When considering or reconsidering what to do, say, or believe the question arises, “Is it biblical?” This question seems so noble and safe. It may even be sincerely asked, but it may not be the right question. A better and safer question would be, “Is it consistent with the Bible viewed from the lens of Christ. Is it compatible with the whole counsel of God seen in light of the revelation of God’s true nature revealed in and through Jesus?” Is it biblical to stone adulterers, persistently disobedient children, or the one who gathers wood on the Sabbath? Well, a flat reading of the Bible would lead us to a yes, but the Bible cannot be read flatly. What do I mean by that? The same degree of revelation is not contained in every sentence of the Bible. It cannot be read giving equal weight to every verse you read. Throughout the pages of the Bible, God is gradually bringing people along on a journey toward full revelation, giving them as much as they can receive at the time. To disregard the progressive nature of God’s revelation leads to endless distortions of the truth. All Biblical revelation is a continuous unfolding of truth which advances to the highest peak of the mountain range, Jesus, the Truth personified. He boldly declared that no one really knew the Father before Him. Jesus is the image of the invisible God and the express image of God. When reading anything in the Bible that is inconsistent with what is revealed in the Truth, Himself, that passage must be seen as inferior revelation and of less weight. You do not read a fictional book expecting or insisting every sentence along the way is the climax. The story is building toward a crescendo. Only later do you know the full truth. Jesus is the high point of revelation. When you have seen him you have seen the Father. You can prove just about anything from the Bible, including snake-handling and slavery. A Christo-centric lens is absolutely necessary. Leviticus should not be read like Romans. Genesis 1 must submit to John 1. It only takes a trip to the top of the Mount of Transfiguration to discover the words of Jesus trump the words of Moses and Elijah. Jesus is the Word made flesh, He is the Living Word. The Bible is the written word that leads us to the Word. Anything in the written word that is not congruent with the Living world is incomplete revelation. Properly understood, the entire Bible points to, is fulfilled in, or must be understood in the light of the person of Jesus.
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