Q:
I'm not sure the Bible is of much use today. For example, we don't practice idolatry, and yet the Old Testament talks a lot about idolatry and things like that. Maybe the Bible needs to be updated.
A:
No, the Bible doesn’t need to be updated—and one reason is because it tells us truths about ourselves and about God that will never change. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33).
Take, for example, what you say about idolatry, which the Bible rejects. No, we may not worship the same kind of gold or stone idols that God’s people were warned against in the Old Testament (although some cultures still do). But don’t we have our own “idols” today—things that we worship and serve just as zealously as ancient pagans did their idols? Money, fame, power, sex, pleasure—these and countless other objects have become the “idols” of our time. Not only are they false gods, but they take the place of the one true God in our lives.
The Bible doesn’t need updating—but perhaps your understanding of the Bible needs updating! I can’t help but wonder if you’ve ever actually read the Bible for yourself, with an open heart and mind. When you do, you’ll discover it tells us not only that God exists, but that He loves us and wants come into our lives.
And we know this is true, because God has come down and lived among us in the person of Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us. Don’t let your pride or anything else keep you from Christ, but by a simple prayer of faith open your life to His transforming power. He alone is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).