Consider The Weight

 The bible is a loaded book with 66 different books containing so many stories, commandments, instructions, doctrines, prophecies, etc. As a Christian, we try to live by obeying the injunctions of the bible. But the bible is so comprehensive that sometimes it seems to contradict itself. At one point it is telling you "thou shall not kill", but somewhere else, we read where God is instructing His people to completely wipe out another nation by killing them. And then in another place, the same Bible tells you "love your enemies as you love yourself".

All these can sometimes seem confusing. But there is a way out of the confusion. The answer can be seen in Jesus' words in Matthew 23:23

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

Jesus was saying that some things carry heavier weights than others. And that is how it is with the bible. Some parts of the bible carry heavier weight than others. They should be considered "weightier" than other parts of the bible. Below are three of such weightier aspects of the bible:

1. The New Testament: When reading the bible, the things written in the new testament should be considered more important and valuable than things in the old testament. The things in the new testament are the things that are more relevant to the Christian today. So what the new testament says carries more weight than what is contained in the old testament. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

So the new testament is the fulfillment of the old testament law and prophets.

2. Jesus' Words: The new testament also has a variety of books. It has the gospels and the epistles. The gospels contain the narration of Jesus' life and ministry. It communicates the works and words of Jesus during His earthly ministry. The epistles on the other hand are inspired writings by the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ. They are mostly communicating their own words and works. As Christians, we are to place greater premium on the words of Jesus over the words of the Apostles. Jesus said in John 6:63

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

So, spend more time reading the gospels than the epistles of the new testament. Imbibe the direct teachings of Jesus Christ especially places like the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

3. Repetitions: Be mindful of those things that are continuously repeated in the bible. For example, in more than one place, Jesus quoted Hoses 6:6 in Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 12:7 which says "...I will have mercy and not sacrifice...". Also, the bible repeated four times in different parts of the bible "the just shall live by faith". (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38)

So, the above three points are a mere guide to how we are to read and obey the bible in perspective by considering them weightier than other parts of the bible.

NOTE: It is important to say that because some parts of the bible carry more weight than others, doesn't mean the other parts of the bible are not important also. They should not be neglected. It should be like a balanced diet that contains more of the carbohydrates, and less of the proteins, vitamins and minerals, fats and oils.