Is the Bible Just a Guidebook?

Good morning, church! Today, I want to talk about something that's been floating around in conversations, podcasts, and even some churches. People say, "The Bible is just a guidebook, written by men, for their time. It's not really the Word of God."

Sounds convenient, doesn’t it? Especially when you stumble across those tough passages. Ever heard this one? "Well, Paul said that, but that was just his opinion. He was biased against women. We don't need to listen to that part!"

It’s funny—the parts about loving your neighbor, grace, and blessings? Oh, those are definitely from God! But when Paul says something about church leadership or discipline? "Eh, that’s just Paul being Paul."

The Pick-and-Choose Buffet

Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine you go to a buffet. There’s fried chicken, salad, pasta, dessert—the works. You walk down the line, and as you fill your plate, you skip the veggies. Why? Because who needs broccoli when you can have chocolate cake? That’s how some folks treat the Bible. They take the sweet stuff and leave the brussels sprouts of correction, discipline, and truth sitting cold on the buffet table.

But here’s the problem, church. The Bible isn’t a buffet. It’s a full-course meal. It’s all from God. The parts that make us feel warm and fuzzy and the parts that challenge us to change.

The Danger of Playing Editor

When we start deciding which parts of Scripture are God-breathed and which are just human opinion, we’re putting ourselves in the editor's chair. We start re-writing the very words of God. And let's be honest—if God needs us to edit Him, we've got a bigger problem.

Paul himself, the same Paul who wrote those "controversial" letters, told Timothy:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Paul didn’t say, "Some Scripture, except for the parts you don't like." He said all of it.

The Living Word

Hebrews 4:12 says,

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword..." 

Notice, it doesn’t say, "The Bible was alive." It says, "is alive." Right now. In 2024.

God’s Word is not an old book gathering dust on the shelf of history. It's living, breathing, and still cutting deep into our hearts today. It’s not meant to sit quietly like an optional guidebook. It's meant to guide, shape, and transform us.

Why This Matters

Here's why this is dangerous, church: When we stop treating the Bible as the Word of God, we start making God in our image. We twist Scripture to fit our culture instead of letting Scripture shape our hearts.

Suddenly, truth becomes flexible. Holiness becomes negotiable. And before long, we find ourselves with a religion that looks suspiciously like us, but nothing like Jesus.

And let me be clear—when we reshape the Bible to suit our preferences, we put our eternal destiny at risk. Ignoring God’s Word isn’t just dangerous for this life; it has eternal consequences. Scripture warns us in Proverbs 14:12,

"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death."

Rejecting the authority of the Bible isn’t just misguided—it leads us down a path straight to hell. I know that’s heavy, but it’s the truth. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:13-14,

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

If we pick and choose what we believe, we risk walking the wide road that leads to destruction. There’s no salvation in a half-believed gospel.

So, What About Paul and Women?

Yes, Paul wrote things that are hard to hear. But let me tell you something—Paul also elevated women in ways unheard of in his time. Phoebe was a deacon (Romans 16:1). Priscilla taught alongside her husband (Acts 18:26). Paul wasn’t the enemy of women. He was the champion of God’s order.

But God’s design for leadership, marriage, and church roles? That wasn’t just Paul’s bright idea. That was Holy Spirit-inspired. And if we believe Paul was wrong about that, where do we stop? Was he wrong about salvation by grace? About love? About spiritual gifts?

Final Word

Church, let’s stop treating the Bible like a suggestion box. Let’s trust it. Let’s live by it. Even the hard parts. Especially the hard parts. Because the Bible isn’t just written by men—it’s inspired by the God who created men. And when we stand firm in His Word, we stand on solid ground.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You that it is alive, powerful, and unchanging. Help us to trust in every part of it, even the parts that challenge us. Give us hearts that are soft to correction and ears that hear Your truth. Protect us from the temptation to rewrite Your message to fit our desires. Keep us on the narrow path that leads to life. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

The stakes are high. Let’s not risk eternity for the sake of comfort. Trust God’s Word fully—your soul depends on it.