deconstruction – Page 2 – Sons of Issachar

481. Beyond The Pages | Finding Truth Outside the Bible

Mike Parsons –

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We are following a book which has been translated by people with an agenda and a preconceived confirmational bias, rather than out of relationship with Jesus. Yet Jesus said he would speak to us and that we could follow him. We have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, within us. We do not need another teacher.

So why are we telling people they must follow a book, when they can be guided by the Holy Spirit and through Jesus, who is the Truth? Jesus is the Word of God. The Bible is not the Word of God. The problem is that we have been taught otherwise. I hear people say, “We are going to read the Word.” But they are reading a book, half of which was never intended for them, the other half written for people in the first century preparing for the end. We are not those people.

That does not mean God has not used the Bible. He has used it in my life, but it has also caused huge confusion. I was deceived into believing things simply because I was taught that was what the Bible said. Now, I go with what Jesus says. I will not live by an interpretation of a book; I will follow a person in relationship. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Bible is not. Even if someone had never read a verse, never seen a Bible, they could still encounter Jesus and through him engage the Father.

This is why I would never encourage a new believer to start with the Bible. It will only confuse them, as they are faced with conflicting interpretations and even two seemingly different versions of God. But it was always just people’s limited view of God, not who he truly is. Relationship is what matters. I can walk in relationship even with those I disagree with, because I do not need to prove them wrong. My faith is grounded in personal experience and testimony, not in the teaching of a book.

I use the Bible only as a frame of reference, because that is how people have been taught. Yet I can count fewer than five times when the Father or Jesus has actually quoted a Bible verse to me. When they did, it was revelatory. For example, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden…” was spoken to me when I was striving to be good enough and keep a behavioural standard. It showed me why I was weary and how I could come into his rest. The principle was what mattered, not the verse.

Jesus is quite capable of saying directly, “Follow me and enter rest.” He does not need to quote Matthew 11:28. People can and do go astray, but many have also gone astray while following the Bible. History shows how it has been used to persecute, to endorse slavery, the Inquisition and Christendom itself. The Bible is not safe. Only Jesus and the Holy Spirit, as the Way, the Truth and the Life, keep us on a safe path. If you use love as the plumb line, you will not go far wrong.

This is what God showed me when he challenged my views of the Bible. He brought me back to the relationship I had with him, and how he speaks directly. He weaned me off my need for Bible confirmation. I know many still need that, but their thinking must eventually shift. They were told “the Bible says this,” but that has to be undone if they are to truly follow God.

Some quote verses about people falling away from sound teaching in the last days. But those last days were AD 66 to 70, when many fell away under persecution. That does not apply to us in the same way today. And this is the issue.

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403. So you think the ‘Word of God’ is the Bible? Think again!

392. Training Your Spirit | Practical Steps to Engage with God

266. A Happy Eschatology

470. Beyond the Norm: Finding Joy Outside the System

Mike Parsons

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Christians can’t have fun?

We can find ourselves really constrained within certain systems and among people who all think the same way—which leaves little room for personal growth or enjoying life. Christians, for example, often end up repeating the same routines—organising potluck meals and eating quiche and such things, which can become a bit staid and, frankly, rather dull and boring. That’s not to say Christians can’t have fun—but generally speaking, the world exists for us to discover, to enjoy, and to bring light into, ideally in a way that’s enjoyable and adventurous.

Sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to become a Christian when, so often, Christians come across as quite miserable. Then there’s the expectation of attending church three times on a Sunday. Why should that be necessary? If I’m enjoying myself by going out, why can’t I worship God in the fresh air? These mindsets persist: we invite people to join us, and then expect them to give up what they find pleasurable in order to join a ‘Christian club.’ In the process, such people often lose touch with real life—and many of the positive experiences they had with God in the past are lost. They end up just becoming ‘church people,’ which really doesn’t attract anyone.

Representatives of God’s love

Instead, we ought to show that life can be enjoyable, that we can have fun, love others, and care for them—that’s the sort of dynamic we should be bringing to the world. We’re meant to be representatives of God’s love, demonstrating care and compassion through what we do. When people hit a crisis, they’ll seek out those who are authentically loving, relatable, and understanding—the kind of people who can help them encounter God through genuine relationships.

I wholeheartedly believe in continuing to enjoy life. Since embracing this perspective, I enjoy life much more as I believe it was intended to be—without imposing a set of rigid rules and obligations that dictate where I should be and what I must do.

