My pastor preached on the Bible today at church. Not just from the Bible, but about the Bible. In a society that values "spirituality" over faith and commitment, the Bible is often pushed aside when discussing Christian belief. People like Jesus, and are willing to think about Him on their own terms, but many do not want to confront what the Bible has to say about Him, about God, and about the way God designed us to live.
This may be the result of something far more fundamental to our modern Western culture. If you ask people what they believe, they'll probably rattle off a dozen or so "statements of faith" from whatever religion or philosophy they have learned. (As a side note, it's unfortunate that so few people actually have exposure to philosophy as part of their education!) If you then ask them WHY they believe those things, you'll probably get some hemming and hawing as they try to dig down to their reasons for their faith. In my experience, there aren't a whole lot of people, including those in churches, who know why they believe what they do.
Christians historically have found the foundation for what they believe in the Bible. We believe that it is God's Word, written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and teaches us what God wants us to know about Him, about us, and about our world. By studying the Bible, we learn how we relate to God through Jesus Christ and how we should live as children of God. As we come to a greater understanding of God's Word, we are able to develop a greater faith and greater ministry on the basis of that understanding.
The biggest misconception many have about studying the Bible is that the purpose of Bible study is to learn more facts, more dates, more memory verses, and just plain more stuff about what the Bible says. All of that is of course important (I"m a Christian education director, after all), but if that's all we learn we fail at the most basic level to truly understand the Word of God. All of those facts teach us important truths about God, and important truths about the way we were created to live. If we don't see our lives changing as a result of our exposure to the Bible, then we are studying it wrong.
When you have no foundation for your beliefs, you will tend to find your beliefs changing with every new fad that comes along. You can't build a coherent and satisfying life based on a hodgepodge of what everyone else believes or what fits what you want to be true without giving it any further thought. That goes just as much for Christians as for anyone who is outside the church. There are many who are Christians because their parents were Christians, or they just happen to go a certain church, or they think Jesus is cool and loving, but who have never examined why they hold their beliefs.
I find the Bible to be a strong foundation for my life. I'd like to say I understand it fully, but there are many passages I still need to study deeply. Even more, I'd like to say I always consistently follow the teachings of the Bible, but as a sinner saved by grace I have my failings. I firmly stand on the Bible, however, and seek to grow in my understanding and practice of what it teaches. I invite you to join me on this lifelong quest/
No comments:
Post a Comment