We must guard against chronological snobbery—the proud view that people in past generations were not as smart as we are, and were gullible and unenlightened. The biblical authors knew how the natural world works, and yet unapologetically write about miracles. Doctor Luke knew where babies come from and knew that dead people stay dead. The fact that he still wrote about the virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus isn’t evidence that he was naïve. Instead, it points to the historicity of these events. 

I don’t know about you, but when I think about people or things from the past, I have a bit of a mixed response. There is an element of loyalty and pride and affection, but this accompanied by the awareness that there is a disconnect between then and now. For example, when I hear about the exploits of my ancestors from my parents, I admire what they did and appreciate their wisdom and character and all their positive attributes. But at the same time, there is a part of me that thinks, “They were great for their time, but probably not for today.” I think this is true of how we view our ancestors and national heroes, and it can also be true for the way in which we view the Bible. We may like some of the things we read, and maybe attached to some parts of it, while at the same time thinking that other parts aren’t really meant for 2022.

In some ways, it is understandable that we think the Bible is not really relevant for us today. After all, the most recent document in the Bible (John’s Revelation) was written more than 1900 years ago. How could things written so long ago be useful for us today? And if they aren’t really useful, why should we read the Bible at all in 2022?

In this article, I argue that humility demands that we accept the relevance of the Bible for our lives today. This is rooted in the fact that we understand and believe the Bible to be God’s Word written by human authors.

Accept The Relevance Of Our Eternal God

The Bible, as understood by Christians, is God’s Word. It is the way the sovereign Lord of the universe has chosen to reveal himself to us. Since the Bible is God’s Word, there is no doubt that we should unreservedly accept it as being authoritative over our lives. And at the same time, we should also accept that the Bible is relevant to us (no matter what the year) because it is the revelation of the eternal God who is the author of time. Although the historical reality is that the Bible was written in a time without smartphones and aeroplanes and the internet, it was inspired by the Spirit of God who knew what advances in technology would come in the 20^th and 21^st centuries (and even in the 23^rd century if Jesus doesn’t return till then!). When God revealed himself to Moses and David and Isaiah and Paul and John, he was very aware of what the social, political, and cultural issues which would face people in India in 2022.

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