#Values: Our values define what we hope will characterize us. These statements are primarily intended for those who wish to join us in this project—through prayer, donations, or collaboration.
The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is the Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit and is therefore our supreme authority in faith and practice. We do not read it merely to gain knowledge, but to encounter the Triune God—reading it in the light of His person and the story of salvation—and to be transformed both individually and as a community.
Beta Value #1: The Word of God
We read the Bible both personally and in community, according to the way it teaches us to read it. Jesus said in John 5:39–40:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
Therefore, we do not read the Bible merely to acquire information, but to encounter Christ and be transformed by Him. This leads us to consider not only how we read or listen to Scripture, but also why we do so.
This principle is not limited to passages that explicitly mention Jesus. In Luke 24:27, after His resurrection, we read:
“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”
All of Scripture, as a whole, points us to Christ. In the end, hearing God’s voice does not simply mean reading ancient words in a sacred book—it means encountering Christ, who is the Word of God made flesh.
What does it mean that Jesus Christ is the Word of God? Jesus Himself answers in John 14:6, 9:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”
This leads us to a deeper understanding of the authority of the Bible. We consider it our authority not merely because it is a sacred book, but because it is the instrument God uses to lead us to Himself and to transform us into the image of Christ. Through it, we move from being alienated children to children living in communion with a loving Father.
To say that the Bible has authority does not mean we can manipulate its words for our own purposes. As theologian Todd Billings notes, we cannot “control it, rearrange it, and use it for our own convenience.” Rather, we acknowledge that it is the Word of God and we place ourselves under its teaching.
“We seek to read Scripture as part of the path of salvation, healing, and redemption in Christ through the power of the Spirit.”
— Todd Billings, The Word of God for the People of God
“Christians reading Scripture are not reading someone else’s mail or merely trying to extract true propositions about God. Instead, we read as those who are united to God in covenant through the person and work of Christ. Our covenantal union with God means we read Scripture in communion with God, but also with covenantal obligations to Him.”
— Todd Billings, The Word of God for the People of God
“Without abandoning our Wesleyan heritage of interpreting Scripture through the lenses of tradition, reason, and experience, we uphold Scripture as primary. While the church must always authentically and relevantly communicate biblical truths with sensitivity to cultural dynamics, we do not subordinate the eternal truths of the Bible to cultural norms or social trends.”
— Free Methodist Church Book of Discipline, 2023
