{"id":31635,"date":"2022-09-10T15:38:11","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/7-details-christians-get-wrong-about-the-bible\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:38:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:38:11","slug":"7-details-christians-get-wrong-about-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/7-details-christians-get-wrong-about-the-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Details Christians Get Wrong About the Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aaron Burden photo – Unsplash<\/div>\n

By Aaron Wilson<\/em><\/p>\n

Colossians 3:16 says, \u201clet the word of Christ dwell richly among you.\u201d But sometimes, in our enthusiasm to recall biblical stories, we entertain details that aren\u2019t actually supported by the text.<\/p>\n

Here are seven things Christians tend to remember incorrectly about the Bible. <\/strong><\/p>\n

1. It began raining as soon as God brought the animals on board Noah\u2019s ark.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to a popular children\u2019s song, the flood began right after the animals entered the ark. This supposed timeline is often repeated in Bible lessons on the flood. But the notion is challenged by Moses\u2019 writings in Genesis 7:9-10:<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo of each [animal], male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, just as God had commanded him. Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Turns out, Noah waited a week from when the animals entered the ark to when the rains first fell.<\/p>\n

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During this time, he was likely tempted with doubt, frustration, and irritability. He may have had to fight pride as he longed for the skies to open to avenge his name against his neighbors\u2019 mocking accusations.<\/p>\n

Scripture doesn\u2019t reveal why God had Noah wait for a rainless week. We know, however, that God is honored by belief and self control in periods of waiting. It\u2019s a lesson we often overlook in our rush to get to the more dramatic elements of the flood story.<\/p>\n

2. The Exodus began during the day.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Movies such as Cecil B. DeMille\u2019s The Ten Commandments<\/em> and The Prince of Egypt<\/em> depict the Israelites leaving Egypt at daybreak. While the massive event likely spilled over into the day, the biblical account leans toward the initial journey actually occurring at night (see Exodus 12:30-34; 41-42; Deuteronomy 16:6).<\/p>\n

This timeline stresses the Egyptians\u2019 dire urgency to get rid of the Hebrews immediately following the final plague that took their firstborn males\u2014a scenario remembered for generations through a Passover diet consisting of unleavened bread eaten in great haste.<\/p>\n

3. Mary Magdalene was A) the woman who anointed Jesus\u2019 feet with expensive perfume, and B) a former prostitute.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mary Magdalene is often assumed to be the woman from Luke 7:36-50 who anoints Jesus\u2019 feet with perfume and wipes it up with her hair. This notion is often rehashed in sermons and even in popular songs such as \u201cAlabaster Box.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the woman in this passage isn\u2019t named, indicating it likely wasn\u2019t Mary Magdalene since Luke identifies her by name in another passage of his Gospel (Luke 8:2). Given that Luke was such a meticulous historian, it would have been out of character for him to leave this central character of a story unnamed if he knew her to be Mary.<\/p>\n

Another assumed characterization of Mary Magdalene is that she was a former prostitute. While this could have been true, the Bible never makes this claim.<\/p>\n

In Luke 8:2, we learn Mary Magdalene was delivered from seven demons. But neither Luke nor any other biblical author ever describes her as a former prostitute. This is an assumption that comes from an extrapolation of the text.<\/p>\n

4. There will be no more sun and moon on the New Earth.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some Christians believe there will be no sun or moon on the future Earth. This oft-repeated saying is drawn from Isaiah 60:19 and Revelation 21:23; 22:5.<\/p>\n

A closer reading of these passages, however, reveals not that there will be an elimination of the sun and moon, but rather that their light will no longer be needed<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The point is not necessarily that God is going to remove celestial bodies from the vantage point of the New Earth, but that the radiance of Christ\u2019s glory will outshine them\u2014rendering their light unnecessary.<\/p>\n

Note that the above passage from Isaiah also refers to Zion, a term for Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:14), while the passage from Revelation is specific to \u201cthe city\u201d (the New Jerusalem). This would indicate that while the illumination of Christ\u2019s glory will flow out of the New Jerusalem, it might not light the entire earth<\/em> in a way that the sun and moon will be rendered completely obsolete.<\/p>\n

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See also  8 Ways to Persevere in Ministry<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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5. David was the most righteous Old Testament king.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As a \u201cman after God\u2019s own heart,\u201d David is often remembered as the Old Testament king who most closely displayed a righteous character. Of course, that includes some glaring exceptions, which include David:<\/p>\n