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The Bible is Bigger than Your Bumper Sticker
Here is a very brief, yet marvelous reflection from Jared Wilson on the glory of the Scripture.
I want to bleed Bible. Don’t you? I want, when somebody cuts me open, my guts to spill out in Bible verses.
We are staring back along the wake of an entire generation of church teaching that treats the Bible likes Bartlett’s Book of Quotations. We swoop down toward the Scriptures quickly and snatch something, anything, that will do for a pick-me-up, a soundbite, a prooftexted inspiration. Jeremiah 29:11. Philippians 4:13. Romans 8:28. These verses and more we have decontextualized into a devastating discipleship deficiency. And then we act shocked when professing Christians who otherwise know some Bible verses do not portray the wisdom of the Word.
He concludes:
Be careful with how you use your Bible, then, to make sure it is actually using you. Consult its whole counsel. Don’t be an adherent of pick-n-choose-ianity. Reject sloganeering and cliche-peddling. Through the deep Word, become a deeper person. The Bible is bigger than your bumper sticker.
Please read the rest of Wilson’s exhortation, and please, please, take it to heart. Check it out!
Seeing Jesus in the Most-Quoted Psalm
Justin Dillehay takes a close look at Psalm 110 to unpack what it has to say about the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus said the Psalms were about him (Luke 24:44), and Psalm 110 was one the apostles returned to time and again to show forth Jesus’ work.
Out of all the verses in the Hebrew Bible, the most frequently quoted in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1. But that’s not all. Verse 4 of the same psalm gets almost an entire chapter’s worth of commentary (Heb. 7:11–28). Clearly, the apostles and prophets saw this messianic psalm as highly significant for their understanding of Jesus.
We would do well, then, to consider how this psalm presents the Messiah whom we worship.
Psalm 121 and the Help of the Gospel
I appreciate Megan Taylor’s piece at Reformation21, where she observes the help offered in Psalm 121, considers the disconnect between such promises and real life, and finds satisfying answers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This brief devotional piece is worth your time.
How can the believer reconcile the suffering, trials, and persecution they are guaranteed with the astounding assurance in Psalm 121 that the Lord will keep them from all evil? Some might misinterpret this passage and claim a false gospel of health and wealth. Others may question God’s wisdom when they look at the tragedies befalling Christians throughout the world. Often we simply view this psalm as a platitude. We turn to it when we feel uneasy or anxious, but stop short of the solace it offers once our fears are momentarily assuaged. We are satisfied with momentary relief when we are promised comfort forevermore.
Questions About the Psalms
Douglas Sean O’Donnell asks and answers some key questions to provide background to a study of the Psalms:
- What is the purpose of the psalms?
- When were the one hundred fifty psalms compiled, and why does it matter when this happened?
- Why is poetry employed to express these themes?
- What are some tips for reading biblical poetry?
- How should Christian churches use the psalms in corporate worship?
Why Read the Bible When So Many Teachers are Available Online?
John Piper was recently asked this question, and his answer is fantastic.
1. Do you believe Psalm 119:99?
2. How will you test the reliability of your teachers by the word of God?
3. Why do you want to avoid the immediate, authentic experience of savoring your love letter by asking someone else to read it for you?
Of course, this is only the summary. His full answer is worth your consideration.
Wrestling with Application
I really appreciate this reflection from Lola Olukogbon on 1 Peter 3:4, which she calls “the most terrifying verse in the Bible.” While that label may be a bit exaggerated, Ms. Olukogbon models how to penetrate to the meaning of a text and pursue obedient application. I am grateful to TGC Africa for publishing such a thoughtful piece.
Here is a taste:
The picture of a “biblical woman” that we are often presented with is that of a woman who is timid and subdued. Verses like 1 Peter 3:4 seem to contribute to this unappealing image. We can skirt around the issue and say that this text is addressed only to wives or to women in a specific ancient context, or we can roll up our sleeves and confront the text. We are often guilty of reading the Bible with our own presuppositions. Thus, this text has filled me with dismay, because I saw gentleness and quietness to mean dormancy, timidity and suppression. But it doesn’t.
The Difference Between Meaning and Application
Here is a helpful devotional showcasing the difference between meaning and application. The author looks at Elisha’s “death in the pot” story in 2 Kings 4:38-41 to show how to both interpret (arriving at the author’s main point) and apply (connecting that truth to our own lives).
How many meanings does a passage of Scripture have? Sometimes we read a text and our minds race all over the Scripture with seemingly related texts and many possible meanings. Two of the challenges we can sometimes bring to our reading, interpretation, and subsequent understanding of Scripture are: 1) forgetting what Scripture principally teaches; and 2) confusing a text’s meaning with its application.
When Our Study Bibles Get in the Way of our Bible Study
A few years ago, Desiring God interviewed Glenn Paauw on his book Saving the Bible from Ourselves: Learning to Read and Live the Bible Well. We shared that interview on this blog, but it is important enough that it warrants sharing once again.
And this time, I’ll share it along with Kevin Halloran’s notes. So if you prefer not to listen to the entire interview, you can catch the key points in Kevin’s excellent summary.
The major takeaway is that your study Bibles are laid out and designed to prevent you from studying the Bible yourself. They presume little to no knowledge of the Bible, and they draw far more attention to the “helps” than to the text, leaving the text nearly untouched by most people. Please be aware of this trap, promote awareness of it, and form good habits of studying the text in context.
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Why Christians Replace Bible Reading with Other Resources
Micah Colbert offers some helpful reflections on what he sees as a dangerous trend:
With the rise of the internet, there’s been a trend that, if continued, will sap the church’s spiritual vibrancy. Sadly, more and more Christians are replacing personal time in the Bible with time spent reading books, blogs, devotionals, and/or articles written by gifted teachers about the Bible.
He suggests three reasons why honest Christians might do this:
- They’re overwhelmed by the Bible
- They’re bored with the Bible
- They don’t have a God-exalting approach to / mindset about Bible reading
Of course, there is nothing new in these reasons, or this trend. The internet simply makes it easier than ever to bail on fatty nutrition in favor of sugary substitutes. Colbert’s exhortations are well worth taking to heart.
