Literally

In the first chapter of the book of 2nd Peter, we see these bold statements, which can teach us to rely on Scripture;
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Believe it!  That's the message...and in a shaky, shifting society with designer philosophy and designer theology, we have to have something upon which we can build our lives.  God's Word promises and produces the stability we need.  When we are tempted to drift and place our hope and trust in the things of this world, we can remember to draw near to God and find solace and security in His Word, inspired and infallible.

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In 2nd Timothy 3, we can read Paul's absolute declaration about the authority of Scripture, which can
inspire us to rely on God's Word, the Bible:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we don't regard the Bible as God's literal Word, then we leave ourselves vulnerable to embracing ideas that contradict His ways.  We cannot pick and choose what we like about the Word of God and then structure a personal theology into which it would fit.

It comes really as no surprise that less than one-fourth of Americans believe the Bible is the literal Word of God, according to a new Gallup poll.  The survey summary says:

Fewer than one in four Americans (24%) now believe the Bible is "the actual word of God, and is to be taken literally, word for word," similar to the 26% who view it as "a book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man." This is the first time in Gallup's four-decade trend that biblical literalism has not surpassed biblical skepticism.

So if just about a fourth fit into each category, what about the other half? Well, they say, "the Bible is the inspired word of God but that not all of it should be taken literally."  Huh?

Ever since 1984, when 40% of Americans believed the Bible to be God's literal Word, the percentage has been declining.  And, what is even more concerning is the number of Christians who believe the Bible is inspired but not literal.  In the category of "Protestants and other Christians," only 35% believe God's Word to be "actual," 51% say it is "inspired."  And, even 12% believe it to be a book of stories and fables.  In the Catholic space, 21% believe the Bible to be God's actual words, 58% see God's Word as "inspired," with 19% viewing it as a storybook.

The summary makes this statement:

Americans in all age groups still largely accept the Bible as a holy document, but most of these downplay God's direct role in it. That could mean people are more willing than in the past to believe it is open to interpretation -- if man, not God, wrote the Bible, more can be questioned. And that, in turn, may have consequences for where Americans come down on a number of morally tinged issues. The country may already be seeing this in growing public acceptance of a variety of behaviors that were once largely frowned on from a Christian perspective -- ranging from gay marriage and premarital sex to out-of-wedlock births and physician-assisted suicide.

Again, this doesn't come as a surprise, and offers at least a partial and plausible explanation for cultural trends that we see.  If we believe God's Word is given "by inspiration of God," as that phrase is used in 2nd Timothy 3, then it should follow that we recognize that it was written by His Spirit, of course, using human scribes.  When we depart from that belief, we leave our approach to the Word of God up to personal interpretation - and what sections do we choose to agree with, and which ones do we dismiss...how do you decide?  I contend that it's an "all or nothing" proposition - either He breathed the whole thing into being and should be believed in its infallible entirety, or we in essence reject His truth.  There's no middle ground for this 50% in the Gallup poll to inhabit.

Now, there will be disagreements about what God is actually saying thorough passages and verses; and we can respectfully disagree about certain principles and statements.  But, I believe our approach should always be governed by the perspective that this is God's literal Word; i.e., we don't dismiss the parts we dislike or disagree with - we can disagree with each other about His premises, but we can't choose to disagree with Him about His precepts.   We have to be prepared to back our position on various issues and topics Biblically - if we have an idea that we are believing and/or promoting, can we back it up with a clear teaching of Scriptures?

Finally, we can examine our lives and determine whether or not our lives are built on the strong foundation of Biblical truth.  There may be areas in which our ways do not line up with His ways. We may say that we believe God's teachings, but our practical, daily living tell a different story.  Our reliance on Scripture is reflected in our everyday obedience to Christ - we are called not only to hear the Word, but do it.