16. The Bible can be used to manipulate, create guilt and shame, and harm people.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
Has someone ever used a Bible verse to try to make you do something that you didn’t want to do?
Have you ever used the Bible to try to influence another person?
How do you think God feels when we use His words to manipulate others?
The Bible under the influence and presence of Spirit can invite us, draw us, encourage us, renew us, convict us, inspire us, transform us, and guide us in our relationship with God. But the Bible, can, and has been, used to manipulate, create guilt and shame, discourage and even harm us. The Bible in the Spirit says “You can.” The Bible in the hands of the unwise says “You should.”
The human soul is like a rope: it works best when it pulled rather than pushed. The Spirit knows the soul, and gently pulls it towards life--abundant life. History is full of examples of how the Bible has been used to harm people: crusades, burnings at the stake, persecution, rejection, and imprisonment. We may dismiss these as extreme and primitive situations, but the darkness of the soul is no less today than in past ages. Not only is there physical harm, but there can also be emotional damage and spiritual harm when we use the Bible to manipulate others. Rarely is the harm deliberate; usually it occurs in unintentional ways, often without the teacher being aware.
What follows are a few of the ways that the Bible might be hurtful to a listener. The first, is a context of legalism. Jesus pointed out the legalism in the Pharisees when His disciples were criticized for picking grain on the Sabbath. He responds, by saying The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27, NIV). Today, when we use the Bible to create a list of thing people “should” do, we become legalistic. Jesus consistently invited people into right living, but He didn’t guilt them or used the Bible to coerce them.
Another way that the Bible is used to manipulate people is when it is used to keep people in bondage by keeping them connected to a certain system or organization. Examples of this might include using the Bible to say that people need to attend a particular church, or that they should give money to that church, or that they should volunteer time to that church. None of these activities are wrong except when they are done unwillingly.
The use of fear is another manipulative use of the Bible, using it to create fear in people so that they behave in certain ways. Some examples of this include promoting a fear of hell, of punishment from God, of being left out, or of not belonging. Using the Bible to judge others is yet another harmful use of Scripture. Jesus teaches, Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:1-3, NIV).
When the Bible is used to “point out the speck” in another person’s eye, it creates harm for all. A final way that the Bible can be used in unhealthy was is what could be called elitism. This happens when someone uses their knowledge of the Bible as a way of elevating themselves above others. It may not be intentional, but the message the listener understands is that they are really not competent to understand the Bible without the teacher. This is unfortunate, and harmful to the spiritual life of the listener.
Jesus, and His words in Scripture were given that we may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10, NIV). Unfortunately, the Bible can also be used to take life and create emptiness.