Youth groups and other cutesy types love defining the Bible as:
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leaving
Earth
Okay, it’s catchy, and it communicates the idea that Scripture teaches us how the Lord wants Christians to operate this side of heaven. Perhaps it even hints at the Bible’s authority. But the more I think about this clever little acronym, the more disturbing I find it.
As much as I’d like to walk you through all the ways this definition trivializes the Word of God, I have limited time today. Therefore, I must confine myself to discussing the word “basic.” In a sense, however, that word pretty much encapsulates the fundamental problem with this description of God’s Word.
By describing God’s laws, statutes and ordinances as “basic,” we imply that they supply only the minimum of our spiritual needs. Girlfriends, that view of Scripture opens the door to all sorts of additives to the Word, maybe even insinuating that we require more than the Holy Spirit has given us in His Word. We cannot, however, accept even a suggestion of such a lack.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ~~2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
That knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ comes to us through the revelation of Scripture. Both Old and New Testaments tell us Who He is, what He’s done and how He views a variety of matters. Rather than providing us merely with basic instructions that need supplementation, the Bible gives us everything we need by pointing us to Jesus Christ!
As charming as our acronym may be, it strips the Bible of its richness, turning it into much less than the Holy Spirit’s glorious revelation of our magnificent God.