Going to church

I go to church meetings with Debbie because she enjoys fellowshipping with others. I like singing too, so I don’t mind joining in, but I doubt I would go if it weren’t for her. I value those friends and connections, but sometimes I do find it a struggle. In the home group, I occasionally bite my tongue to avoid offending others, but now and then God gives me permission to say something a bit provocative, to open up honest discussion. Ultimately, though, if Debbie didn’t attend the group, I wouldn’t go there either. This week, there’s football on—so I’ll watch that, as I’ll probably enjoy it more than wrestling with theological discussions I find hard to connect with. I don’t attend to cause trouble; I simply value the freedom to go or not to go.

No option

Reflecting on my past, especially when I was in church leadership, I remember having no option—I had to be there, unless I was on holiday. It was expected of me as a leader. I was often speaking—which meant there was little choice, and as I was being remunerated, there was a sense of obligation. I would have felt guilty for not going. Although it was genuinely more than just a job for me, there was still a mindset that I needed to “give them their money’s worth.” That way of thinking comes from conditioning: it is certainly not freedom.

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317. Leaving a Positive Light Deposit

328. Experiencing God’s Love: A New Approach to Evangelising Christians

403. So you think the ‘Word of God’ is the Bible? Think again!

Mike Parsons

The Bible, the Word of God?

I couldn’t move beyond, as long as I was restricted by my mindset and belief system, which was deeply rooted in evangelicalism. For years, I held the absurd notion that certain Bible verses referred to the Bible itself as the “Word of God.” But none of those verses mean the Bible, even though my deceptive sola scriptura programming led me to believe they did. I read the text and interpreted it in the way I had always been taught.

The Bible is a collection of writings, compiled over centuries, that wasn’t formally assembled until around AD 385. It couldn’t possibly refer to itself as the “Word of God” because it didn’t exist in its current form. Those who wrote its books had no idea they would one day be gathered into a single volume called The Holy Bible. That title was given by man—not by the Bible itself, and certainly not by God.

Misunderstood verses

Here are some examples of verses I misunderstood because of my conditioning:

Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” I immediately assumed ‘word’ referred to the Bible.

Ephesians 5:26: “That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” Again, I thought ‘word’ meant the Bible—it doesn’t.

Ephesians 6:17: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” I thought of the Bible as the ‘sword of the Spirit.’ But in reality, Jesus is the Word of God, and the words He speaks are the Word of God. This verse doesn’t refer to the Bible. My children even played a computer game where you would ‘draw your sword,’ which was portrayed as the Bible. You’d take it out from under your arm and use it as the ‘Sword of the Spirit.’ That just reinforced the idea that the Bible itself was the weapon, which was completely inaccurate.

1 Timothy 4:5: “For it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.” To an evangelical, as soon as ‘word of God’ and ‘prayer’ are mentioned in the same sentence, it automatically means the Bible and prayer—because that’s what we were taught.

2 Timothy 2:15: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” Again, I was conditioned to interpret ‘word of truth’ as the Bible. In the King James Version, it even says ‘study to show thyself approved,’ which led to the belief that studying the Bible was what made you acceptable to God. But that’s not what it means at all.

We need to embrace a deeper understanding. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me.” He didn’t say, “By reading the words in the Bible.” It’s about hearing His voice and following Him. Of course, some of the words Jesus spoke might speak to us today, but not all of them were meant for us. Many were directed to the people He was speaking to at the time.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit.” I thought this meant I had to use the Bible to separate my soul and spirit. When I heard teachings about soul and spirit separation, I believed this was something I had to do. Thankfully, God had a completely different way. Jesus, as the living and active Word of God, was able to separate my soul and spirit and reintegrate me into wholeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled faces, look as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” When I read this, I had no idea it meant I could look into God’s face and see Him directly—face to face—and be transformed by the image reflected back to me. I thought it meant looking into the Bible and trying to identify the image of God in it so I could imitate it. I was so caught up in this evangelical belief system.

Hebrews 6:5: “And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.” Again, I interpreted ‘word of God’ as the Bible. But I don’t see it that way now.

1 Peter 1:23: “You have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” Once more, I could only see this as referring to the Bible, rather than to Jesus—the living and enduring Word of God in me, bringing life.

1 John 2:14 says, “I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

When preaching on this, I would have said something like, “You need the Word of God! You need to feed on the Bible! You need to read it daily so that it’s in you, and then you’ll overcome the evil one and grow strong.” But the reality is that the ‘Word of God’ in this verse refers to Jesus, who is in us. He has already overcome the evil one, and we overcome through Him. At the time, I would have thought John’s letters—now included in the Bible—were the key to their strength. However, their strength came not from intellectual knowledge, but from their personal, experiential knowledge of Him.

