Trust the Bible Above Your Experience

by Jordan Standridge

We’ve all had incredible experiences.

Whether it is catching a big fish, or winning a big game, or, more seriously, witnessing the birth of your child or thinking back to your wedding day.

Some claim to have had religious experiences where God told them something to do, or where He revealed something to them. I think we can all agree, though, that our experience cannot even come close to match what Peter experienced by being around Jesus for three years.

As he spent time with Jesus, he was constantly amazed.

He saw it all.

Water turned into wine. Blind men seeing. Zacchaeus’ repentance. Dead men living. And hundreds and hundreds of more miracles.

But there was one experience that superseded them all. He got to see something that, in my opinion, is the greatest experience in human history.

He was on a mountain with James and John. Jesus was there, and the Bible tells us that He was transfigured.

Matthew 17:2 says,

“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.”

All of a sudden, Moses and Elijah show up and Peter witnesses the three of them have a conversation. He immediately wants to build tents and stay there forever. Then God speaks and says,

“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

It is safe to say that none of us will ever experience anything that comes close to that.

Yet, it is fascinating to hear Peter talk about it.

In 2 Peter 1:18-20, Peter has something fascinating to say about that experience. He says,

“For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Think about what he is saying!

We were there on a mountain, we saw Jesus transfigured! We saw Elijah and Moses speaking with Jesus! We heard God speak to us! We are certain of it!

Yet DO NOT trust our word. Don’t trust our experience.

Trust the Bible!

The Bible, Peter says, is surer than any human experience.

The Bible isn’t based on human experience. It’s not based on what men think, but, rather, the Bible is a book that was breathed out of the mouth of God.

As we head into a new year, let me ask you a question. Did you trust your experience above the Bible last year?

You may say, I would never do that! I’m a discerner! I believe in expository preaching! Let me tell you that we are all in danger of trusting in ourselves rather than in the Bible.

This year, resolve to read the Bible more, but let me encourage you to resolve to do what the Bible says. Reading blogs and listening to sermons is wonderful, but every time you do it, seek to apply it. Actually, ask the Lord to change you because of what you just heard or read.

Sadly, this is so needed in the church.

We have many people who are capitulating on doctrine and theology because of experiences that they have had. Whether it is a sensing that God’s Word is not reliable in certain areas, or whether it is negative experiences that they have faced, we are seeing a trend toward compromise. Unless we are trusting God’s Word and allowing God’s Word to speak and inform our beliefs, we are in constant danger of allowing experience to compromise our trust in Scripture.

We need a sea of people in the church who completely rely on Scripture–to unapologetically declare our hearts’ wicked inability to know the truth without it, and to resolve to completely rely on the Holy Spirit to inform our doctrine and theology.

Of course, Peter loved being on the Mount of Transfiguration. He wanted to set up shop and live there forever! But looking back to that incredible experience his takeaway was that he wanted people to understand that their belief in God should not be reliant on the word of Peter, but, instead, should be solely reliant on the Word of God.

We can be thankful for so many things God allows us to experience, but always remember that our experience no matter how great and no matter how sure we are about them can be wrong. The Word of God however cannot and will never be wrong and we must resolve to read it more,  trust it more, and most importantly to obey it more. May we be men and women of the Word.

Jordan Standridge: Jordan is the pastor of evangelism at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, VA. He has a wife named Jenny and 4 children, Davide, Matteo, Nico and Gabriella. They're on their way to Italy as missionaries check out their website at Standridge.org.

Lies that Keep Women From Reading the Word

Busyness Is Not the Problem

Article by Rachel Jankovic

The world is full of good advice. Take showers. Brush your teeth. Wear a coat in the cold. Eat regularly. Sleep.

All of us agree with such basic good sense and would counsel others in line with it. “You simply must sleep, and here’s why.” “Brushing your teeth is more than a nice idea.” And so on.

If someone we know began to ignore such advice, we would urge them to reconsider. “Things are so hectic that you are no longer finding the time to put on clothes? You know what, clothes are not one of the optional things — you are going to need to change your habits to make putting on clothing part of your routine.” “Life is so busy that you decided to quit eating and feeding your children? Apparently life is not so busy that you aren’t making time for your upcoming hospitalization and arrest!”

“The value of the Bible is not in the accessories we bring to it.”TweetShare on Facebook

When we believe that something is absolutely critical to a healthy and decent life, we don’t excuse not making time for it — in the same way many of us do not ask ourselves every morning if we can find the time to put on underwear or drink coffee. We have the time, we make the time, we assume the time, we use the time. Whatever it takes, we will have the coffee, and we will wear the underwear.

Spiritual Bad Breath

Why, then, does the very fundamental practice of reading the word of God fall so badly by the wayside for many Christians? Because when it comes down to it, we don’t think it actually matters. If we did, this practice would not be the monumental struggle it is for so many women — women who are drinking coffee, wearing clothing, organizing offices, feeding themselves and others, coordinating all manner of activities, throwing birthday parties, and thinking ahead on Christmas. In short, women who have the time and intelligence to do the things that they prioritize and believe matter.

I think we have let this category of spiritual eating go by the wayside for silly reasons, and no doubt the enemy is pleased with our apathy. We have told ourselves that it is not essential to a healthy and happy life. It does not affect our physical body directly and immediately, so we do not think it is having a serious effect on us. Because it is not immediately visible to all of our Christian friends how much Scripture we have been reading lately, we let it slip. But we are in a situation where spiritually bad breath, spiritual malnourishment, and spiritual nakedness are all commonplace and look normal to us in other Christians.

The more Scripture-soaked the saints are, the more essential they believe reading the Bible to be. Why is that? Because they understand the nature of it. They have come to see how much it affects their life and shapes their thoughts. They know what it is to have a renewed mind (Romans 12:2), to be clothed in Christ (Ephesians 4:21–24), to be strengthened and washed by the word (Colossians 1:9–11). The thought of doing without the word would feel like going without showering or brushing your teeth.

Doing Without the Word

Imagine if you thought that in order for a green bean to nourish you, you had to eat it in a calm place with nice lighting and no kids. What if a shower cleaned you only when you had a journal on hand to write about it? Or what if toothpaste worked only in Instagrammable moments?

Many Christian women do without the word of God. We have set our standards so unbiblically high for the moments in which we will read the Bible that we have devalued the word itself. The value of the Bible is not in the accessories we bring to it. It is not in study guides and long talks with friends. The nourishment of the word is not found in our organization, or in our self-discipline, or in our achievement of any kind. The word has priceless value without us — and we are invited to partake of it all the time.

