For good reason, our society has developed a heightened awareness of prejudice. Whether it’s racial prejudice, gender prejudice, or any other pre-judging that occurs, voices condemning the perils of prejudice are growing louder.
But have you ever heard anyone call out God prejudice?
Imagine yourself in a court of law. You are part of the jury, and the writers of the Bible present you with evidence about God and about His Son, Jesus Christ. When they are finished, they will look to you for a verdict. All they ask is an objective assessment of the evidence, that you listen without prejudice.
But this need for objectivity is precisely the problem. We all have issues that make it difficult for us to hear the evidence, and we find it hard to set aside our God prejudice.
We are prejudiced against the God of the Bible because we know that if He really exists, and if He entered the world through Jesus Christ, our lives would have to change. By nature, we don’t want to consider this possibility. So, we do whatever we can to be excused from the jury. “Sorry, I cannot impartially try this case.”
But, in an ironic twist, while avoiding a seat on the jury, most people still want to see the evidence!
The Bible is by far the best-selling book of all time, with over 5 billion copies sold. The evidence in the case at hand is more widely distributed than any other gathering of information in history.
But many bibles never get opened. Why?
For starters, the Bible can be intimidating. With over 800,000 words it is daunting. It is made up of sixty-six, seemingly disconnected books, and it is full of unfamiliar people, places, and events. Not to mention, the stories recounted are sometimes hard to believe— a virgin birth, a resurrection, and a God who speaks.
My invitation to people who don’t believe is to OPEN THE BIBLE.
Discover this world with its awesome God, His often confused and messed up people, and God’s great promise to bring blessing to all. Listen to what God has said. Look at what He has done, and you may find that, far from being a relic of the past, the Bible is the means by which God speaks to you today.
The Bible presents the evidence on which faith is based. The Apostle John said, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
The evidence is compelling. So don’t let prejudice stop you from opening God’s Word. An honest look at the evidence may change your life.
Pastor Colin S. Smith is pastor of The Orchard in Chicago and the Founder and Teaching Pastor of Unlocking the Bible, an organization dedicated to engaging people everywhere to explore the Bible’s message. He is also the author and creator of the website www.openthebible.org.
Colin Smith is offering a free three-hour tour from Genesis to Revelations with the OPEN THE BIBLE event on OCTOBER 16th from 10am-1pm.