There were Bibles for men, so I could not read them because I am a woman.

There were Bibles for surfers, but I am a strictly land-dwelling species, so I could not read those.

There were Bibles for teen-agers, but they'd jail me for fraud if they caught me reading them because of my age.

There were Bibles for explorers, but I am already way over the hill so I could not read them because of the mountain separating us.

There were Bibles for every group one could name except ... me. I was ostracized by this Bible targeted marketing: didn't fit into a single group. I was totally excluded.

Could we just stick to the sinner's Bible?

Worst of all, my Bible was missing from their list, and it is not even listed as a collector's item. My Bible speaks to everybody; nobody feels left out. Perhaps it is missing because it is too good to be true.

So could I make a suggestion, please?

Could we just stick to the sinners' Bible? You know, the one we've had all these years. Nobody gets left out of the sinners because "all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23) I am in it, you are in it, men are in it, and teen-agers are in it. In fact, surfers, theologians, students, explorers, and everybody else is in it! Nobody is excluded because sinners are the ones for whom Christ came: "I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough." (Luke 5:32) They are even the ones for whom he died: "God demonstrates his love for us in this: When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ... But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8)

It's the sinners' Bible, because that is who the Bible is for. Jesus didn't come for anyone else or die for anybody else. In this case, one size actually does fit all! The sinners' Bible: I think it is the best Bible of all, don't you?

 

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© 2005 Elizabeth Price.

Title: "The Missing Bible"
Author: Elizabeth Price
Publication Date: June 08, 2005

Walking with God by John Eldredge Giving you an example of what intimacy with God can look like, Eldredge asserts that everyone can have conversational intimacy with Christ.

Elizabeth is a team writer for "Just a Minute" e-zine.

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