“The word has priceless value without us — and we are invited to partake of it all the time.”TweetShare on Facebook

We do not know exactly what God’s word is doing for us each time we read, just like we don’t know exactly what our breakfast is doing each time we eat — or which fingernail is being reinforced by which bite of food. We may read Scripture that does not immediately feel like nutrition or hot, cleansing water. But our feelings are not what give value to the process. This is a gift that we are not the makers of, and by some trickery of the enemy, we have cut ourselves off from receiving it. Maybe we will read it later, when we don’t need it so much.

Time to Make a Change

If you have recognized yourself in any of this, I would like to invite you to make a change. Not a change of increased intentionality or thoughtfulness. A change to start believing in faith that the Bible really is what it says it is. We call ourselves Christians — and Christ himself said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

What does following Christ look like when it comes to Bible reading? It looks like believing him. It looks like taking up the Book and reading. It looks like listening on audio while you get ready, snatching some reading throughout the day as naturally as you might grab a few crackers or eat an apple. It looks like walking in faith to begin eating this word we have been given and waiting to see what God does in you with it. For we know he will begin doing something. And years down the road, when someone wants to know what is most precious to you, the word of God will not be a made-up answer, but a reality.

Rachel Jankovic (@lizziejank) is a wife and mother of seven children. She is author of You Who? Why You Matter and How to Deal with It, and is heavily involved with a Bible reading ministry for women.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lies-that-keep-women-from-the-word?fbclid=IwAR0E3AM34vsEcgVYooez0EtcTEwmTTYz2tFGwXUv1q7a-NrufNTqUlD-jTE

Read the Bible with Your Heart

Jon Bloom

We cannot truly read the Bible without patient and rigorous engagement of our minds. That’s probably obvious to us. But we will not have read it well, not as God intended us to read it, without eager, even relentless, engagement of our hearts. It requires more faith, effort, prayer, humility, vulnerability, and often time to read God’s word with our hearts, but that’s because the heart is precisely where God wants his word to land.

What does it mean to read the Bible with your heart? Before I explain, I’ll point to an example, because a good example is often a great explainer. And the example comes from the Bible itself.

With My Whole Heart

Psalm 119 is a (long) song of wholehearted love and desire for God. And if you read it with an engaged mind, you’ll hear the psalmist sing of how and why he received God’s word with a relentlessly, even desperately, engaged heart. It’s worth reading the whole psalm, but here are a few tastes:

• “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart” (Psalm 119:2).

• “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” (Psalm 119:10).

• “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart” (Psalm 119:34).

• “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

• “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24).

• “I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (Psalm 119:47–48).

When we read Psalm 119, two truths are unmistakable: the word of God is for the heart of man, and the way to the heart is through the mind.

Treasure to Be Loved

In Luke 10:27, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5, where Moses says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Any time, however, the Gospels record Jesus quoting this text (see also Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30), Jesus adds the word mind, which Moses didn’t include. Perhaps this is because the Hebrew hearers of Moses’s day understood implicitly that affections included reason, while the Greco-influenced mixed crowds of Jesus’s day needed the clarification.

“We read the Bible with our minds to see the glory of God, and with our hearts to savor the glory of God.”TweetShare on Facebook

Whatever Jesus’s reason for adding “mind,” it is clear that both reason and affections are crucial to loving God. But there is a hierarchy. God wants our hearts, because, as Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). God is not merely an idea to be pondered, but a person to be loved — the supreme treasure to be supremely treasured.

God’s way to our affections (heart) is through our understanding (mind). So, when we read the Bible, we read it with our hearts engaged, because God’s word is primarily for our hearts.

Read to See Glory

As Christians, we rightly stress the importance of reading the Bible. In stressing this importance, however, we can easily fall into a subtle, deceptive misunderstanding of why it’s important. The subtle misunderstanding goes something like this: if we read the Bible regularly, God will be pleased with us, and therefore we can expect his blessing. As if the act of reading, rather than the purpose of reading, warrants God’s favor.

What’s deceptive about this is that it bears such a close resemblance to the truth. Regular, disciplined reading of the Bible is a means of great blessing from God. But not because performing the act of reading merits his favor. If we read the Bible this way, it’s not much different than the Muslim who practices the disciplines of the Five Pillars to merit Allah’s favor. This is apparently how many leaders in Jesus’s day approached the Scriptures. Listen to Jesus’s rebukes:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27–28).

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39–40)

“God is not merely an idea to be pondered, but a person to be loved.”TweetShare on Facebook

God is not interested in our Bible reading as some kind of ritual to perform as proof of our piety. He wants us to read the Bible so that we will see him! God wants us to see his glory, again and again.

The Bible is where the most important glories of the triune God shine brightest and clearest — especially the glory of Jesus Christ (John 1:14), who is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and through whom comes “grace and truth” (John 1:17).

This makes the Bible itself shine with a peculiar glory, worth mining deeply because of the priceless wealth it contains. As John Piper says,

In all the details and particulars of what we find in the Bible — Old Testament and New — the aim of reading is always to see the worth and beauty of God. Notice that I say “in all the details and particulars.” There is no other way to see the glory. God’s greatness does not float over the Bible like a gas. It does not lurk in hidden places separate from the meaning of words and sentences. It is seen in and through the meaning of texts. (Reading the Bible Supernaturally, 96)

God’s glory is seen in and through the meaning of texts. That’s why we pray, “Make me understand the way of your precepts” (Psalm 119:27). Because understanding God’s word is the means of God’s word getting stored up in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).

Don’t Read Just to See

God wants our hearts in Bible reading, not just the attention of our minds. As important as seeing God’s glory is, it’s not enough. God wants us to see his glory so that we will savor his glory. And “if there is no true seeing of the glory of God, there can be no true savoring of the glory of God” (96). Charles Spurgeon said it this way:

Certainly, the benefit of reading must come to the soul by the way of the understanding. . . . The mind must have illumination before the affections can properly rise towards their divine object. . . . There must be knowledge of God before there can be love to God: there must be a knowledge of divine things, as they are revealed, before there can be an enjoyment of them. (100)

The “love to God” and “an enjoyment of divine things” are what God most wants us to experience as a result of reading our Bibles, and neither happens without knowledge. Knowledge is for the sake of love and joy.

“The word of God is for the heart of man. And the way to the heart of man is through the mind of man.”TweetShare on Facebook

When I said the word of God is for the heart of man, I meant it is for, to borrow from the hymn, the “joy of every longing heart.” Bible reading “in all the details and particulars” is frequently rigorous work. It can be quite difficult. At times it can even be disturbing. When we deal with the Bible, we’re dealing with the infinite and mysterious mind of God. His thoughts are not our thoughts; his ways not our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). But ultimately, if we really understand why God has given us a Book, reading his word becomes a hedonistic pursuit. What we’re after is the pleasure our souls are designed to enjoy most: the savoring of God’s glory.

