The Bible has a lot of things to
say about a lot of different subjects. The sacred book has something to say
about how every thing we see around us all began, and one day, how it will all
end. And the Bible has a lot to say about a bunch of things that happened and
should happen in between the beginning and the end of all things as we know it.
And since the Bible has so much to say about so many things, it isn’t
surprising to see so many people use the Bible to do and say so many things
themselves. People sure do put the Bible to work to do a lot. And the sad
reality is that a lot people treat the Bible, especially in our culture, as if
it is there to do their bidding, to fight their war, to improve their life, to
propel them to loftier places, and much more. For many Christians, the Bible
isn’t a book that is there to shape their life, but instead, they shape the
Bible in such a way as to make it seem that God has spoken on matters for them
specifically that God has indeed not had anything at all to say.
The study of Scripture is a
spiritual act. It is a spiritual discipline. There is nothing that is more
important to the Christian than Scripture. Scripture informs us, cleanses us,
renovates our minds, renews our hearts, transforms our lives! Scripture tells
us who Jesus is. Scripture brings us the gospel. Scripture brings us life!
Eternal life! Scripture ensures that we will never be deceived. How? Scripture
is the truth. So long as we have the truth, we can never be deceived. Is it any
wonder that Scripture is at the very core of the non-Christian attacks against
the Christian movement? The record of the OT is used to indict the kind of God
it portraits, and therefore, undermines itself according to the opponents of
Christ. Every Christian must know the Scripture, must know it’s history, must
know something about its transmission, must surely know its content, and must
know how to let Scripture defend itself. I cannot think of anything more
important in the life of the Christian than Scripture. We know nothing about
the Christian faith, the Christ who redeems, the Spirit who fills us apart from
Scripture.
John MacArthur tells us, “if you
are one of those who questions whether truth is really important, please don’t
call your belief system Christianity, because that is not what it is.” [The
Truth War] Jesus said that God’s Word is truth. For the truth believer there is
very little as important as studying God’s Word seriously. [The Hermeneutical
Spiral] Calvin said, “At any rate, there is no doubt that firm certainty of
doctrine was engraved in their hearts, so that they were convinced and
understood that what they had learned proceeded from God. For by His Word, God
rendered faith unambiguous forever, a faith that should be superior to all
opinion.” [Institutes] Michael Kruger in his excellent work Canon Revisited writes, “What is needed,
then, is a canonical model that does not ground the New Testament canon in an
external authority, but seeks to ground the canon in the only place it could be
grounded, its own authority.” [Canon Revisited] Clearly, the Bible has a place
of prominence in the life of the Christian. And with the recent trends in
certain cultures, especially Europe and America, it should be obvious to any intelligent
Christian that a proper understanding and use of Scripture is as important
today as it was in the time of the Apostles. So much for the great downgrade of
the significance of theology, the languages, and doctrine in our churches. Any
discerning Christian ought to be able to figure out that God was serious when
He spoke to us in Scripture. And if we are serious about God, about our
relationship with Christ, we will take more than just a passing interest in
what God has to say.
Yet, many Christians seem to be
almost entirely uninterested in respecting the Scripture’s message and record,
willing to take the Bible as a tool to defend their own attitudes,
philosophies, and behaviors. Prov. 29:18 is one example. The KJV renders this
text, “Where there is no vision the people perish.” More than a few Christians
have used this verse to support the idea that we have to “cast a vision” for
the mission of our local church, various ministries, and even your own personal
career. A text actually means, as the NASB tenders it, “Where there is no
vision, the people are unrestrained.” The idea is where there is no “prophetic word”
immorality dominates, and this to the destruction of people’s souls. In other
words, where God’s Word is not proclaimed to the community, there is little to
no moral restraint. Yet we use it to support our own modern motivational talks.
Such recklessness should produce embarrassment and shame.
Sadly, some Christians are far more
interested in having God speak to them outside of Scripture than they are in
attempting to understand what God is speaking to them in Scripture. These
Christians have no clue that God does not speak to men outside of Scripture. This
is why Scripture is called the Word of God. If you want to know God’s will for
your life, read the Bible with as much energy as you can muster and pray for
enlightenment. If we want to know what God wants our church involved in, we can
know that by reading Scripture. Other Christians just want to use the Bible for
their owner personal agendas, whatever they might be. Perhaps I want to feel
better about myself, be a better parent, excel at work and so forth. All these
modern, psychological approaches to Scripture rest on a faulty presupposition
that the Bible was given to me so that I could use it to become a better me
according to what I think a better me is. Scripture was given to make us holy,
to shape us into the image of Christ, to transform and renovate our minds so that
we have the mind of Christ.
Scripture is the standard by which
all men will be measured. Scripture informs us of our sin, our guilt, and our
condemnation. For this reason, men want to destroy it, to rip it to shreds, to
reduce its credibility. They do not want Scripture to be accurate when it
condemns their adultery, their homosexuality, their treachery, their lies,
their greed, their idolatry, and their murderous ways. So they attack it on
every level and those attacks are relentless. But Scripture also brings glad
tidings of good news. Through Jesus Christ, and through Him alone, there is
light, life, and eternal peace. Scripture alone brings the knowledge by which
we know the truth light, the true life, the true Redeemer of the world.
If you know nothing else, know
Scripture. If you can talk about nothing else, be able to talk about Scripture.
If your apologetic is weak anywhere, let it be weak anywhere else but in
defending Scripture. The entire Christian walk centers around the Jesus Christ
who reveals Himself in Scripture. Ignorance of Scripture equals ignorance of
Christ!
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