Titus 2:5, which instructs women “to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, and subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonoured,” was another verse I misunderstood. I was taught this meant wives needed to submit to their husbands to avoid bringing dishonour to the Bible. But let’s set the record straight. This isn’t about women submitting to their husbands in some rigid hierarchy. Instead, it’s about being in a mutually respectful and loving relationship. It’s about mutual submission in the context of Christ’s example. The focus is on living in a way that honours God, not enforcing roles for the sake of protecting a book. Jesus is the Living Word of God, and He calls us into relationship with Him.

When we talk about the ‘Word of God,’ it’s essential to recognise that this primarily refers to Jesus, not the Bible. God’s words, whether spoken directly to us today or recorded in Scripture, can be meaningful. But the emphasis must remain on Jesus, the Living Word, who is still speaking and guiding us. He wants us to hear His voice and follow Him.

All God-breathed writings

Now, let’s address 2 Timothy 3:16, a verse often quoted in evangelical circles: “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness.” This verse is frequently used to argue that the entire Bible is inspired, infallible, and inerrant. However, there are several issues with how this verse is traditionally interpreted.

First, the word ‘all’ doesn’t mean everything indiscriminately. Second, the term ‘scripture’ is often mistranslated with a capital ‘S,’ implying it refers to the entire Bible. The original text doesn’t imply this. In fact, when this was written, the Bible as we know it didn’t even exist—it wouldn’t be compiled for another 300 years.

Let me read this verse from Young’s Literal Translation, which translates it as: “Every writing God-breathed is profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that is in righteousness.” Notice the difference? It says every God-breathed writing is useful—not that every part of the Bible is God-breathed, nor that it refers specifically to the Bible at all.

This means that writings inspired by God—whether ancient or modern—are profitable and beneficial. God is still breathing inspiration into people today, and those writings can be just as useful for teaching, guidance and correction as any ancient text. This isn’t about elevating the Bible to an infallible status but recognising the broader scope of God’s inspiration.

God is still breathing inspiration into people today, and those writings can be just as useful for teaching, guidance and correction as any ancient text.

Unfortunately, I was conditioned to believe that this verse proved the Bible was infallible, inerrant and the ultimate authority. The evangelical mantra reinforced this: “The Bible is inerrant, infallible, and inspired.” But when you take a closer look, 2 Timothy 3:16 doesn’t say anything about the Bible being inerrant or infallible. It simply states that inspired writings—those breathed by God—are beneficial.

We must break free from the deception of assuming these verses mean something they don’t. God is still speaking today, and the Living Word—Jesus—continues to guide and transform us through His voice and presence.

This video blog is an excerpt from Mike's current teaching series, Restoring First Love. Get the full length videos every month, only at eg.freedomarc.org/first-love

Activation

So let’s take a few minutes to engage with God, with unconditional love.

Close your eyes,
begin to still your heart,
and still your mind.

Start to slow down your breathing.

Focus your thinking on God.
Focus your thinking on engaging unconditional love.

Breathe in deeply.
And as you breathe in,
you are breathing in
the unconditional love of the Father for you
as his child.

Wait in that place.
Be still.
Let the love of God,
that unconditional love,
rest on you.

Let Him reveal Himself
as pure, unconditional love.

Perhaps now,
you want to ask Jesus, as the Truth,
to speak something specific to you?

“You have heard it said,
But I say unto you.”
Maybe some belief system,
maybe the way you’ve looked at God,
maybe the way you have been programmed
with religious thinking,
some mindset or belief system.

Open up your heart.
Ask Jesus, as the Truth,
the Living, Active Word of God,
to show you something
where is He saying,
“You’ve heard it said, you believe this
but I am saying unto you… this.”

Listen to His voice,
revealing something at this moment
that will bring truth to you.
Just let that frequency of his voice engage you.

386. The More You Try, The Harder It Gets

Mike Parsons

When your faith seems weak or compromised, what do you do? Well, I think it goes back to the concept of labouring to enter rest. Now, you don’t actually labour to enter rest. That concept, shared in Hebrews, refers to the Old Testament and the old covenant, where people were striving to enter rest but were not succeeding. What it really says is: don’t do that. Don’t try to enter rest in the way they did. The reality is that you are in rest because rest is about trusting in the completed work of Jesus and living in that reality.