Read Until You See and Savor

Those who have known God best, and loved him most, have understood the crucial importance of savoring God deeply through seeing God clearly in his word.

George Müller, when reflecting on his remarkable, demanding life of prayerful dependence on God for the sake of the Bristol orphans, recalled an important moment early in his ministry: “I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord” (100). He was speaking about his daily, disciplined Bible reading and prayer each morning. This was his oasis of refreshment. Time in the word functioned like a ballast keeping his ship upright in a life of significant stress and at times turbulent storms. “Unless some unusual obstacle hindered him, he would not rise from his knees until sight had become savoring” (100).

George Müller read the Bible like the psalmist who wrote Psalm 119: with a rigorously engaged mind and a relentlessly engaged heart. And so must we. We read the Bible with our minds to see the glory of God, and with our hearts to savor the glory of God. We pass the Bible through our minds to store it in our hearts, because our hearts are with our treasure. And if possible, we don’t stop looking until our hearts are “happy in the Lord” — until we feel fresh joy in some aspect of who God is and what he has done for us in Christ.

Jon Bloom (@Bloom_Jon) serves as author, board chair, and co-founder of Desiring God. He is author of three books, Not by Sight, Things Not Seen, and Don’t Follow Your Heart. He and his wife have five children and make their home in the Twin Cities.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/read-the-bible-with-your-heart

Take Care How You Hear: How to Receive God’s Word

Article by Marshall Segal . Staff writer, desiringGod.org

We fall out of Bible-reading habits a hundred ways, and all of them are deadly serious. Jesus warned us, with a story, about the perils we face.

When we hear the parable of the sower, are we quick to plant ourselves in the good soil? Do we stop to wonder whether we’re the plant without roots, or the one that dries up and withers, or the one choked out by thorns? Many of us assume we’re Peter, not the Pharisees, and certainly not Judas. We’re more prone to assume safety, security, and blessing for ourselves. For some, the parable of the sower might inspire relief and confidence, rather than healthy fear and vigilance. Thank God I wasn’t like the others.

“We fall out of Bible-reading habits a hundred ways, and all of them are deadly serious.”TweetShare on Facebook

But if the parable comforts us without awakening urgency and expectation, we have missed Jesus’s point. He ends by saying, when he’s alone with his disciples, “Take care then how you hear” (Luke 8:18). In other words, don’t assume you’re in good soil, but look carefully at how you receive the word of God. Relentlessly plead with God to water the seed he has given you, to send your roots ever deeper, and to protect you from the temptations and distractions around you. Plead with God to keep you.

With heaven and hell at stake, joy and misery in the balance, and obstacles before us and within us, we must take care how we hear the words of God.

What Are These Words?

Before we consider the kind of soil we should be, we need to know what kind of seed this is. The seed gets lost, as seeds often do, in the shuffle of Jesus’s parable. But the seed, not the soil, is the real story here. Nothing comes from any soil, no matter how fertile, if a seed is never planted. And this seed is unlike any the earth has ever received.

Jesus begins by saying, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). The first test of the soil in our own hearts is how those seven simple words fall on us. Why would we ever bear fruit if we don’t treasure the seed — the very word of the one who spoke the galaxies into reality? Hearing God well in the spoken gospel and written Bible begins with the awareness that we are hearing — really hearing — God himself in his word (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

“All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Every word came from the infinite wisdom and imagination of God. Every sentence, paragraph, and book was conceived by the Author of life, the Alpha and Omega, the Lord of heaven and earth. Nothing in the Bible made it into our hands without first passing through his.

Humility: Defeating the Greatest Threat

What kind of soil, then, should we hope to be for such a seed as this? What will be our posture toward God when we open his word? Three ingredients, among others, will be humility, submission, and prayer.

Humility comes first. Pride poisons the soil in our hearts like nothing else. Busyness is not the greatest threat to daily Bible reading. Self-confidence is. None of us forgets to eat for days, because everything in us tells us we need food. What does it say about our hearts when we skip the food we need the most, sometimes for days or weeks at a time? One powerful way to ignite our time alone in God’s word is to confront and kill our remaining pride. We pray with king David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24).

“Busyness is not the greatest threat to daily Bible reading. Self-confidence is.”TweetShare on Facebook

The seed of God’s word loves to grow in the rich soil of humility. Our Lord says, “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). The man whose delight is in the law of the Lord knows he does not deserve these words — he doesn’t deserve to have them, to understand them, or to delight in them. He knows well that the having, the understanding, the enjoying, even the obeying are each their own staggering gift of grace. He prays, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18).

Submission: Welcoming God’s Authority

Humility, then, leads to glad submission to God’s authority. If the Bible truly is the word of a sovereign, holy, and just God, how we hear can bear frightening and wonderful consequences. These are not tips for living a better, more productive, more successful life. These are not merely suggestions for improving our spiritual health. These words are the wondrous promises and unmitigated commands of a God who will and must judge sin.

These words have authority, an increasingly unpopular word today, at least in our society. And God’s authoritative words demand from us an even more unpopular posture: submission. We don’t want anyone to have full, unqualified authority over us. We want to be able to “commit” with one foot safely outside the door, in case someone, even God, asks us to do anything we don’t want to do. The Bible, however, does not give us the option to be half in — to enjoy comfort while we sow to sin, to receive forgiveness and forgo holiness, to gain joy without suffering and sacrifice.

To ignore, neglect, minimize, or avoid the word of God is to ignore, neglect, minimize, or avoid God himself (Deuteronomy 18:19) — which is an offense greater even than theft, adultery, or murder. Disregarding what God has said is, in fact, the sin that ultimately makes every other sin so horribly wicked. To gladly submit to the Bible, however, is to gladly submit to God himself.

Prayer: Asking God for Help

Finally, then, humility and submission lead us, in prayer, to ask for God’s help. The longest chapter in the Bible is an extended, even uncomfortably long, prayer about the words of God. Psalm 119 sings,

I will meditate on your precepts
     and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
     I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:15–16)

If we don’t know what to pray for when we read the Bible, this psalm gives us plenty of good places to start. To take care how you hear, consider seven ways you might pray, inspired by Psalm 119.

