Why read the Bible?

For Christians, we are encouraged to read and study the Bible. Usually, the more, the better. But what are we looking for in our reading and studying of the Bible? Is it history, theology, doctrine, ethics, dos and don'ts, tips for better living, truth? I would agree that truth and knowledge are revealed in the Bible and, more than that, with careful study Biblical truth and knowledge can even lead to wisdom. Without marginalizing the value of truth and knowledge that are present and accessible in the Bible, is there anything else we can or should be looking for?

Job said: “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.” (Job 23:12)

David wrote: “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97) “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"  (Psalm 119:103)

Paul wrote: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:2) And, “[f]inally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8)

In his book, Imago Christi: The Example of Jesus Christ, John Stalker shared a friend's beautiful devotion to the Bible: “'Oh, to come nearer to Christ, nearer to God, nearer to holiness! Every day to live more completely in Him, by Him, for and with Him.'”

In these writings, one can sense an intimate relationship that is possible between God and man, nourished by scripture. Is it possible through reading scripture to create space in the heart to encounter God?  In those moments, can God touch the heart, search the conscience, pour out his love, reveal his will?  Can assurance, forgiveness and healing be received?   

I would answer my own questions “yes”.  I believe there is something more, something richer than truth and knowledge, that we can experience through our study of the Bible:  we can draw closer to God and He to us. 

Jesus told his disciples to “abide in my word, [if] you are truly my disciples.” (John 8:31). Here the word “abide” reflects the notion of an indwelling or internalizing of Christ's word in the disciples. Thus, the Christian not only seeks to understand and agree with the the teachings of the Bible, but through the study of the Bible the Christian seeks a union with Christ.  As this union growns, the character of Christ begins to manifest itself in the life of the Christian.  In union with Christ, we experience God's love and peace. 

If you are looking for a closer connection with God, I invite you to try devotional Bible study.  For me, I find devotional Bible study very effective. Devotion is a daily time when I slow down, remove distractions, orient myself to God prayerfully, and relate my study to my life. I find this time very nourishing.  The practice of Bible devotion has been around for a long time and there are a lot of good devotional materials available.  If other forms of Bible study are not working for you, I recommend you try devotional Bible study.  Good luck and may God bless you.

What does it mean to be “born again” and why does it matter? (Part 4)

In the first three posts, we briefly examined the Biblical basis for the term “born again”, what it means to be born again, and how a person can be born again. In this post we will discuss why it matters that a person be born again – that is, born of God.

The simple answer is that we cannot save ourselves from God's judgment, no matter how good, or religious or ethical we think we are.  Apart from God's grace, we are all guilty of sin. Sin separates us from God.  However, there is good news:  No matter how good or bad I may think I am, if I am born again, my sins are forgiven and I enter into a new and infinitely better life – a new life presently in relationship with God with an eternal future in God's kingdom.

Now the skeptic might respond: “I am happy or content with the life I lead now;” or “I have personal, financial or relationship issues that religion can't fix;” or “Even if I change, I don't think my life will change much because most of the people I live and work with are not believers;” or “I am an ethical and moral person, and I don't think a just and loving God would send a person like me to hell.” I will respond to the skeptic from a Christian's perspective.

The Christian undergoes a profound change in character affecting virtually all aspects of his or her life. This change in character is first activated by the personal relationship the individual enters into with God through Jesus Christ; from there the individual's character is transformed into the likeness of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit working within the individual as he or she follows Christ in discipleship. This inside transformation of the individual expresses itself outwardly through what the Bible sometimes refers to as “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22), namely, through the capacity for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These character traits are gifts from God, which come about through the individual's relationship with God, and differ substantially from how they are conceived or expressed in the secular world. I will explain this difference using the example of the gift of love.

Most people, Christian and non-Christian, could probably agree that love is a good thing and that the world would be a better place if more love was present in it. Love is central to God's order also: Jesus' purpose for coming to Earth and his entire earthly ministry were built on God's love for humanity, and Jesus' commandments to us are to love God with all our heart and, secondly, to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Mat 22:37-39) Christian love has God for its primary objective, and expresses itself in obedience to God's commandments. More than that, it is the capacity given to Christians to love others the way God loves us.

Therefore, Christian love, whether exercised toward other Christians, or toward people generally, is not an impulse from feelings, it does not always flow from natural inclinations, nor does it invest itself only upon those who will respond reciprocally. Christian love seeks the welfare of everyone, without expecting anything in return (Rom 15:2), and seeks to do good to everyone, especially those who are of the household of faith. (Gal 6:10) There is freedom in Christian love. There is no score-keeping; no expectations of reciprocation; and no worry of being taken advantage of. The Christian sees the other person just as God sees that other person: as a person worthy of God's love.

As I indicated above, the capacity for Christian love, as with any of the fruit of the Spirit, are gifts from God exercisable through the Holy Spirit, which dwells in the heart of the Christian. It is beyond the power of the human will to live this way. On the other hand, for the individual who accepts Christ's invitation for a relationship and submits to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, that person can exercise these traits in powerful ways that will benefit the individual as well as those in contact with him or her.  And more than that, through a new life and a new reality under God's dominion, the Christian will receive the vision to see what Nicodemus what unable to see.

What does it mean to be “born again” and why does it matter? (Part 3)

In Parts 1 and 2, we reviewed the Biblical basis for the phrase “born again” and very briefly examined what it means to be born again. In this post we will examine how a person can be “born again.”

The Gospel of John Chapter 3, verse 16 provides a good starting point: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The Apostle Paul elaborates in Romans Chapter 10, verse 9: “If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” There are two vital elements in these verses on which I will elaborate: The born again person (i) believes that (ii) Jesus is Lord.

