Knowing God's Word

Source: lifehopeandtruth.com

God's word is truly unique--it alone can discern the heart of man and give us life-giving instructions as to how to live.

The Scriptures are clear about the role of God's word in our lives:

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  Hebrews 4:12

 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Sadly, many of us self-professing believers barely know what the Bible says, beyond just a few bumper-sticker style verses or sentiments.  We have no idea what order various Bible stories are arranged in, nor do we understand the over-arching story of the Bible as a whole.

I recently learned that Bart Ehrman, an anti-Christian religion professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaches an Introduction to Christianity class in which he asks his students a few simple questions: How many people have read Harry Potter? Almost without fail, everyone's hands shoot up.  Next he asks how many people have read the Bible.  This time, only a few hands are raised.  He goes on to ask all the self-professing Christians in the room whether or not they truly believe that a book, authored by God himself, exists and if so, why they haven't read it.  This is his segway into discussing hypocrisy and unleashing his infamous anti-Christian rants.

Although I disagree with Ehrman's position, his argument still stands.  Why do so many Christians fail to read and truly know the Bible?

My pastor recently gave a sermon in which he posed several introspection questions which are useful to assess how much we know God's word.  I found these questions very useful and wanted to relay them to you, as well:

• Do you know what the Bible says on important issues besides "don't do it" (i.e. don't steal, don't kill, don't lie)?
• Do you understand how the Bible gives you resources in the areas of your life that you struggle (i.e. fear, anger, suffering, lust, etc)?
• Can you intersect the pages of Scripture with your daily life?
• Do you know the events and characters in the Bible, and are you able to put them in chronological order?
• Can you articulate how all the books in the Bible fit together (i.e. how the epistles fit into the book of Acts, or how the Old Testament prophecy books fit within the framework of the first 13 books of the Old Testament)?
• Can you explain how to have a saving relationship with God with someone else, showing it from the pages of Scripture?

If the answers you gave to these questions were consistently "no," you are not alone.  This quiz is not intended to shame you; it is simply a diagnostic tool to help you see your need for change, which is a good thing!

So how can we understand the Bible better?  Here are two ways:

1. Read the Bible in its entirity
2. Use tools to help you see the "meta-narrative" (i.e. "big picture") of the Bible story.

January is the perfect time to step into a Bible reading plan to learn more about what the Bible truly says (for more information about that, check out this and this post).

Another great way to get a handle on the Bible is to read an Old Testament or New Testament survey book like the Casket Empty series or this two-book series here.  I also like the resources from Stan and Iva May at Chronological Bible Teaching.  They succinctly break down the Bible into 14 eras, which correspond to pictures that can be easily memorized and understood, even for kids.

Finally, we must never diminish the role of participating in an authentic, redemptive community of believers as we seek to read and know God's word.  We need each other to speak into our lives and encourage us in the faith.  I hope to encourage you through this blog, dear friend, but we must also be faithful to join and regularly participate in our local church through life-on-life discipleship with others.

So, what do you say?  Will you stand among the masses of Christians who barely know God's word, or will you dare to dive in and truly understand the Bible this year?  Oh, dear one, I pray that you do!  Let's endeavor to truly know God's word today!