✌🏼Why the Bible Is Still Perfect Even When It’s Not

My answer to what I really think about the Bible

Let’s talk about the Bible. With the title of the latest Hippie Preacher Podcast and some of my posts and replies on social media, there have been questions about what I really think about the Bible. So here goes.

I love the Bible. Every word. I believe it. I do my best to try to live it. Do I believe it is inerrant and infallible? Well, I’ll duck as I say this, but yes and no.

The truth is, no printed Bible we hold in our hands is perfect. While I believe our understanding and translations are more and more accurate, you would have to check your brain at the door to say that we humans accurately translate every single word.

There are even words and phrases in Greek and Hebrew that are so archaic we don’t have an absolute understanding of what they mean. Not to mention the manuscript omissions or additions, and the differences between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint.

So how in the world can we know what’s true? Well, first we have to define truth. Jesus did that for us.

John 17:17 (NET)

Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.

We also need to keep in mind that Paul said, we now see through a glass darkly - or like an image in an imperfect mirror. Someday face to face and perfect. Not today, so far.

So, in this broken imperfect world, with human translators, differing interpretations, and the big business of Bible printing - can we rely on ANY Bible translation?

Yes. Absolutely. And here’s why.

Let there be light. Consider this. God’s word and WORD (Logos) are revealed in Jesus as the Light of the world. That light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overpower it.

You can’t turn the dark off, you can only turn the light on.

Now imagine you are in a pitch-dark room, with no windows. Light can’t get in and it is impossible to see. Yet if the sun is shining outside, even the smallest crack under the doorway will at least slightly illuminate the room.

Now imagine there is a glass window facing the sun. The light will dispel the darkness in the room allowing you to see clearly to avoid obstacles and identify objects in the room.

What if that window has a crack in it? You can still see because the light will get through. What if the window is stained glass? You can still see, even though things may look different because the light is refracted by the colors.

The sun is still the sun and the pure source of light. The window is not the light, but just a way for the light to shine in the darkness of the room.

A few cracks in the window don’t change the light’s brightness or the purity of the source. It still dispels darkness.

However, if you consider the window the source of light, then it’s easy to miss the illumination in the room (your life) and get caught up cleaning windows and trying to repair the cracks. Or in the worst case, worshipping the window.

Taking care of the window is important, and who wants a dirty or discolored window? But it’s the actual light of the sun that changes your view, not the window.

That’s how I view Bible translations. Even the most cracked, dirty, or gaudy, stained glass window still lets some light in.

I want the best possible window and the most light to illuminate my path. So how do we know which window is best?

That’s Jesus.

He is what the light looks like. He is the definition of Truth. Seeing Jesus is how you see and know the Father.

But how do you even know that those are His words if the window isn’t perfect? Because the light of Jesus changes things so radically that darkness flees.

That’s what I believe about the Bible. That’s how I endeavor to follow Jesus. Not arguing about windows, but letting the light change me and teach me what living without darkness is really like.

Psalms 119:105 (NET)

Your word is a lamp to walk by,

and a light to illumine my path

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