"Scripture Lite"

 

“Scripture Lite”

 

Over the years I’ve heard about a number of ways Scripture has been (mis)applied in amusing ways. For example:

*A church nursery sign: “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed….” (1 Corinthians 15:51).

*A church business meeting description: “Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people didn’t even know why they were there.” (Acts 19:32).

*A golfer’s paraphrase of Psalm 24:7: “Lift up your heads, O you golfers, and you will make an errant shot.”

*And a non-biblical one placed by the entrance of our New Hampshire church when the Allen Key used to keep the door unlocked had a habit of disappearing: “Thou shalt replace key after thou usest it.” (Hezekiah 2:10). (Couldn’t resist throwing this one in!)

“Lite” is a shortened version of light and usually refers to a food which is lower in calories and/or sugar than the original. Examples that come to mind include salad dressings, beverages and dairy products. Many of us use them to try to keep unwanted pounds from accumulating but it can become an exercise in futility when we view a dessert menu or drive near a Dunkin’ or Krispy Kreme. But it’s also employed humorously (see the earlier posting “On the Lighter Side”).

Humor has its place (“A cheerful heart is good medicine….”—Proverbs 17:22) but we can’t fall into the trap of what our New Hampshire Associate Pastor Mike Conneally called “Scripture Lite”. (See the article “All?” for another example of his downhome wisdom.) The Mirriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines “lite” as “diminished or lacking in substance or seriousness”. Since “All Scripture is God-breathed….” (2 Timothy 3:16) and “Every word of God is flawless….” (Proverbs 30:5) we must be careful not to water it down when it comes to teaching or living it out. Paul said to the Ephesian elders, “…I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants for you.” (Acts 20:27, NLT). Nor can I—or you.

I can’t help but think the conditions in the world today (and sadly the church isn’t exempt) can at least in some measure be traced back to compromising God’s truth as set forth in His Word. God said through His prophet, “Since (the people’s teachers) have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?” (Jeremiah 8:9). So let’s trade in “Scripture Lite” for “Scripture Light” (“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”—Psalm 119:105, emphasis added).

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan