I love that the Bible isn’t perfect

I love that the Bible isn’t perfect. And I love that I can’t read the Bible literally. I can’t view it as a history book. It’s literary not literal to me. I don’t think that I’m off on that. 

In the Bible Christ himself uses many diverse literary devices to teach. One of his primary methods of gospel teaching is parables. They are inherently just a literary device with layers of meaning.

But Christ didn’t start it. If we turn to the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament we see a variety of literary styles and devices used by various prophets and writers. 

And I love that.

I know some people need the Bible to be absolutely true and literal and inerrant for their faith. I get that. I do. And so what I’m about to launch into isn’t to confront them. But to talk about why my faith is improved by the inconsistencies of our canonical scripture.

First. I love imperfection in my art. It just reminds me of our humanity. It’s why I love jazz to classical. Street art and Impressionism to baroque portraits. I like to see the imprint of the artist a little more vividly than not. 

That’s how I view scripture. 

I love the variance. I love the inconsistencies. That may sound strange to some but it increases my faith. For ME.

When I was figuring out my faith I read a lot of various scriptures. Hindu texts, a translation of the Quran, and then the Book of Mormon, just to finally look back to the Bible. I found one thing. There’s truth across scripture (and not just ours). And the truth is literary traditions, culture, all leave an imprint on the scriptures of any place and time. So it shouldn’t be surprising that the amount of hands that touch the Bible is fascinating to me. The scope is something I didn’t recognize as much as a child. But the distance, time, cultures, and even religions. It gives us so much. And the ability to find texts that resonate so differently and carry such diverse impacts in one place is one of the best things to me.  

That leads to inconsistencies in text and translation. I’m probably buoyed by an article of faith that speaks to proper translation in scripture. And by having a canon that expands past the Bible. 

But I almost digress. Cause I love it. But what I love most are the themes. The carrying of the Gospel. The variances of those themes. The changing focuses. 

The beauty of the poetry of the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible has just grown on me over the years. It strikes me different now than when I was a teen. Yet I’m still drawn to the simplicity of the Gospels themselves with Christ’s direct teachings and actions.

It all rhymes. It sometimes repeats. And it tells a different story. 

It’s the writings of men growing closer to God. To Christ. And isn’t that beautiful.

I get to see what sticks. What archetypes were formed. And those glorious themes of the love of God told is various ways.

Recently I’ve spent more time in the Gospels. And even took some of my very limited German studies to them as well. The idea that a different mindset changes how we view scripture has never been more clear. I felt like a child focused intently on the meaning of each word again. Then when I resumed English study I found myself digging beneath the text and listening to the quiet peace around me.

It has to be similar for the remarkable amount of generations and cultures of people that contributed to the various translations and printings of the Bible we have today.

As I ask more questions. As I sit with more uncertainty. Even reflecting back at the text. I just find more peace in the humanity of it all. The instrument and authors God used to write it. It’s as imperfect as we are, but it’s striving for something greater. 

I can’t ask for more from a holy text than that.