A “Bible-intoxicated” people

The 16th-century Anabaptists were “biblicists” – people of the Word. They were so not because of their scholarly knowledge of Scripture but rather because they faithfully applied its counsel to their lives. There was no doubt in their minds that the Bible was the inspired Word of God, infallible and divinely empowered to transform hearts and minds. It was the Scriptures which shaped their theology and their ethics. Mennonite historians have described Anabaptists as having a “practical” attitude toward the Bible.

To gain a sense of the Anabaptists’ view of the Bible one need only turn to their written works. The writings of Menno Simons, for example, are saturated with quotations from Scripture. He wrote, “This is an admonition to all true Christians to cling to the Word of the Lord with all the heart, and to hold firmly to His promise. . . . Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His Word shall abide forever. . . . By it man is renewed, regenerated, sanctified, and saved.”

Another Anabaptist, Bernhard Rothmann, wrote, “The divine, unquestionably Holy Scriptures which are called the Bible alone . . . are needful and sufficient for teaching, reproof, correction, and for instruction in righteousness, for which purpose also almighty God has given them. . . . For he who holds only to the Scriptures needs no other writings.”

Another Anabaptist, Dirk Philips, wrote, “One must believe every word of God, and not only some of them when they please us, and reject others.”

For Anabaptists, the Bible was not merely a book of rules or a means by which the church could develop a system of theology. For these people, the Bible was the inspired and living guide to faith and life. Obeying the counsel of Scripture was for them crucial to being a “Nachfolger Christi” (follower of Christ). Perhaps historian Clarence Hiebert sums it up best when he refers to them as a “Bible-intoxicated” people.

May we as 21st-century Mennonite Brethren re-ignite the passion our Anabaptist brothers and sisters had for the Bible. Imagine what our world would be like with a few more “Bible-intoxicated” Christians.

Philip A. Gunther is senior pastor of Parliament Community Church in Regina.