This narrow way

Most Christians will tell you they believe the Bible—to some extent. A Gallup survey from last year showed that 40% of those who call themselves born again or evangelical (emphasis on call themselves) believe the Bible is the literal word of God, while 51% say it’s the inspired word of God but not every word is to be taken literally. This is a huge problem in itself, because once we as Christians start to decide what is to be taken literally and what isn’t, where does that start and where does it stop? The Bible isn’t an a la carte menu. Either it is the word of God, or it isn’t. It’s not up to fallen man to be the judge.

But that being said, I’d like to focus on the 40% who say they believe the Bible is the literal word of God. I would submit to you that the actual number is less, a lot less, if we just dig a little deeper. Ask the average Christian if they believe the following and the response will be almost universal.

Virgin birth? Check.

Jesus died on the cross? Check.

Rose again on the third day? Check.

John 3:16? Check.

Ephesians 2:8-9? Check.

Romans 10:9-10? Check.

These are easy. But let’s go back, and I mean all the way back. As far back as the Bible goes, the Book of Genesis. Do you believe “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth?” Good so far? OK, let’s move on. Do you believe God spoke everything into existence? In verses 3-26 of Genesis 1 the phrases, “And God said…and it was so” are repeated multiple times. This means there was nothing, God spoke, and it existed. Didn’t evolve from something else, didn’t start out in one form and develop into another. Out of nothing God made everything. We still good? My suspicion is the number of believers thinned out a little bit there, but let’s move on, and here’s where we’re going to see a significant thinning of the herd.

Do you believe God created everything—including man– in 6 days? Six twenty-four-hour time periods. Genesis explicitly says, “there was evening and there was morning” the first day, the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, and the sixth day. Here’s where the so-called theological evolutionists get lost. Each day was not a thousand years, ten thousand years, or a million years, it was six literal days, just as we know a day today. How much of the 40% did we lose there? My hunch is a bunch. Why? It’s not a real popular stance to take in our so-called enlightened day and age where the mantra is ‘follow the science.’ People who believe in a literal 6-day creation are looked at as uneducated, unsophisticated rubes and hayseeds. And in the day of seeking likes and followers on social media, who wants that? My hand is up, how about yours?

So you see, there’s more to saying we believe the Bible is the literal, inerrant, infallible Word of God than most people who call themselves Christians want to adhere to. The Bible is an all-in Book. We believe it all or not at all.