The Bible Says…

Three words. That's all it takes to end a conversation.

The Bible says.

When those words show up, the discussion is usually over. Your perspective gets quietly set aside. The question gets closed before it ever really opened. Because the Bible says. And apparently, that settles it.

But does it?

There's a difference that doesn't get talked about enough: the difference between reading the Bible literalistically and reading it literally. And yes, literalistically is a real word. Look it up.

Reading the Bible literalistically means treating the text as a flat, fixed transcript. Jonah was in the belly of a fish, full stop, because that's what the words say. No consideration of genre. No attention to context. No questions asked. The words are there, so there you go.

Reading the Bible literally, though, is something else entirely. It means taking the text seriously as it was written, asking who wrote it, why they wrote it, what kind of writing it actually is, and what they expected a reader to walk away understanding. Because nobody writes anything without intending it to be read and understood. That's not a liberal approach to Scripture. That's a responsible one.

So the next time someone drops the Bible says into a conversation like a gavel coming down, it's worth asking a few deeper questions. Does literary genre matter to how you're reading this? Does historical context shape your interpretation? And, just to be a little tongue-in-cheek about it, do you believe English is the authorized language of God? Because what you're reading is a translation of ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and translation is always an act of interpretation.

Here’s the thing. Reading the Bible is a journey. It's a long, honest, sometimes uncomfortable journey toward understanding the Creator God of the universe, through the stories and writings left behind by real people who encountered him in real and remarkable ways. To take that seriously means treating their words with the same care they took in writing them.

Which means maybe it's time to retire the Bible says and replace it with something a little more humble. Something like:

"The way I understand the Bible…"

"As I read it…"

“What I think the Bible is saying…”

Or even just: "Help me understand what you're seeing here."

I'm just saying.