1. God, incline and enlarge my heart toward you.

Incline my heart to your testimonies. (Psalm 119:36)

I will run in the way of your commandments
     when you enlarge my heart! (Psalm 119:32)

2. Help me understand what I read.

Make me understand the way of your precepts,
     and I will meditate on your wondrous works. (Psalm 119:27)

Your hands have made and fashioned me;
     give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
    (Psalm 119:73; see also Psalm 119:125, 144, 169)

3. Make me diligent to keep your words.

This blessing has fallen to me,
that I have kept your precepts. (Psalm 119:56)

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
     who seek him with their whole heart. . . .
You have commanded your precepts
     to be kept diligently. (Psalm 119:2, 4)

4. Pour your light on the path of my life.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
     and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The unfolding of your words gives light;
     it imparts understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

5. Strengthen me in sorrow.

My soul melts away for sorrow;
     strengthen me according to your word! (Psalm 119:28)

6. Shield me from every kind of distraction.

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
     and give me life in your ways. (Psalm 119:37)

7. Keep your promises.

Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
     and let me not be put to shame in my hope! (Psalm 119:116)

Your promise is well tried,
     and your servant loves it. (Psalm 119:140)

Come Eagerly to the Word

Jesus says, “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). May God be pleased to increasingly make our souls into good soil for his word — in humility, in submission, and in prayer. He loves to give his people the faith-filled posture of the Bereans, who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

John Piper says, “Every day with meekness receive the word of God. That is, every day be in the Bible. Breathe the Bible. Don’t try to hold your breath from Monday to Wednesday. Breathe every day” (“Receive with Meekness the Implanted Word”). Breathe in the wonder of having the words of God, humble yourself and gladly submit before them, and pray for greater insight and delight. Take care how you hear, and live in the pages of the Bible.

Marshall Segal (@marshallsegal) is a writer and managing editor at desiringGod.org. He’s the author of Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness & Dating. He graduated from Bethlehem College & Seminary. He and his wife, Faye, have a son and live in Minneapolis.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/take-care-how-you-hear?fbclid=IwAR3GRTB_P1pTokUXawnfoMxFqhUjrH5-V6h60oA9LLIjZ3bMUtaXHOUR53g

6 Connotations for the Sufficiency of Scripture

by Brad Hambrick

In conversation there can often be a difference in “what a word means” and “how a word is used.” What matters to Webster’s dictionary is what a word means. What matters in a real conversation is how a word is used.

Here is simplistic example. In my generation of being a teenager you could observe this distinction in the way we used the word “cool.” If you use a thesaurus to get synonyms for the word cool, you’ll find entries such as: cold, chilly, nonchalant, or unruffled. The literal use of the word cool refers to either a temperature or a disposition.

However, we functionally used the word to mean things like awesome, impressive, or breathtaking. Generations before and after us did the words: knarly, far-out, wicked, radical, or my teenager’s current favorite “yeet.” Other than being annoying to our parents and English teachers this isn’t a big deal.

In theological conversations a similar phenomenon is happening with the word “sufficiency” particularly when it is applied to the usefulness of Scripture and counseling (my niche). Sufficiency is being used to reference a myriad of qualities of Scripture; often within the same conversation. From my experience, the debates that emerge around the concept of sufficiency frequently break down when the various synonyms for sufficiency are used interchangeably.

My hope in this article is to reflect on six of the most common connotations of sufficiency in hopes that clarity on these related concepts advances the quality and character of conversations around sufficiency.

1. Sufficiency: Scripture Is Complete

This is the classic use of the term “sufficiency of Scripture” by systematic theologians. For most of church history this is what was meant by the term. Sufficiency-as-completeness means “we have all the divine words God intended to give on any particular subject.” Stated simply, God is finished providing special revelation and we do not need an external rubric for interpreting the Bible; therefore, what we have in the Bible is the totality of what God intends to say through sacred text.

Sufficiency-as-completeness negates the claim that someone has “heard from God” in a manner that would allow them to contradict Scripture with divine authority. For counseling purposes, this use of sufficiency would mean that God has, in the Bible, provided all the inerrant, verbal guidance He intends to give for helping relationships, problems in living, emotions, relationships, mental health, etc.

2. Sufficiency: Scripture Is Adequate

This is the Duct Tape use of the term “sufficiency of Scripture.” Sufficiency-as-adequacy means that it is possible to get a task done using the Bible. This use of the term sufficiency makes no claim to exclusivity. For example, just because Duct Tape is sufficient to repair a broken item does not mean that Gorilla Glue is not also effective for the same repair task.

When sufficiency-as-adequacy becomes part of a debate around Scripture and counseling, it can often because one or both persons have assumed that the adequacy of A negates the adequacy of B. The logic can be, “If you think A is adequate for this task, then you must believe that B is useless.” An either-or debate emerges when a goodness-of-fit assessment would be more appropriate.

For example, “If you think [Bible study] is adequate to resolving anxiety, then you must believe [breathing exercises] are useless,” or vice versa. There is no reason for these two approaches to be mutually exclusive. It may be the during math test breathing exercises are the best-fit because they are not a cognitive distraction and during a quiet evening at home Bible study is a better fit because it keeps the individual cognitively engaged.

3. Sufficiency: Scripture Is Relevant

This is synonym for sufficiency speaks to the breadth and depth of subjects addressed in Scripture and seeks to assess how directly Scripture speaks to each of those subjects. When discussing the relevance of Scripture, we’re asking the question, “Does Scripture speak to [topic] and, if so, in what way?” We can ask this question about morality, marine biology, meaning of life, interpretation of historical events, politics, and every other subject matter.

When sufficiency-as-relevance becomes part of a debate, we are asking a question of overlap. In effect, we’re asking, “How much does the content of Scripture overlap with the subject being discussed?” The way Scripture speaks to the questions of marine biology is going to be different than the way it speaks to the morality of human cloning.

When tension emerges around sufficiency-as-relevance, it would be most helpful for each person to ask, “In what ways do you see Scripture speaking to this subject? How do you feel l am misapplying or under-utilizing Scripture in my approach?” Scripture can speak to a given subject by command, example, clear principle, inference, or extension of a theological implication. If our disagreement is about “how” Scriptures speak to a subject rather than “if” it speaks to a subject, it can significantly change the tone of a conversation.

4. Sufficiency: Scripture Is Primary or Authoritative

This connotation for sufficiency is making the strongest claim yet. It asserts the primacy and finality of Scripture. Sufficiency-as-authoritative claims that Scripture is right and normative in everything it addresses. Further, Scripture should be the first place we start in discerning the questions that will guide our thinking. To say that Scripture is authoritative is to refuse to give another source of knowledge equal weight in our thinking (note: “equal weight” is not the same as saying “any weight”).

