How To Read the Bible - i. What? (2 Timothy 3:10-17)

    To see the full message, scroll to the bottom. 

Each Christian denomination, each Church Tradition has its “Distinctives:” the things that when combined together make up that culture ... Pentecostal culture, Catholic culture, Anglican culture, Baptist culture.  


Of the 7 points in what are known as “Baptist Distinctives,” Point #1 is:

Jesus is Lord.  Baptists believe that Jesus Christ is eternally God, the only begotten Son, and the visible expression of the invisible God. We believe that He effectively procured salvation for all creation through His death, burial and resurrection. He is the one sent by God the Father to rule with authority over all of creation. Every area of the believer’s life and the life of the Church is to be subject to the Lord.  

For those of us who are believers, who are followers of Jesus, that is always #1. Everything flows from there. It is the starting point of our faith, from which flows everything else. Back to this truth flows everything else. That is Point #1. 


Point #2 in our Distinctives is this: 

The Word of God is the authoritative rule of faith and practice. Baptists believe that God communicates His will through the inspired Word of God. For Baptists, the Bible is the final authority in matters of faith and practice. It is to be interpreted responsibly under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit within the community of faith. 

That short paragraph contains 3 defining understandings: 


First, “God communicates His will through the inspired Word of God.” 


We don’t just believe that “God communicated...” We believe that “God communicates...” through this book that we have received through a long story with good and bad chapters. We believe that Holy Spirit inspired, sparked the writers to create this text. That the Holy Spirit inspired the people who chose what is in and what is out. What to include and what to set aside. 


But Holy Spirit still communicates to us through this text because this text is alive with the Spirit whose voice it speaks. 


Not “-ed” but “-es.” God didn't just dictate the text of the Bible, stamp it, and stick it in the mail. The Bible is not just a mic drop declaration. It’s not an Edith-Ann “And that’s the truthpthpthpthbbffft.” 

 

It is not past tense, it is present continuous tense. 

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  2 Timothy 3:16  

All scripture has its point of origin in God’s mind and from there He expresses it to us through his Spirit, and through the text of Scripture. In its inception, God breathed into this writing a completed foundation of Truth. And from within it, Holy Spirit continues to breathe: breathing the words on the page, and breathing out through this human communication the endless, Continuing Hope and Life of Truth. 


The Spirit breathed out the text, meets us within it, and forms us through it. 


Second, “The Bible is the final authority in matters of faith and practice.”  

God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:17 

We believe that the Bible is God’s “final” written revelation in two senses:  

  • There isn’t going to be any further revelation from God about Himself or His plan. What is on the page isn’t going to change. There will not be something newly discovered or revealed to replace what is there with new stuff. The written revelation is complete. The 66 books recognised by our community of faith since Athanasius (c 300) is the final word.  
  • The text as it stands is our baseline for understanding who we are and who God is. If we have any questions and any uncertainties, we need to come back to what is on the page. If what we are told by someone else is not consistent with what is in the text, then what they have told us has gone wrong somewhere. What we believe has to start with and agree with what is on the page. The Bible is the most credible diagnosis of human condition. It is the most accessible and effective treatment plan for the human condition. It is the most realistic prognosis for balance between life and death. 

Third, the Bible is to be interpreted responsibly under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit within the community of faith. 

But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is... Remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 2 Timothy 3:10, 14 

One of the ways the Spirit breathes truth out of the text and into our intellects and hearts is through each other.  

In the Church.  

Through the generations of believers sharing life together.  

In contexts like our Wednesday afternoon Bible Study. Through Baptist Women’s meetings. Through the Men's Breakfast. Through gathering on Sundays to learn together and from each other. Through our Worship Leaders, each week directing our minds and hearts through Scripture toward God. Through our Deacons’ and Leadership Boards, made up of people who do the work of connecting the principles on the page with real, everyday, human life. 

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be looking at some FAQs about how to understand the Bible: where do I start, how do I interpret what I read, why does it matter. This week we’re just getting started. This week we’re just saying that it’s okay to ask questions, because there are good questions to ask. 

We’re starting with the fact that this book is worth reading, and it’s worth reading well.  

_________________________ 

In our list of Distinctives, this is all Point #2. The Bible is the word of God. 

Point #1 is “Jesus is Lord.” 

Within the Bible, we see the text pointing toward Point #1. 

Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.  Luke 24:44-45 

All throughout, in every poem, law, prophecy, apocalyptic vision, instruction, teaching and debate... Point #2 is pointing us towards Point #1. Jesus is Lord. 

You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me. John 5:39 

When we read these words written by generations prophets, priests, blue collar workers, tradesmen, government officials, shepherds, kings—a Millennium and a half of human work and passion—we are pointed toward Jesus. 


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