I’ve heard people lately say something along the lines of “I follow Jesus, not the Bible.”

Here’s the problem with that. First of all, everything we know of Jesus comes from the Bible. Every prophecy, every quotation, every event comes straight from Scripture. You can’t know Jesus apart from His revelation in the Bible, specifically the Gospels.

Also, Jesus held the Bible in very high regard. He said that not the smallest letter nor “the smallest stroke of a pen” would pass away until everything was accomplished and fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). Jesus said that all the law and prophets, i.e. the entire Bible up to the point of Jesus, testified about Him.

When you divorce Jesus from the Bible, you end up with a slightly smarter, slightly stronger version of you. This Jesus votes like you, thinks like you, believes like you do . . . it’s essentially you creating God in the flesh in your own image rather than the reverse.

Jesus did say that anyone who was thirsty could come and drink, but He also said that those who want to be His disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery that He didn’t condemn her, but He also told her to go and sin no more. It’s not an either/or, but a both/and.

The Jesus as revealed in the Bible is the only one who can save us. He’s the only one who has shown us God the Father. He’s the only one who can truly be our Prince of peace and give us true peace, true hope, and true life. He’s the one who died for me and rose again that I might not just be made right with God, but be made right with God for all eternity.