Но мы здесь уже не просто наблюдатели, но любимые дети. Лучше всего завершить эту главу словами самого Иисуса: «Если вы, будучи злы, умеете давать дары благие детям вашим, тем более Отец ваш, Который на небесах, даст благо просящим у Него» (Мф 7:11).

13. Книга, выдохнутая Богом

Это великая книга с великими историями и великими героями. У этих героев есть великие идеи (в частности, относительно себя самих), и они совершают великие ошибки. Это книга о Боге, о жадности и благодати, о жизни, похоти, смехе и одиночестве. О рождении, начале и предательстве, о братьях, ссорах и сексе, о власти и молитве, о тюрьме и страсти.

Здесь я говорил об одной только Книге Бытия.

Библия, в которой Книга Бытия занимает место величественной увертюры, – это огромная переполненная содержанием книга. Мы уже ее не раз упоминали, а теперь настало время сделать ее основным предметом разговора. Представьте себе Библию в виде огромной фрески: если мы захотели бы изобразить всех ее героев в натуральную величину, нам пришлось бы изрисовать почти всю Великую китайскую стену. Открывая Библию, следует помнить, что ты держишь не просто одну из самых знаменитых книг мировой истории, но и то, что эта книга обладает удивительной способностью изменять жизнь отдельных людей, человеческих сообществ и всего мира.

She has done this in the past and is able to do it again and again.

Some might say that only God can change the world in this way. How can you say that just a book can do this?

This is really amazing. That is why the Bible is indisputably central to the Christian faith and to the lives of believers as an essential element of the Bible. You can't do without it, despite the fact that many Christians have forgotten what exactly to do with it. It seems that God has delegated at least some of His plans in the world to this book. This is not quite like a will to heirs, but something close to it. Or as if a composer wrote scores for musicians to perform his music. Or as if a playwright wrote a play to be played by artists. Or you can put it this way: this is an unfinished novel, part of the novel that God continues to write – this is perhaps the most accurate analogy, but still not quite true. The Bible is somewhat similar to, but superior to, all of these examples.

That is why there are so many battles around this book. In fact, there are as many battles around the Bible today as there are on its pages. And even the reasons for both battles sometimes coincide. It is jealousy between brothers, from Cain and Abel to the two nameless brothers in Jesus' parable, and now it is the debate between the various traditions and forms of Christianity in a world where each insists on a different approach to reading the Bible. Moreover, each of the representatives of different traditions finds nourishment and support in this book. And everyone, it should be thought, strives to put into practice the lessons learned.

Are these disputes important to us?

Yes, they are. Unfortunately, in the history of Christianity we see many examples of such a reading of the Bible, which actually deprives it of its power. For example, the computer I sit at is capable of doing thousands of things, but I use it only as a typewriter and for accessing the Internet and texting. In the same way, many Christians, entire generations, and sometimes entire denominations, possess a book that can do a thousand things, not only in themselves and for them, but also, through them, for the whole world. However, they use it to support the three or four things they are already doing. For them, the Bible is like wallpaper: it creates a pleasant background, but you forget about it after you live in the room for a few weeks. It doesn't matter that I use only a tiny fraction of the computer's capabilities. But being a Christian and not allowing the Bible to do the best it can through you and in you is like playing the piano with mittens on.

What is the Bible and how should we use it?