Across centuries, the Bible has been revered, feared, studied, quoted, abused, and misused. It has been held up as the ultimate moral compass, the final arbiter in debates, the bedrock of laws, and the voice of the Almighty! Yet, a question quietly persists, often buried beneath sentiment and centuries of dogma: Can we truly call the Bible the Word of God?
This is not a question asked in irreverence but one born of honesty. If there is indeed such a thing as the Word of God, eternal, perfect, unchangeable, can a book written, rewritten, translated, argued over, edited, and interpreted by humans over thousands of years fully embody that Word?
The Bible undoubtedly contains timeless truths, profound teachings, and spiritual guidance. But we must pause and consider the fact that what we read today has passed through many hands, each with its own limitations, beliefs, and intentions. From oral traditions to manuscripts copied by hand, from ancient languages to modern translations, from councils that decided which books were "inspired" to the endless streams of interpretations, every step introduces the fallibility of man into what should be divine clarity.
When people say, “Christ said…” they often use it to silence discussion or establish irrefutable truth. But do we realise the weight of such a claim? Do we pause to ask: Did He truly say this as it is written today? Or are we merely repeating words passed down through faulty memory and flawed transcription? For many of the words attributed to Christ were not recorded by stenographers standing beside Him, but recollected years later by followers with different motives and differing memories.
That fact does not make the Bible useless. On the contrary, it makes it useful—but not infallible. Its pages reflect humanity’s yearning for God, its attempts to grasp the Eternal, and its many successes and failures in the process. It is a spiritual document, yes, but one that must be approached with humility, discernment, and deep inner clarity.
The Bible is a spiritual book, and herein lies a major source of misunderstanding. Its language is often symbolic, speaking of spiritual and ethereal realities that are not to be interpreted literally. The story of the Garden of Eden, for example, has been reduced to a crude tale of fruit and snakes when in reality it illustrates spiritual truths about temptation, disobedience, and the law of sowing and reaping! The Paradise of the Bible from where man originates and which is his final destination is not this Earth, but a far higher realm, yet how many believers still picture it as a garden in Mesopotamia?
To read the Bible rightly requires more than intellect. It demands spiritual maturity, purity of heart, and a living connection to truth. Without that, it becomes as described in the haunting imagery of souls behind spiritual bars, just another book wielded for argument or comfort, incapable of unlocking real understanding or transformation.
The Bible must not be mistaken as God Himself, or even as His full, undiluted Word. It contains parts of the Word, reflections of the Word, echoes of the Word. But the Living Word, the eternal, unchanging Will of God cannot be confined to parchment or bound in leather. It pulsates through Creation itself, through the laws that govern life and motion, cause and effect, light and darkness. To claim the Bible as the totality of the Word is to limit God to what humans have managed to write down.
Furthermore, interpretation matters. Two people can read the same passage and come to opposite conclusions. Whole denominations have risen and fallen on the basis of differing understandings of a single verse. And tragically, wars have been waged, people enslaved, women subjugated, and the poor abandoned, all with someone quoting Scripture as justification.
Thus, if the Bible is to be read at all, let it be read with illumination from within, not just from intellectual analysis or inherited tradition. Let each seeker ask: What truth is this pointing to? What is the spirit behind these words? For as long as people merely cling to the letter of Scripture, the spirit will elude them.
The Bible remains a guide, a signpost, not the destination. It has played a sacred role in awakening consciences and pointing millions to higher realities. But we must not worship the signpost.
Can we then still call the Bible the Word of God?
Perhaps we can say this: the Bible contains words about God. It points to the Word. It reflects moments when the Word touched human history. But the true Word of God is living, active, radiant, and unbound! It is the Will of God in Creation, the voice that speaks through the order of nature, the justice that never fails, and the love that never ends.
Those who seek it earnestly will find it not only in Scripture, but in the beauty of the stars, the rhythm of the seasons, the cry of the oppressed, and the peace of an awakened heart.
Let us honour the Bible. Yes. But let us also go further. Let us find the Living Word that calls to us even now, waiting not on pages but in the silence of a soul ready to listen.