When sufficiency-as-authoritative becomes part of a debate it is usually because one person believes the other person is negating a biblical command or principle in the conclusion they are drawing. When this is the case, the most effective response would be, “How do you reconcile your position/choice with [biblical text]. These seem in tension to me. I see three possibilities: (a) there other biblical texts I need to consider, (b) you think I am misapplying this text to the subject we’re discussing, or (c) something has more weight in your thinking on this subject than the Bible. Which of those do you think best explain our differences?”

5. Sufficiency: Scripture Is Powerful

If adequacy was the Duct Tape connotation for sufficiency, then powerful is the dynamite connotation. Here the potential transformative impact of faith, belief, and obedience to Scripture is the focal point. Often debates in this realm are either misguided arguments about relevance (see above), or a conversation caught up in the possibility-probability conundrum.

An example of the possibility-probability conundrum would be the addict who gets saved and never abuses their substance of choice again. As a possibility, we would rejoice in this testimony. As a probability or declaration of how God usually works, we would not affirm this as normative.

Similar to a previous point, the power of one thing does not imply the lack of power of another. The power of Scripture does not imply the lack of power in a friend’s example to motivate change, the sobering reality of death to reset priorities, or the power of changing patterns of thoughts to influence emotions.

6. Sufficiency: Scripture Is Exhaustive or Exclusive

The final connotation is the one that most who advocate for the sufficiency of Scripture deny holding, but still seems to come into debates on the subject. Here the question is how detailed and extensively does Scripture speak to every question we may face in life? It is commonly said in biblical counseling circles that the Bible was not intended by God to be an encyclopedia that offers a proof text to our every concern.

However, in discussions on sufficiency-as-exhaustive there is a wide variance of opinion on the degree of authoritative inference that can be drawn from the worldview of Scripture to address questions the Bible does not directly address. The partisan tensions that emerge over the exhaustiveness of Scripture can erase the good will that should have been able to be built over large areas of agreement about the completeness, adequacy, primacy, authority and power of Scripture (areas in which evangelicals agree).

“Scripture as exhaustive” is where differences emerge on the relative importance of subjects like using biofeedback to alleviate anxiety versus taking an exclusively faith-based approach, or exposure therapy approaches to lighten the effects of post-traumatic stress versus exclusively looking for ways to increase an individual’s faith response in moments of distress.

Utilization of these techniques are often implied to be a denial of sufficiency because they are not in the Bible. However, this conclusion is only accurate if sufficiency means exhaustive-exclusive and would imply that special revelation (the Bible) is in competition with general revelation (effective common grace approaches). The consistent testimony of Scripture is that general revelation is harmonious with but incomplete without special revelation.

Conclusion

My goal in this article was not to declare where every Christian ought to stand on each of these synonyms for sufficiency. Neither was my goal to provide an interpretive key by which it could be discerned how each of these synonyms best apply to every potential life struggle. Those are fascinating conversations I love to participate in but are beyond the scope of this brief article.

My goal was much more humble. Instead, my goal was to advance the discussion about the sufficiency of Scripture by clarifying the multiple connotations frequently given to the word sufficiency. My hope is that this can alleviate tensions that emerge when one word is used with several meanings in the same conversation.

Will this alleviate all tension? Absolutely not. There are real and important differences that exist. But if we remove tensions that emerge from the inconsistent use of language, we should be able to communicate more effectively about these differences. If, after reading this article, you can…

• …identify when the term sufficiency is being used with each of these six references,

• have the conceptual categories to clarify the various usages of sufficiency, in order to

• have a more fruitful conversation with someone at a different point on the sufficiency spectrum…

… this article has accomplished all that it set out to do!

Posted at: http://bradhambrick.com/6-connotations-for-the-sufficiency-of-scripture-clarifying-the-conversation/

Wisely Handling the Book of Proverbs

RC Sproul

Every culture seems to have its own unique, collected wisdom, pithy insights of the wise. Oftentimes, these tidbits of wisdom are preserved in the form of the proverb. We have proverbial sayings in American culture. I am thinking of sayings such as “A stitch in time saves nine” or “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

The Bible, of course, has an entire book of such pithy sayings—the book of Proverbs. However, this compilation of proverbial wisdom is different from all other such collections in that these sayings reflect not just human wisdom but divine wisdom, for these proverbs are inspired by God.

Still, we must be very careful in how we approach and implement these wise sayings. Simply because they are inspired does not mean that the biblical proverbs are like laws, imposing a universal obligation. Yet, some people treat them as if they were divine commandments. If we regard them in that way, we run into all kinds of trouble. Even divinely inspired proverbs do not necessarily apply to all life situations. Rather, they reflect insights that are generally true.

To illustrate this point, let me remind you of two of our own culture’s proverbs. First, we often say, “Look before you leap.” That is a valuable insight. But we have another proverb that seems to contradict it: “He who hesitates is lost.” If we tried to apply both of these proverbs at the same time and in the same way in every situation, we would be thoroughly confused. In many situations, wisdom dictates that we examine carefully where we should place our steps next so that we are not moving blindly. At the same time, we cannot be so paralyzed in our evaluation of the pros and cons of our next move that we hesitate too long before making a decision and lose opportunities when they present themselves to us.

Naturally, it does not really bother us to find seemingly contradictory proverbs in our own cultural wisdom. But when we discover them in the Bible, we find ourselves wrestling with questions about the trustworthiness of Scripture. Let me cite one well-known example. The book of Proverbs says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly” (26:4a). Then, in the very next verse, we read, “Answer a fool according to his folly” (26:5a). How can we follow these opposite instructions? How can both be statements of wisdom?

Again, just as in the example I gave above, the answer depends on the situation. There are certain circumstances when it is not wise to answer a fool according to his folly, but there are other circumstances when it is wise to answer a fool according to his folly. Proverbs 26:4 says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself” (emphasis added). If someone is speaking foolishness, it is generally not wise to try to talk to him. Such a discussion will go nowhere, and the one who tries to carry on the discussion with the fool is in danger of falling into the same foolishness. In other words, there are circumstances when we are better off saying nothing.

At other times, however, it can be helpful to answer a fool according to his folly. Proverbs 26:5 says, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (emphasis added). Although it was made an art form by the ancient Greek philosophers, the Hebrews understood and in biblical teaching sometimes used one of the most effective ways of arguing with another person. I am referring to the reductio ad absurdum, which reduces the other person’s argument to absurdity. By means of this technique, it is possible to show a person the necessary, logical conclusion that flows out of his argument, and so demonstrate that his premises lead ultimately to an absurd conclusion. So, when a person has a foolish premise and gives a foolish argument, it can at times be very effective to answer the fool according to his folly. You step over onto his territory and say, “Okay, I’ll take your position for argument’s sake, and I’m going to take it to its logical conclusion and show you the foolishness of it.”

