Scripture, Yet Again

THURS., FEB. 27, 1992, 6:39 AM
FARM, STUDY

The best guide to life in the earth as a human is that Source that I call Holy Scripture. You do not know it well, and I continually urge you to more reading and study. Then I must also admit that as I see two of your Bibles I see more evidence of study than I do in most of the Bibles of your fellow Presbyterians. Your denomination is reputed to value education, but somehow this doesn’t translate to much study of this Good Book of Mine.

I tell you again that this, in essence, is one long story, and you should know this better. The whole saga is made up of shorter stories, and even some of these are sub-divided into situational stories, such as the wedding at Cana. You know Jesus’ life story rather well, and you have studied Paul’s and now Peter’s. You’re not very aware of the Chronology, but that’s detail that is secondarily important.

Secular history assumes there were very primitive times, and your favorite story, The Clan of the Cave Bear, describes an aspect of that assumption. The Scriptures assume no primitive state. Adam and Eve were, as depicted, fully functioning persons, and Noah, from whom, by the Biblical account, came all of humanity, certainly was. Their travel and their warfare were primitive, but today’s standards, but not prehistoric, by any means.

You realize that while this is a Book of Truth some of it is symbolic Truth that is described in cultural terms that no longer apply. One early passage says, “And God created man, male and female He created them”, implying equality, which is Truth. A later Scripture proclaims that women should not speak in Church and should be subject to their husbands, which is a cultural example of unequal status. This is a rather easy distinction (though some Christians and Christian groups still hold to the inequality as God’s Truth), but many others are more difficult to discern. For example, does “Though shalt not kill” mean there should be no abortion, no capital punishment, and no war?

Then I have told you, and not many others, that these Scriptures include a sense of fun and humor. It is Truth that I have fun in being the Holy Spirit, and did see that some of that is represented in these Holy Books. Every story can be interpreted in a standard, serious way, and many have a menacing quality to them. Yet some also have a fun element, and it is not blasphemous to see such evidence. For example, you know the story of My electing Saul, the enemy of Christians, to become Paul, the man who truly established the church as My Body. But then I let Paul write letters that became Holy Scripture which reflected that women should be subject to men. Paul gave forth the crucial Truth of My Grace, which I could only suggest, as the non-yet-crucified Jesus. Paul also kept certain unnecessary prohibitions “alive” and troublesome to the current Christians.

The Revelation of John is prophetic and also full of fun. And I have fun seeing some devout Christians struggling to see the serious Truth in some of these ridiculous descriptions. Sometime I shall command you to study this set of visions, but not yet. But when you do you can proceed with the realization that some of it is just in fun. So… which? Ah, Mystery.

You must read Holy Scripture interpreted by the Truth I have shared with you in these many greenish pages. Yesterday you shared, in an off-the-cuff fashion, what I have told you about Adam, Eve, the Garden, and the talking snake. No one reacted strongly, but some may have heard what you said, which puts the doctrine of original sin into quite another light. Perhaps the original sin was to feel guilty and hide from Me, rather than disobedience.