"You should live by the teachings of the Bible." Sounds good, huh? We'll I don't believe it. I know this is where I will really get on thin ice with some people! How can anybody disagree with believers living by the teachings of the Bible? As strange as it may seem at first, the idea that you should live by the teachings of the Bible is false. There’s a subtlety in it that is dangerous. I certainly believe the Bible is inspired by God, and I will tell you that as Christ lives through us, we’ll never live in a way that contradicts what the Bible teaches. The Bible is “profitable,” Paul said, for “instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Possession of our Bible is probably the greatest material blessing we can have on planet earth. But I still contend that God’s purpose is not that we live by the teachings of the Bible.
The Bible teaches us, yes. But if we listen to The Word, we are not living by the teaching of the Bible. We are living by the life of Christ within us. Listen carefully to the distinction there. The source of our life is not the Bible. The source of our life is Jesus Christ. The Scripture says, “In Him we live and move and exist.”
Christ is our life source. “Christ living in and through me” is how we live. Christ animates our lifestyle. We learn about the ways Jesus Christ wants to express His life through us through the written Word, but the source of our life is the living Word of God — Jesus Christ Himself. The reason it’s important to know this, is because if you believe that we live by the teaching of the Bible, then the Bible can become a guidebook, an instruction manual, and you can become like the Pharisees and study the Scripture, simply so that you can learn what you have to do.
It’s easy for modern Christians to imagine that the Pharisees were committed to being bad people who were against God. But nobody in Jesus’ time would have thought that. To first century Jews, the Pharisees were the best Judaism had to offer. They were experts in God’s Law, intellectuals, the moral leaders of the nation, and the most dedicated and self-disciplined religious people around. According the Jesus, though, they missed the point. He told them,
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life (John 5:39-40).
Jesus told them that the life they were looking for was in Him, not in the Bible. The Bible pointed to Him, but they missed that. A person may be able to read Hebrew and parse Greek verbs and still miss Jesus.
The Bible is not a textbook. Neither is it a guidebook, a handbook for living. The Bible is a grace book that points us to Jesus Christ. If we are not led to the Person of Christ and to faith in Him, we are missing the point of the Bible.
I've spent most of my life studying and teaching the Bible. I love the Bible more than I have words to express, but it’s a paradox. As much as I love studying the Bible, and as much as I love teaching it and helping other people discover how great a blessing it is, learning the Bible is not the main thing.
In fact, here’s a different way to say it: The purpose of Bible study is not Bible knowledge. The purpose of reading the Bible is to be led to know Jesus Christ, and have Christ transform our lives as He lives in and through us.
As we live in Him and He lives through us, we will approach the Bible in the right way, knowing that Christ is our life source, and the Bible points us to Him. Through the Scriptures, Christ the living Word will reveal Himself to us, teaching us how He will live his life through us. Of course, we love our Bibles, but we live by the life of Jesus Christ.
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Very informative. This is something we all need to be reminded of over and over and over again. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly eye opening. I was exposed to this truth a few weeks ago through the FBN. Its a different way of thinking that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteSo True Steve: Jesus told us the words that I speak to you they are spirit and they are life. Or flipped around the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of the Prophetic word. (John 6:63 Rev 19:10) Men have become snared in Biblioatry the worship of the book instead of the One to whom it points and testifies of. WWJD is copycat christianity and as you said not taught in the word. Do we think everytime Jesus did something he had to say to Himself what would my Father do in this situation. NO NO He was led of the Holy Spirit was He saw and what he heard that is what he did and men recorded these works but Jesus gave us the inside story!!! mListen to the Father!!
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteI agree with R. It seems that no matter how well I "think" I have these truths down and I know that I have a living relationship with Jesus, I continually end up turning to the bible as a text book. We need to be reminded daily. It is pure drudgery when the law of reading our bibles "one chapter a day" is laid on us. When I go to the Word as a pointer, one scripture can touch my heart more than hours of bible study. Thank you.
Jagcat - why don't you activate your profile so we can know who you are? :)
ReplyDeleteTricky title.. but it's true.
ReplyDelete@Jagcat4U
WWJD is not wrong, but the answer to the question is always the same: "Listen to the Father by the Holy Spirit"
If WWJD reminds you to live by the spirit instead of the flesh, I don't see why that won't be a good thing.
Jereon - If that helps you wonderful - the point I was trying to make in a literal sense is that:
ReplyDeleteOne is birthed out of reason the other out of revelation. The one says let's see the other says I see. If everything Jesus did was recorded the volumes would consume the earth. Every situation takes the unique leading and speaking of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately there are not enough recorded physical examples of everything Jesus did to answer all of our life's situations.
We have the Holy Spirit to lead us. If He told us we will do greater things that Him what will we use as our measuring stick then?
Hi Steve - My profile should become visible on this and further sends. It was attached to my google account but not the blogger.
ReplyDeleteSorry Jeroen my dutch writing is pretty rusty so I will stick wih my 2nd for writing :-)
ReplyDeleteI am learning about Grace and very interested in the teaching but all kinds of verses are coming to me that I have a problem with. In Rev. it says that we need to be hot or cold or the Lord will spit us out.....then on the other hand it says...some will be saved as if by fire! Another verse says that..if we do not forgive, God will not forgive us....another says that our name can be blotted out of the book of Life...I have sooo many questions! It is confusing! A lady on the show..."Its Supernatural" said she had a visit from the Lord and He said He was coming soon and if we are neither hot nor cold we are done for. I have been a believer for 30 years and everything I learned is wrong? Just have lots of questions...Gayle
ReplyDeleteGayle - questions are good. Nobody moves from one paradigm to another without many questions and internal conflicts. Keep searching the Scripture and reading grace filled books that will help you move forward. The Holy Spirit will answer your questions over a period of time as you study, pray and wait for Him.
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