Are we bound by the Bible?

Before continuing with the issue of the Theology in the Americas Conference in Detroit, I would like to interject an essay for continuous reflection and thought.  I write this essay for two reasons. First of all, I write because I know that the question that many people ask when they read anything that has to do with theology is "what is the role of Scripture in all this?"  In other words, their question is "what does the Bible say?"  And since the Bible plays a role in all expressions of Christianity, that question needs to be addressed. The second reason for my writing is how we as a community of faith have been challenged by the decisions that governments have made relative to the Confederacy flag and same-sex marriage.  Many in the community of faith will use and misuse Scripture by quoting it, without taking into consideration its relevancy or non-relevancy to these issues.

Subsequently, an important question emerges: Are we bound by the Bible and by its contents?  My answer to that is basically no.  You, the reader might be surprised by this answer coming from a Christian preacher.  You might ask me how is it possible that a Minister of the Gospel could take such a position.  My answer to that is, that if we think that we are bound to the Bible, then we fall back into the slavery that the Apostle Paul speaks about in his letters to the Roman and Galatian churches, i.e. the slavery of codes and legalism.  We also fall back into the danger of bibliolatry (worship of the Bible).  We, in that instance, convert the Bible into another God.

What or who then are we bound to for godly living and practice?  I humbly and respectfully submit that we are bound not to the Scripture, but rather to the God of Scripture who has been revealed and manifested in human history through God's Son, Jesus the Christ, to whom be all glory, honor, majesty, and power, forever more, amen.  The Scriptures play the role of witnessing to this revelation  of God in Christ.

I would also like to clarify that when I say that we are "bound" to God in Christ, I am not referring to being enslaved to rules and regulations that we have to comply with begrudgingly .  When I say that we are "bound," I am stating that we are in relationship with God on the basis of our appreciation and love for God as a response of grace to what God has done for us. That appreciation and love for God, in turn, leads us to want to please God in all we say and do.  It is not a question of being "bound" to God out of fear of punishment by "roasting and toasting in hell forever and ever."  It is being "bound" to God in the same way that we are "bound" to our spouses and significant other, i.e. "bound" by love and the desire to be in a relationship with that person.  My relationship with my wife is not based on rules and regulations, but rather on the love for her and desire of her companionship. The day that our relationship deteriorates into rules and regulations,  marriage in the true sense of the word comes to an end. 

In closing, I invite and challenge you to move away from being "bound" by Scripture, if you are, and to move towards being "bound" by God in a relationship of appreciation, gratitude, and love. Feel free to share your own thoughts and perspectives with us relative to being "bound to God."

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona