I have been reading the Scriptures for almost all my life. I have an undergraduate degree in Bible, and a Masters Degree in New Testament. I have read literally hundreds of books. And TODAY, I read a concept that has been around for literally hundreds of years... and I didn't know it!
The concept is called, "Divine Accommodation."
Have you ever tried to communicate with a two year old? You can speak words to them, but to really be heard, you have to simplify your language and talk on their level. For example, you would never tell a two year old that they need to "identify the options, isolate their suggestions and follow through on their decisions." Instead, you would encourage them to pick a crayon and color.
When God chose to communicate with humans, his ultimate communication was found in the person of Jesus. Jesus came down to our level and communicated with us. That means that God, who is 'all present' limited himself to a singular location. That means that the One who has no needs became dependent on air, food, water, sleep, etc...
The next level of communication is through the Scriptures. So, if we recognize that God's ultimate communication was limited when He revealed Himself in Jesus, why would we want to deny limitations in the secondary communication... the Bible.
A couple of quotes:
"By the very way God gave us this word, he locked in the ambiguity." (Gordon Fee)
"In the process of divine inspiration, God did not correct every incomplete or mistaken viewpoint of the biblical authors in order to communicate through them." (Christian Smith, The Bible Made Impossible)
A lot of church fathers held this view: Origen, Justin, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Calvin.
Sure, the authors of Scripture were "carried by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). But that doesn't mean that they gave up their own limited understandings when recording the "words of God." They accomplished God's purposes without surrendering their own minds.
One final thought: If we take Scripture for what it is... God choosing to speak to us on our level, we shouldn't be upset when we read things that "contradict" or offend our senses. God could have chosen to reveal himself in any fashion, but he chose to use the words of Scripture. Sometimes these words confound those who really read them (should women prophesy or be quiet in the church). God is not distraught at this "confusion." He CHOSE to reveal himself in this way.... maybe so we would focus on the ultimate revelation in Jesus!
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Perhaps part of our "processing" on the road to perfection is the development of an ability to patiently accept imperfection and learn to love with pure hearts fervently the 2 year old who says repeadedly: "I can do it!". Not easy when it is your kid...nearly immpossible when it is your neighbor. With God all things are possible. Acceptance is key to my sanity today.
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