So, the book of Proverbs is concerned to give us practical guidelines for daily experience. It is a neglected treasure of the Old Testament, with untold riches lying in wait in its pages to guide our lives. It holds real, concrete advice that comes from the mind of God Himself. If we want wisdom, this is the fountain from which to drink. He who is foolish will neglect this fountain. He who is hungry for God’s wisdom will drink deeply from it. We need to listen to the wisdom of God so that we can cut through the many distractions and confusions of modern life. But, as with the entirety of the Word of God, we need to be zealous to learn how to handle the book of Proverbs properly.

Posted at: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/wisely-handling-book-proverbs/

The Breath of God

Dave Wetherall

Paul wrote that “all scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). This remarkable phrase about the breath of God provides us a look into the intimate relationship between God and His Word. 

This verse is often pointed to when speaking about the inerrancy of the Bible: God is without contradiction, so it follows that His Word is also without contradiction. The reasoning here is that God’s nature is intertwined with the nature of the Bible.  

As is God so is the Bible. This connection applies not only to content but also to form—not just what is said but the way it is said.  

Good writers differentiate themselves from bad writers by expressing their idea with clarity. Great writers differentiate themselves from good writers by expressing their clear ideas in an intentional form crafted to match the mood of the content.  

If great writers can do this, consider how intricate, sophisticated, and marvelous the one perfect writer can connect His intended message with His chosen form. 

God’s Breath  

I want to focus on the word breathed in Paul’s phrase above. 

Without any study, one can understand the imagery here. A breath is something soft, intimate. A breath may be quiet, but it is also a sure sign of life. God’s breath is a giving of God’s life. 

And so, the giving of God’s breath suggests a reflection of his likeness.  

Consider the creation of the world. All the living things God made were made “according to its kind” or “according to their kind,” except for one—humanity. When God made man and woman He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).   

And how did God do this? Genesis 2 provides a closer look: “The LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (2:7, italics added).  

So here in Genesis, we can see the association between the likeness of God and the breath of God. Let’s look at two other examples.

Jesus on the Cross 

Move forward in time to the hill of Calvary. Jesus hanging from the cross, bearing the sins of the world. When it was finished, the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke both say that Jesus “breathed his last” (Mark 15:37, 39; Luke 23:46).   

I don’t want to over-analyze the diction here, this is not a phrase exclusive to Jesus—Luke uses this same phrase in three separate places in Acts (5:5; 5:10; 12:23).  

But a connection is still there. Jesus’s death was the atonement for the sins of His sheep. Jesus’s death, and resurrection, purchased righteousness for His people. This final breath tore the veil between God and man, signifying reconciliation—the likeness of God given to man. 

The Disciples Receive the Holy Spirit 

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples. They were overjoyed to see Him. And Jesus then “breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:22, italics added). 

Here again we see the breath of God corresponding to the giving of the nature of God. There is a sanctifying effect to the breath of God—in receiving it you are made to reflect God’s likeness. 

The Breath of God Brings Perspective 

I want to clarify here in this article that the breath of God, while it brings the likeness of God, does not make anyone or anything else God. The breath of God given to us does not mean we are now our own gods. 

On the contrary, if we come to see how we, as God’s creation made in His likeness, were given His breath, we take on a sobering, humble perspective on our lives.

Consider these two passages from Scripture. First, David in the Psalms:  

Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! (Psalm 39:5) 

And Job:  

“…for my days are a breath.” (Job 7:16) 

Having received the breath of God as the source of our life (“the breath of the Almighty gives me life” [Job 33:4]), we can visualize how small and transient our lives are compared to the Almighty.  

Our lives, everything we strive to do, everything we work for, is like a single breath for God.  

As that breath, the best thing we can hope to do, and the one thing that will bring us the most satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment is to demonstrate and share the life of the one who breathed—God himself. 

The Christian Life  

Job said that the breath of the Almighty gives life. This is true in that it moves people from nothingness to life (as shown from Genesis), and also true in that it increases the fruit, the liveliness, of our life. 

The Christian life, then, is a life powered by the breath of God, transforming a person more and more into the likeness of God. 

How can we obtain this life? The “man of dust” obtained life because God breathed into him. Where is the breath of God given to us? 

Paul’s phrase in 2 Timothy 3:16, notice, shows us that the Bible is not “breathed upon” by God, but “breathed out.” God’s Word is God’s breath to us, bringing us life, making us more like Christ.  

The Bible has the power, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to both teach and demonstrate all the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Are you growing in these fruits by reading God’s Word? 

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2019/07/breath-god/

Agricultural Metaphor for the Christian Life

Matthew Barrett

At the center of the Christian faith is a fundamental belief: there is no one like God. He is not the creature but the Creator, the One Isaiah says is high and lifted up (Isa. 6:1). How amazing it is, then, that this God would stoop down and make Himself known to finite and sinful creatures like us.

John Calvin loved to say that God is like a nurse who bends low to lisp to a newborn. When we read the Bible, we see this accommodation whenever God uses metaphors to convey His saving message to us in a way that we can understand. These metaphors help us know God and live the Christian life coram Deo, before the face of God.

For example, out of the many ways God could have communicated with Israel, He chose agricultural metaphors. Israel was a people whose existence depended on the soil. Israel was liberated from Egypt to enter the land God promised to her father Abraham. Yet notice how this land is described: it is a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex. 3:8). Agriculture was not only a way of life for Israel; it was a sign of God’s covenant blessing. To enjoy the fruit of the land was a sure indication that God had fulfilled His promises to Abraham.

When Israel sins and breaks the covenant, her punishment is exile from the land and the fruit it bears. It is fitting that the prophets describe Israel as a tree that has been cut down. Nevertheless, God remains faithful to His covenant, promising to raise up a “shoot from the stump of Jesse” so that a “branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isa. 11:1). We know from the New Testament that this righteous Branch is none other than Jesus, David’s greater Son, the long-awaited Savior of Israel.

The agricultural metaphor is utilized by Jesus as well. To convey the salvation He offers, Jesus says He is the “bread of life” (John 6:35), an image that no doubt resonated with His listeners who remembered how their fathers received manna from heaven in the wilderness. “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (6:33).

