comparing our scientific ideas with the information laid out in the Scriptures. We miss the goal Moses had in mind when he wrote this narrative for a pagan, polytheistic audience. Moses wrote Genesis not to tell us how God created the universe. He wrote to tell us that the one powerful, holy, omnipotent God did create everything we see.

The Bible begins with the sentence, “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1) and continues to say, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals…” (Genesis 1:26)

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The Biblical creation narrative stands in stark contrast to those of other religions of the time. All other religions worshipped not one but many gods. Furthermore, the creation stories of other religions did not tell of a God who designed humanity as the crowning glory of all creation. They speak of legions of warring gods who created humans as servants without dignity and worth.

“I will establish a savage, man shall be his name. Savage man I will create. He shall be charged with the service of the gods. That they might be at ease.” (Marduk, Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation story)

When early Christians became followers of Jesus, they looked to the sacred texts of the Hebrews. There, they discovered that the Jewish people held the truth in their Scriptures; we were created by Yahweh, the true God, who loves and cares for his creation.

“God wades into the fray and plays by the rules of the kingdoms of this world in order to usher in a kingdom not of this world. Our Old Testament is a saga of an ancient people struggling to survive in a world where food was scarce, enemies were real, and death was just a minor infection away. In spite of that, they clung to YHWH, and he in turn clung to his nation, careful not to override their freedom with his presence.” (Andy Stanley, The Bible for Grown-Ups, Part 3)

Furthermore, those Scriptures point to Jesus Christ as God’s gift of salvation and redemption.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Scripture. Thank you for the Biblical evidence that from the very beginning, the most ancient of times, You loved humankind and provided us with dignity, beauty, and privilege. Help us not just to believe, but to believe with joy, gratitude, and confidence. Amen. 

Andy Stanley. (2018, October 15) The Bible for Grown-Ups, Part 2: In the Beginning [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0MorAO2Yu14