An acquaintance of mine recently went to have his doctor examine a cyst on the top of his wrist. The doctor told the man that it was a “Bible cyst.”
A ganglion cyst, sometimes called a Bible cyst, is a swelling or benign tumor that often surfaces on or around joints and tendons in the hand or foot. In the past, one way to treat a ganglion cyst was to strike it with a blunt object (such as a Bible). The blow burst the cyst so that the body could absorb it.
Sadly, the reason a ganglion cyst is also called a “Bible cyst” is that many people have come to associate the Bible with a blunt object that some use (often self-righteously) to club people over the head—using Scripture to straighten out those who are out of line. The intent is to make the offenders feel so bad that they straighten up and fly right.
I’ve been “clubbed” in the head a few times in my life by Bible thumpers. And I know I’ve wrongly clubbed a few people with the Bible myself over the years.
The Bible was never meant to be used in this way. First and foremost, it’s God’s story—a history of God’s dealings with His creation. It’s a story that explains who created us, why we were created, what went wrong, and how our Creator God is fixing the mess.
King Josiah didn’t beat up his people (who were entrenched in idolatry) with the lost “Book of the Law” that had been rediscovered in the temple (2 Chronicles 34:14-15). Instead, he read it to them (2 Chronicles 34:29-30). As they heard it, the people felt convicted, and they recommitted themselves to the Lord (2 Chronicles 34:32-33).
Loving God, forgive us for using the Bible as a club. Teach us to explain lovingly the truth of Your Word.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Ephesians 6:10-20
More:
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and see the right uses for God’s Word.
Next:
How can you share God’s story in a way that draws others to God rather than making them feel beat up? What will you do this week to deepen your knowledge of Scripture?
alli on December 2, 2013 at 7:27 am
bible thumper. Lol it sounds like a funny phase but the wounds from thumping leave many far away from church sometimes. I guess we have to remember God grace
Jeff Olson on December 2, 2013 at 8:36 am
God’s grace…yes indeed
tom felten on December 2, 2013 at 9:56 am
Good thoughts, Jeff. It we simply wield the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) without Christlike love (Ephesians 4:15) and wisdom, we’ll only do damage.
daisymarygoldr on December 30, 2013 at 5:34 pm
First and foremost, the Bible is God’s word. How can another use His word to club me unless the Lord allows it? And if anyone has used the word of God as a soft feather to tickle my ears, then it is none other than the devil. False prophets pervert God’s precepts to make it look pretty. Lying spirits sugarcoat the sword of God’s word to make it ineffective in people’s lives.
Since I did not grow up knowing such strange verbiage, I had to search for the meaning of Bible thumpers. “Bible thumping is a pejorative term used to describe Christians in general, especially someone perceived as aggressively pushing their Christian beliefs upon those who do not share them.” So Jeff Olson, are you an unbeliever?
This is a disturbing post and the writing is very telling. I’m not sure whether you really understood the implication of your words or simply parroting what others are saying. There are men and women that bristle at scriptures and despise God’s word. My heart’s hope is that you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. As a side note, except for Poh Fang’s, none of your bios indicate whether you are born again.
Children who are born of God’s Spirit do not despise the rod of our Heavenly Father. King Josiah did not lovingly explain the truth. He simply read it to them. Similarly, those who are led to speak God’s word say it just as it is. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can. And how the hard truth is received reveals whether a person is of God or not.
Those who are offended by the blunt word of God are not legitimate children. You know what illegitimate in this context means? It means you are not born of God’s Spirit but illegally claiming to be His child. All those who have the Holy Spirit living in them will not feel beat up by the Bible because even though the letter kills His Spirit gives us life.
God Himself has referred to His word as a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces (Jeremiah 23:29). The very purpose of this powerful use of His word is to break my pride and beat down my hardened heart. Fixing the mess involves tearing down of anything that is not right. When God chooses to use His word to burst the sin-cysts in my life, it is good for me. The painful process is to transform me into the flawless cyst-free form of Jesus Christ.
tom felten on December 31, 2013 at 9:08 am
daisy, first, let me assure you that all of the ODJ authors are true believers in Jesus Christ. We carefully and prayerfully only put forth the writings of authors who are mature believers in Him. What Jeff was describing are individuals who do not speak God’s Word in love (Ephesians 4:15). Yes, Scripture should penetrate the heart and bring about conviction as the Holy Spirit works within us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Scripture can become a harshly wield club, however, when a person uses it in a mean-spirited manner, takes it out of context, or quotes it in a moralistic or legalistic way. That was Jeff’s point.
daisymarygoldr on December 31, 2013 at 6:09 pm
Tom Felten, appreciate all of your prayerful writings. It is nice to know each of you as a radio show host, sports writer, technical writer, teacher, theologian, pastor or counselor. But to know that you have been born again of God’s Spirit is what really matters. We would love to hear how you became a believer in Christ as it will help us relate to you as His children.
The love of God compels us to speak His truth. Is it possible to speak God’s word without love? If we have no love we won’t speak because we don’t care. Show me one verse from the Bible in which scripture was quoted in “a mean-spirited manner, moralistic or legalistic ways” and I will show you several that describe smooth-talking, immoral individuals with clever lies that have used grace as a license to sin and lure people away from God.
Non-Christians call Christians Bible thumpers. True believers don’t. We know that even if God’s words become a harshly wielded club, they are meant to accomplish the purposes He sent them to do. The person quoting scripture is merely the messenger. Why do you hit at the messenger with derogative words? This will only make you a stumbling block and hindrance for the Holy Spirit. And when someone quotes scripture out of context, you can always correct what was misquoted.
Wishing you and all the ODJ authors a blessed New Year!