The Christian who abides in Christ is like a tree planted near streams of water.SHARE

Jesus again turns to agricultural imagery when He describes what it means not only to believe in Him initially but to abide in Him perpetually. In the Old Testament, Israel is called a vine (Ps. 80:8–16; Jer. 2:21) and a vineyard (Isa. 5:1–7; 27:2–6), but Israel is a vine that failed to bear fruit. This agricultural metaphor is a type that pointed forward to the coming of the true vine. That explains why Jesus says: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. . . . I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:1–5). Those branches that do not bear fruit the vinedresser breaks off and throws into the fire. Those branches that do bear fruit the vinedresser prunes so that they will bear more fruit (vv. 2, 5–7). On the one hand, Jesus’ words serve as a warning, lest one think he can claim the name of Christ but not live in obedience to Christ. Those who do not truly know and obey Him will experience the judgment to come. On the other hand, the branch that does bear fruit represents the believer who is united to Christ. That union with Christ is by faith alone, but such a union always results in the fruit of good works and obedience.

The New Testament authors use this same agricultural metaphor to describe the Christian life. For example, Paul tells the Galatians that the Holy Spirit is at work to sanctify them more and more in the image of Christ. As any Christian knows, however, this is no easy process, for this side of heaven we continue to fight against temptation. So, Paul warns the Christian against the “works of the flesh,” and, like Jesus’, Paul’s warning is serious: “Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21). By contrast, the Christian is to be characterized by the “fruit of the Spirit” (5:22–23). Bearing such fruit may be a painful process: Jesus says branches that abide in the vine must be pruned to bear fruit (John 15:2), and Paul says that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24). Nevertheless, we have every confidence that we can bear fruit because the Holy Spirit, who first united us to Christ, is also helping us live and walk by the Spirit (v. 25).

Posted at: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2019/06/agricultural-metaphors-for-the-christian-life/

Scripture Memory Wasn't For Me

Article by Jon Bloom

One of the most beneficial spiritual disciplines for me has been memorizing long portions of Scripture.

Now, before you click away because you assume this article isn’t relevant to you, or because you want to avoid another guilt trip that you’re not measuring up to some spiritual Christian standard, would you give me a couple of minutes? I’d like to make a case that memorizing long portions of Scripture is indeed relevant to you and is not about your measuring up, but about your joy.

Confessions of a Bad Memorizer

I know that for many, joy is not the word they associate with Bible memory. Boring or can’t do it or undisciplined might be what comes to mind. I know. That was me.

I remember once, as a young adult, deciding I should take Bible memory seriously. In the flush of idealized resolve, I bought a Navigator’s Bible memory system. As is typical of idealized resolve, it dissipated after a couple of feeble tries, and the system then went unused until I eventually threw it away.

Years later, when my church leaders encouraged members to memorize certain verses each week, I was hit-and-miss. It wasn’t a faulty program; it was a faulty me. I had a fairly bad memory to begin with. I would memorize initially, but it seemed I just lost it so fast. I figured I would never do well at memorizing.

Plus, I harbored some skepticism about whether Bible memory really made much of a difference. I figured it was good — like a comprehensive workout at the gym is good — but I wondered if the actual value wasn’t somewhat inflated, considering all that extra work and time. I had some theological education, attended a theologically rigorous church, read theological books, was involved in Christian ministry, and generally read through the Bible every year in my devotions. How much more would memorizing do for me?

A Memorable Discovery

It was actually an experience in my devotions that pushed me toward a memorable discovery. In my late thirties, I had just completed the book of Hebrews (again) in my reading plan, and it left me a bit frustrated. Hebrews is so rich, so full of glorious truth. But every time I read through it, it was like I just skipped across its surface. I wanted to dive in.

Then I had this unusual thought: I need to memorize this book. Wouldn’t that get me deeper into it and have it get deeper into me? Then I did math: 13 chapters and 303 verses. Seriously? Could I, a bad memorizer, memorize 303 verses? And retain them?

I knew that John Piper used a memory technique taught by pastor Andrew Davis to memorize larger blocks of Scripture. So I decided to try it.

I found this technique worked! It took me quite a while, but I committed all of Hebrews to memory. And as I did, it was like swimming in the book. Deeper dimensions of the text and its application opened up for me. I followed the author’s flow of thought in ways I hadn’t seen before. I learned the warp and woof of each chapter. But more than all that, there were moments I worshiped Jesus as I saw him through the lens of this book — moments that I had not experienced in my read-throughs.

That experience of more profound worship of Jesus made me hungrier to know even more of him. So after Hebrews, I made the crazy decision to memorize the book of John. It took a long time, but again, it was wonderful. It was a long, deliberate, nourishing walk with Jesus. From there I went to Romans, then to Philippians, then to 1 John, then to 1 Corinthians (which I nearly completed — I need to get back to it), and then to a number of psalms.

The memorable discovery was not that I, with my bad memory, surprisingly could memorize big chunks of Scripture, but that doing so yielded joy. The exercise, the discipline, of reciting and repeating forced me to meditate on Scripture in ways I hadn’t done before. As a result, I saw more, understood more, enjoyed more complex tastes of God’s goodness (Psalm 34:8). Bible memory, specifically longer sections, turned out to be not merely exercising a few more muscle groups in the Bible gym, but rather a means to more profound worship and more fuel for prayer.

The Bad Memory Myth

Now, knowing I’ve memorized a few books of the Bible might make you skeptical of my claim that I have a bad memory. If so, that’s only because you don’t know me. My wife and kids will confirm. I regularly blank out on names of people I should remember (I dreaded the reception line at our wedding). I regularly can’t recall specifics of a past conversation or event or book I’ve read that I should remember. Which means I live with a measure of social anxiety that one or both will happen in a public setting (because they do).

I think my brain’s file-retrieval system is below average — less like an orderly file cabinet and more like a messy desk with piles of stuff on it (“Ugh! Where’s that name?” Rummage, rummage. “I know I put it here!”). I do best with a lot of repetition and review. I guess it keeps things near the top of the pile, which is another benefit of memorizing long portions of Scripture.

My experience has taught me not to believe the bad memory myth — that having a bad memory disqualifies us from memorizing much (unless we’re a rare medical/neurological exception). Rather, a bad memory makes memorizing all the more needful and helpful.

Harder doesn’t mean impossible. It just means people like me have to work harder to memorize and retain than people blessed with a good memory. Which is not much different than saying that people like me have to work harder to lose weight and keep weight off than people blessed with naturally faster metabolisms.

God is not egalitarian in his distribution of talents (Matthew 25:15), spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4–6), roles (1 Corinthians 12:18–20), bodies (John 9:2–3), and faith (Romans 12:3). We all have weaknesses that require us to labor more than others must. And this is really good for our souls. It teaches us perseverance and endurance as well as humble dependence on God and appreciation for others’ strengths.

