Downloadable Bible Quotes

Many Christians have been taught that the Bible is Truth downloaded from heaven, God’s rulebook, a heavenly instructional manual—follow the directions and out pops a true believer; deviate from the script and God will come crashing down on you with full force. If anyone challenges this view, the faithful are taught to “defend the Bible” against these anti-God attacks. Problem solved. That is, until you actually read the Bible. Then you see that this rulebook view of the Bible is like a knockoff Chanel handbag—fine as long as it’s kept at a distance, away from curious and probing eyes.

relating to the ESV® translation. Sign Up Here How to Use the ESV Bible, Kindle Edition Thank you for downloading the ESV Bible, Kindle Edition. This edition is designed to provide all of the contents of the print edition of the ESV Classic Reference Bible, optimized for your Amazon Kindle device or app. Accessing Cross-References and Footnotes

Rather than providing us with information to be downloaded, the Bible holds out for us an invitation to join an ancient, well-traveled, and sacred quest to know God, the world we live in, and our place in it. Not abstractly, but intimately and experientially.

If you were learning a new skill, you would naturally seek knowledge from the experts.   A study Bible provides insight, commentary, and articles by those experts.  It makes for a fascinating and enjoyable read. Okay, some people hate to read, (they’re probably not reading this book).  That’s no excuse.  There are audible Bible apps you can download, books on audio, and sermons on the radio. However you do it, you must continue to feed or you’ll starve.  The proven ideal is to study the Scripture and spend regular quiet time with God.   He can only speak to us when we are quiet, and He speaks to us through His word - loud and clear.

These days, we don’t dare carry Bibles with us openly. We gather in groups of two and three, and use our smart phones to download Scripture from the Internet. We meet long enough to read a passage, discuss its meaning, then encourage and pray for one another. After that we disband.

Whatever the specifics, the simple act of reading the Bible carefully tends to undermine the notion that the Bible is God’s flawless, set-in-stone, authoritative word downloaded to us.