When you look at Hebrews and the message it conveys, it’s clear. Essentially, it’s addressing those who were still adhering to Old Testament, old covenant practices. They were striving—striving to enter rest, striving to take the land, fighting for what was promised. All of that was under the old covenant. But in the new covenant, we are already in rest.

Hebrews says: “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed, we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” For we who have believed, we enter that rest.

So, if we are operating with a new covenant mindset, we are already in rest. Jesus said, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” Rest isn’t something you have to achieve or do; it’s something you receive through your relationship with him. And that’s the key many people miss—it’s already happened. Jesus has finished the work. It’s complete.

When your faith feels weak or compromised, you don’t have to do anything because it’s not about your faith—it’s about his faith. “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” It’s his faith in me, who he believes me to be. When I’m faithless, he remains faithful because he doesn’t change. The truth is, everything has already been accomplished. It’s not about me having enough faith; it’s about recognising that he has enough faith in me. If I can accept how he sees me, then that’s how I’ll live.

The relational aspect is simple: come to Jesus. Keep coming to Jesus. When you feel doubts or struggles, it’s often because you’re trying to set your own agenda about how things should be. Instead, just engage with God without any agenda. Don’t try to see anything or understand it visually. Instead, enter into a realm of perception where you know—you just know—the reality of the rest in him, a rest you’ve already received because of what he’s done.

I would encourage you not to focus on what you need to do but allow him to do what he wants to do. Create space for that relational connection where he can work in you. Look at Psalm 23: “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters; he restores my soul.” You don’t have to strive for rest; it’s already there. Just come to him, and he will give you rest.

Take his yoke upon you, learn from him. He is gentle and humble in heart. Being gentle is about knowing who I am in him, and being humble is about accepting who I am in him. I don’t have to strive or fight for it—I just have to be with him. Jesus says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” So, if you’re struggling with doubts or questions, forget about trying to figure it all out. Just keep coming to him.

When you surrender—when you let go of all your agendas and come to him as a living sacrifice—he will do what needs to be done. You don’t need to try to do anything. Trust him to restore you, to enable you. Life has its stresses, but you can choose to create space for God. Let go of your own ideas of what you need, and surrender fully. Say, “Here I am, Lord; you do what you need to do. I’m entering into your rest.”

As you stop trying to receive it and allow him to unveil it to you, you’ll begin to experience the reality of it. It’s already accomplished. You’ve already been included in him—actually, from before the foundation of the world. He simply wants to bring you into an experience of that rest. Stop trying to figure it out or work it out. Just come to him and surrender.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” In some translations, it says, “Cease striving.” Stop your works, and let him do his. The more you try, the harder it seems to get. God’s invitation is simple: stop, be still, and know that he is God. In that stillness, you’ll know by experience who he is and, in turn, who you are. Stop striving and let him work. The rest is already there, waiting for you to receive it.

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363. Deconstructing the Pillars of Your Mind

Video summary

The Word of God

The traditional Evangelical view of the Bible as the inerrant and infallible word of God is problematic. The true “Word of God” is Jesus, the Living Word, and direct experience of God through the Holy Spirit takes precedence over scriptural interpretation.

Biblical passages often used to support legalistic or fear-based theology, including those about the “deceitful heart” and “missing the mark,” point to humanity’s lost identity in God rather than inherent wickedness or behavioural failures.

Redemption

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was not to appease an angry God but to restore humanity’s true identity as children of God. Redemption is not earned through religious practices but is a free gift received through recognizing our inherent union with Christ.

Religious Conditioning and Personal Experience

Religious indoctrination, particularly within Evangelicalism, parallels cult-like control through fear and guilt. Personal experience with God, guided by love and discernment, is preferable to blind acceptance of religious dogma and trusting external authorities (including charismatic figures and self-proclaimed prophets).

Nine Pillars

In my personal journey of deconstruction, I once viewed the world through a framework of nine “pillars,” primarily rooted in Evangelical doctrines but also influenced by cultural and scientific conditioning. The process of each pillar being challenged and ultimately dismantled led to a transformed mind, grounded in love and direct relationship with God.

The Role of Love

Prioritise direct relationship with God through the Holy Spirit over rigid adherence to scripture or religious systems. Love is the ultimate measuring stick for discerning truth and evaluating personal experiences. Actively seek God’s guidance in a process of ongoing deconstruction and renewal, leading to greater intimacy with God and a more accurate understanding of our true identity in Christ.