Start Small and Realize a Benefit

I share with you my experience as a bad memorizer for two reasons: (1) if you’ve never attempted memorizing long portions of Scripture, it’s likely well within your reach; and (2) it really is all about joy. If you hear any shouldimplied in what I’ve written, don’t hear it as a legal should that you must do to please God or achieve some elite spiritual rank. Rather, hear it as an invitation to joy — like a friend who says, “You should visit the Grand Canyon”; or a prescription for joy, like a doctor who says, “For the sake of your health, you should really consider getting some exercise.”

If you’d like some specific coaching on how to get started with a particular memorizing technique, I’ve provided that elsewhere. But if you’re new to this, here’s my simple counsel: start small and realize a benefit. Choose a meaningful psalm (like Psalm 27) or a meaningful chapter that’s not too long (like 1 Corinthians 13). Or if you really want to try your hand at a book, I recommend Philippians. Give it a try, stay with it, and taste the joy.

Once you discover you can really do it, and you discover that it yields joy, you will very likely want to keep going. And that’s the beginning of the adventure. Keep venturing! Because there’s a lot of glory to see and savor.

Jon Bloom (@Bloom_Jon) serves as author, board chair, and co-founder of Desiring God. He is author of three books, Not by Sight, Things Not Seen, and Don’t Follow Your Heart. He and his wife have five children and make their home in the Twin Cities.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/scripture-memory-wasnt-for-me?utm_campaign=Daily+Email&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=71471029&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-95f1hGhNcSwT8-15WO4RoUrtHlQPRWnZ23n9pqPdo8QzGTSdB9iBTa3BRpkXkJm9v_QIl3bBLSI6if5FrxU-v90GvqeQ&_hsmi=71471029

Confused by Hosea?

By Colin Murphy

Reading Hosea can be a confusing experience. You may wonder, what is this book all about? Why is it in the Bible?   

In this article, I want to discuss how you can discover the treasure of Scripture—that is, Jesus Christ—in the book of Hosea. And I want to give you three questions that Hosea answers for our lives today.  

Unlocking Hosea: A Living Parable 

Hosea is part of that strange section of our bibles known as the Minor Prophets. These little gems can be difficult to interpret, but once unlocked, you find treasure!  

The book of Hosea may feel complex, but interpretative help is found when we realize that it is intended to be approached as a living parable.  

God loves using parables to convey truth. Consider Jesus and His use of them! A parable is simply a word picture designed to illuminate truth. The word picture runs parallel to the truth the storyteller is trying to convey.  

Chapters 1-3 of Hosea present this living parable to us. The painful tale of Hosea and Gomer, a faithful husband and an unfaithful wife. Like any other parable, even a living one, the characters and the storyline point to a greater truth—the relationship between God and his people! 

The Greater Truth 

The marriage of Hosea the Prophet and Gomer the wayward woman run parallel and point to the covenant relationship between God and his wayward people: 

“Go and take yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” (Hosea 1:2) 

What is going on here? Well, God’s people, Israel, have been unfaithful. Consider the weight given to the living parable and then to the greater truth. While chapters 1-3 describe Gomer’s unfaithfulness to Hosea, chapters 4-14 describes Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.  

Gomer leaves Hosea for other men (plural) and even bears the illegitimate children of her lovers (3:1, 1:6)! And, God uses the story of Hosea and Gomer’s marriage to show that God’s people have done the same to Him: 

There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murdering, stealing, and committing adultery. (Hosea 4:1-2) 

Israel has been unfaithful and chased after other lovers.  

What We Can Learn from Hosea 

For us today, I believe Hosea can help give us answers to three big questions.

1. What does unfaithfulness look like?

2. How does God love us despite our unfaithfulness? 

3. What does God desire from us in return?  

What does unfaithfulness look like?  

If you enjoy satire, God employs much of it in the latter part of Hosea to illustrate the unfaithfulness of His people. Chapter 7 is particularly illustrative. God’s wayward people are called a “heated oven” (7:4), “a cake not turned” (7:8), “a dove, silly and without sense” (7:11), and “a treacherous bow” (7:16) 

What does this all mean? They are a people burning with passion for half-baked, silly, and useless things.  

Fellow Gomers, do you relate? Have you burned with passion for half-baked, silly, and useless things? This is what unfaithfulness looks like. 

How does God love us despite our unfaithfulness? 

Hosea gave gifts for Gomer. And God gives gifts to his people.  

While we want to identify ourselves with Hosea, because of his Christ-like character, it is also helpful for us to think ourselves as Gomer in this parable!  

You are probably thinking, “Did he just call me what I think he did?!”  

Before you take too much offense, let me explain why being in the same camp as Gomer is a great place to be. Consider the wonderful gifts Gomer receives in this story: betrothal, redemption, and affection! These gifts show us a beautiful picture of God’s love in action.  

Betrothal  

So he (Hosea) went and took Gomer… (1:3)  

Hosea chose Gomer despite her sin. We don’t know about Gomer’s past, but we know that it was against all worldly logic that Hosea, a Prophet, a Man of God, would take her to be his wife.  

And this is our story, along with all of God’s people throughout history: God chose us, adopted us as sons and daughters, despite our sin. (John 15:16, Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:29-30, Romans 9:6-21). 

Redemption 

So I (Hosea) bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. (3:2) 

Hosea entered into a covenant with Gomer. He would maintain his loyalty no matter what. He would go so far as to redeem his wayward wife from slavery!  

We too, as God’s people, have been bought at a price. We too have been redeemed from slavery! Christ the True and Greater Husband, our redeemer, paid for our freedom with His blood. (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Cor 6:20, 7:23) 

Affection  

“You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (3:3) 

Hosea reassures Gomer that despite her former sin he will keep his promises. He will love her and be loyal to her.  

Christ has redeemed us from horrifying sin. Despite our past his affections for us, as his blood-bought people, run red-hot. (John 15:9-17, Romans 5:8, 8:38-39)  

The parable of Hosea and Gomer foreshadows the perfect, redeeming, and passionate love that God in Christ has for all his people throughout history. Rejoice fellow Gomers!  

What does God desire from us in return? 

Hosea 6:6 answers this for us: 

 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”  

He wants us to know him, and desire him. This is for our good and for our joy, because as new creations our core desires mirror his. Christ alone is what will fulfill us.  

So, get to know the one who chose you, redeemed you, and loves you with relentless affection. Love him. This love and knowledge will be what leads you to a life of blessing and obedience unto him.

From the beginning, God’s intention was for us to know and enjoy him, and that has not changed!  

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2019/03/confuse-hosea-heres-need-know/