Last night I was skimming through my Bible and a sentence that Jesus spoke recorded in John 5, verses 39 and 40, struck me:
“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
Jesus was speaking to the Jewish people about what we now call the Old Testament, their Scriptures. They did not believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah spoken of by prophets of old. I wonder, though, if this could not apply to us as well. How often do Christians diligently study the Word, go through Bible school, become ministers, and yet have no knowledge of the goodness and love of Christ? These are the men and women who unknowingly misrepresent Christ. They know what the Bible says; they have studied and analyzed and passed the tests, and yet their actions and words often wound more than they heal.
What is the Bible for? Is it so we can learn to treat others well? Do we read it to please our parents and pastors? Do we study it for a grade? Or does it sit on the shelf collecting dust because it doesn’t seem relevant? I have often heard that the Bible is a guide book to how we ought to live our lives. I completely agree; God had those words written for our benefit. More importantly, however, the Bible points to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible is meant to lead us to Jesus. He wants nothing more than to have a personal relationship with us. Jesus is more than the Bible, because while this Holy Book is extremely important, the book itself does not compare to GOD. God is more than a book. In fact, without God, the Bible isn’t much more than a book of history. He is the one who reveals His truth to us in the Word. He is the one who sits beside us while we read the words and turn the pages, and He opens our eyes to understand them.
Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:13&14,
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
The Spirit is the one who guided the first Christians. Half of our Bible is made up of God-inspired letters and recordings of what the early Christians did, being led by the Holy Spirit.
God wants a personal relationship with us. His focus is not on how many Bible verses we memorize or whether we carefully study the Greek and Hebrew texts, although these things are good. He wants us to know Him. He wants us to explore the glory of who He is, this God of the heavens, this King of majesty. He has invited us into His family. “For God so loved the world....” He gave His precious Son because He wants us to be with Him. His desire is not for us to be slaves copying down His words, but to be children sitting on His lap, simply reveling in His love.
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I am the Lord your God
I go before you now
I stand beside you
And I’m all around you
Though you feel I’m far away
I’m closer than your breath
I am with you, more than you know
I am the Lord your peace
No evil will conquer you
So steady now your heart and mind
Come into my rest
Let your faith arise
Lift up your weary head
I am with you
Wherever you go
Come to Me, I’m all you need
Come to Me, I’m everything
Come to Me, I’m all you need
Come to Me, I’m your everything
I am your anchor in the wind and the waves
I am your steadfast, so don’t be afraid
Though your heart and flesh may fail you
I’m your faithful strength
I am with you wherever you go
Come to Me, I’m all you need
Come to Me, I’m your everything
Come to Me, I’m all you need
Come to Me, I’m your everything
Don’t look to the right or to the left
Keep your eyes on Me
You will not be shaken, you will not be moved, oh
I am the hand to hold, I am the truth, I am the way
Just come to Me, come to Me
Cause I’m all that you need
Come to Me, Bethel Music, The Loft Sessions
Jen, I think you have a great insight here. I've read about how, while we call the Bible the "word of God" and do so rightly, when the Bible talks about the WORD in the Gospel of John, it is most fully speaking about Jesus. The fullest, most definitive way that God speaks to us and reveals Himself to us is in the person of Jesus; not in a book, even an inspired one.
ReplyDeleteI think this is actually one of the key distinctions between Islam and Christianity. The Quran speaks of Christians and Jews as "people of the book", but we are not just people of the book, but of Christ, a real person who was born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried and rose again on the third day. We are not left with just a divinely dictated book, but as you noted, with the very Spirit of God poured out into our hearts.
Good thoughts.
Also, I will be waiting to purchase your book as soon as it is ready.