Checking the Bible

In 1st Peter 2, we read about Jesus, our Chief Cornerstone, rejected by some, but for us, He is our
strong foundation.
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,"
8 and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

The practice of our Christian faith will be maligned by some.  There are those who would want to either denigrate the Scriptures entirely or tailor them to fit their own morality.  The Bible is our authority for living, and if we are living with sin in our lives, the Spirit will use the Word to convict us - the Word should always be shaping our lives, not the other way around.   The entirety of the Word of God, inspired and infallible, brings us into conformity with God's will.

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The Bible tells us that the message of the cross will be offensive, and I would dare say even the possession of our Bible, the Holy Scriptures, can give some people a cause to oppose.  1st
Corinthians 1 says:
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Gene Lingerfelt is the pastor of Faith Christian Center in Arlington, Texas - he and his wife were going through the TSA checkpoint at an airport recently when the security check took an ominous tone.

According to a piece at ToddStarnes.com, the pastor, who had paid for the TSA Pre-Check program, was stopped for "bag check."  He said: “That particular bag was filled with all of my cords – charger cords, computer power cords – in some airports like Heathrow – I always get stopped."  Lingerfelt continued, "This very nice young man starts going through and pulling out my computer, iPad, paperback books and then he came to my Bible."

Starnes relates, "At that point, the government agent set aside all the tech gadgets and began rifling through the pastor’s Bible." That's right - the pastor said: "“I thought it was so strange,” adding, “He fanned through the entire Bible and very nicely explained to us that we got stopped because of the Bible.”

Todd emphasizes this: "Let that thought linger for just a moment – an American pastor on American soil was stopped by a government agent because of a Bible." The pastor was not sure what the TSA agent was looking for. He said, "There was nothing in it except book marks and notes."

I don't think that the agent was trying to do a quick Bible study at the checkpoint - it does make you wonder, though: Why was the Bible a "red flag" to this TSA agent?  I did not find a follow-up story, so I don't know if the pastor complained or that the agency apologized for the misunderstanding.

I'm reminded that there are certain elements of our faith that we cherish, but that others find offensive.  The Bible tells us that the cross is an offense to people who don't know the Lord.  The teachings of the Bible certainly and even the presence of God's Word can cause people to show disdain for it.  We live in a culture where there are people who don't understand our Christian faith or the practice of it; and it's been said that people are afraid of what they don't understand.  Perhaps it opens a door for us to demonstrate the love and character of Christ.

The cause of religious freedom was a major factor, I believe, in the Presidential election, but we as believers should not be caught up in "illusory thinking" on that matter.  There is only so much that one man can do quickly - the election was not an instant reprieve from the challenges to the First Amendment and free expression of religion that we have seen throughout the past few years.  And, there will be those who have a contrary worldview to our own that will attempt to hinder that freedom of religion.  But, we can be vigilant and prayerful, so that we ensure that we live in peace and freedom to practice our faith.