The Bible |
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Some years ago I was privileged to meet a Chinese scholar raised under communism in his formative years. He shared how effective communist teaching against God and the Bible had been in his life and mind. Yet, when he was once challenged to read the Bible he agreed to, and did so, in fact, three times. "The first time I read it, I laughed that such an idea should gain prominence," he said. "Yet there was something intriguing so I read it again. This time I did so in silence." "The third time, in tears. Tears of remorse and repentance."
Why? Because the Bible is not only a book spanning human history and opening our understanding of eternity, but it also seeps in behind our intellectual defences.
Karl Barth once compared the Bible to a pool deep enough at its centre for the greatest intellect to be submersed, and shallow enough at its edges that a child may drink safely. When asked in a public forum of a prestigious university, "Dr. Barth, in all your studies, what is the most profound thing you have learned?" His response was simply this, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
Not everything is apparent in a casual first time reading. The Bible was written by many persons over the span of many centuries. Yet the unity of both the theme and structure of the Bible is remarkable to say the least. Though not for the faint-hearted, one of the more serious studies of this remarkable reality is found in a volume available for download in PDF by clicking here.