I will begin with Jesus' title as “Lord.” “Lord” is not a commonly used term today, but it was commonly understood by the peoples living during the era of the New Testament writers. As applied to Jesus, the term “Lord” was used variously to signify Jesus as “Master” (in the sense of a supreme authority), “Savior” (as from God's judgement), and even “God.” Thus, when the believer declares that Jesus is Lord, he or she submits to the lordship of Jesus over that person's entire life. Put another way, the believer willingly agrees to becomes a disciple of Jesus through a personal relationship with the risen Lord.         

The second vital element to being born again is to “believe” (or when used as a noun, to have “faith”) in Jesus that by his death and resurrection the believer receives forgiveness for sins and eternal life. This entails the realization that God loves us very much and wants us to live in relationship with Him; but without God's initiative, we are hopelessly captive to sin and are spiritually disconnected from God. When I confess Jesus as my Lord and believe in my heart that He died on the cross for my sins and was raised from the dead, my sins are forgiven and I enter into a loving relationship with Him. Actually, it is so much more than that, but we will have to wait until the next post to elaberate on the gift of salvation. For remainder of this post we will look closer at what it means to have faith in Jesus.

Paul wrote that you must “believe in your heart.” (Rom 10:9)  This is more than an emotional feeling or response.  The word “heart” is used in the New Testament to refer to the center of a person's inward life: his or her moral nature, spiritual life, desires, affections, perceptions, etc. Therefore, to believe in one's heart is to hold that belief in the entire sphere of a person's mental and moral activity.  That “belief” or “faith” that the believer holds in his or her heart is trust and confidence in the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus. This trust and confidence opens up the believer's heart to God's grace, which frees the person from the bondage of sin and spiritual darkness and works a new creation in that person connected to God through a personal relationship.

The gift of a new eternal life connected to God is both unearned and undeserved, yet it is the greatest gift we could ever receive.  In the next post, we will examine why this new life rooted in Jesus matters, especially in the here and now.    

 

What does it mean to be “born again” and why does it matter? (Part 2)

Most English Bibles contain three uses of the phrase “born again.” The Gospel of John, Chapter 3 records Jesus using that phrase twice while speaking to Nicodemus. The third use of that phrase is recorded in the First Letter of Peter Chapter 1, verse 23. In this post, we will focus our attention on the words of Jesus.

So, what did Jesus mean when he used the phrase “born again” in his conversation with Nicodemus? Jesus was responding to Nicodemus' inability to recognize Jesus' true identity (John 3:2). Jesus told Nicodemus that because Jesus' kingdom is “not of this world” (18:36), the world cannot understand it, except for those who are born again of the Spirit (3:8). Although Nicodemus was a leader of the Jews (3:1) and acknowledged that Jesus was from God, in his present condition Nicodemus was incapable of truly comprehending the kingdom of God. Only a spiritual rebirth could enable Nicodemus truly comprehend or enter (3:5) the kingdom of God.

Jesus contrasts the two births: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (3:6) Everyone is born in the flesh, that is – a physical body born from natural birth, so let's begin with a description of what life offers in our purely mortal state. Next, we will describe how our life changes when we are “born again” by the Spirit.

Craig Keener (The Gospel of John: A Commentary Volume One, Hendrickson Publishers, LLC, 2003, 552) writes that the Judaism of John's date, followed by early Christianity, did not think of the physical body as evil in-and-of-itself, but by virtue of its mortality and finiteness, the body lacked moral perfection and, hence, became susceptible to sin. This human frailty is inadequate for the true worship of God or for understanding God's heavenly ways (John 3:12). Moreover, the person cannot be saved from the realm of sin and judgement (3:16-20). John Wesley described the matter this way: “except [you] be born again, none can be happy even in this world. For it is not possible, in the nature of things, that a man should be happy who is not holy.” (Sermon The New Birth)

In contrast to the fleshly existence, the Apostle Paul describes the born again person as a “new creation.” (2 Cor 5:17). This new creation is made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. (John 3:16) The person born of the Spirit is no longer under the dominion of sin, condemned to judgement, but instead is under the dominion of God. God loves us (3:16) and sent Jesus into the world to save us. In Jesus, we will not be judged; we will have eternal life. (3:16-17).

The born again person receives God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of the faithful believer to transform him or her into the likeness of Jesus. This transformation enables us to love God, ourselves and one another as God intended. This transformation brings wisdom and peace, and gives us the power to resist sin. We will have more to say about God's gift of the Holy Spirit in a future post on why it matters that a person be born again.

In the next post, we will examine how a person can be “born again.”

What does it mean to be “born again” and why does it matter?

Since the late 1960s, the use of the term “born again” has been popularized by the Protestant evangelical movement, first in American and then later around the world. For those old enough to remember the 1976 U.S. Presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter described himself as born again. Today most people in America probably have heard the term “born again” used in the media or elsewhere to describe someone or some group. However, the term “born again” is not well understood, even among some of those professing to be born again. While some people may use the term “born again” to identify particularly devout believers, others may use the term to identify individuals who have undergone a conversion experience, while still others may use the term as a prerequisite for going to heaven.

The Biblical foundation for the term “born again” is John 3. In John 3:3, for example, Jesus replied to Nicodemus: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (NIV) The Greek word for “again” also means “from above.” Thus, some English translations read “...born from above.” It is clear from John 3:3 that being born again is essential if one is to see the kingdom of God. 

In the next post, we will examine what Jesus meant by the term “born again” or “born from above.” In following posts we will then examine how one is born again, what it means to "see the kingdom of God, and why it matters to us.