Reading the Bible? You must be out of your mind!

When responding to a proposal to distribute Bibles to school children in the UK as a way of marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible translation a couple of years ago, Professor Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, said: “A native speaker of English who has never read a word of the King James Bible is verging on the barbarian.”

Reading the Bible is one thing. Obtaining something valuable as a result of the reading is another. In Dawkins opinion, reading it would “disabuse [the reader] of the pernicious falsehood” that the Bible is a moral book.

I agree with his statement. The Bible is not about morals, nor is it an polemic on how to be more moral. It simply is not so. However, if you have never read it before, it can baffle you considerably. Yet, so many who do read (some of) it, still insist it is a moral story. This ignores the authors intent because the Bible is not a moral book teaching a behavioural code. It is God revealing himself.

as it is written:

“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:9-11

Because he is revealing himself, he is the one that gets to decide the meaning of what he says. Without God setting the agenda for what the Bible means, you become a bit like a sighted person trying to tell a blind person what colour looks like. You have no frame of reference. God gives us his frame of reference in the Bible.

Related Article:

Why words are adequate

 

An Embarrassment of Riches

How do we know that the New Testament has been reliably transmitted from the first century down to today? I lead a short seminar for HSC and Uni students today discussing this question in relation to the historicity of Jesus Christ. Some of the data, facts and figures on this topic are summarised in the below video by Dan Wallace.

Dan Wallace is Professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary and a highly regarded scholar on ancient manuscripts.

Have you read the New Testament recently? Here’s a good place to start.

 

Out of the mouth of babes

Psalm 8:2, (quoted by Jesus in Matthew 21:16) says

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. ~ (King James Version)

The other day I had a conversation with some Youth Leaders about how much Bible content kids should know after 6 or 7 years of weekly Sunday School lessons. I jokingly said that my 6yro daughter would know more than most 12yro. Now, this was partly a joke and partly a little fatherly boast. However, last night, my daughter surprised me with an acrostic poem she wrote for a school project. It is a Christmas project and she has been a bit nervous about writing the poem as she struggled, at first, with the concept of an acrostic. So we talked about that and I gave a simple example using “Mum” as the inspiration:

Marvellous
Understanding
Mum

Thinking she would do something similar with “Christmas”, i.e. one word per line. I left it at that. This is what she came up with. I’ve typed it out so you can read it as the colours in the photo don’t show up too well. I haven’t modified the content (just spelling for legibility). It’s all her own work. There was no coaching or consultation. This is just the product of her processing what she has heard from us as parents and her Sunday School teachers and School teachers. Which is interesting, particularly on the subject of hell. As, at the risk of incurring the wrath of my fellow Sydney Evangelical tribesmen, this isn’t something we’ve spent much, if any, time on in our discussions with her about spiritual things. Anyway, that discussion for another time. Here’s the acrostic. What would your kids write?

Christmas is the time of year that Jesus has his birthday
He has lots of celebrations, like Christmas, Easter and when he was born
Right around the world, people don’t know about Jesus or God
I believe in God and Jesus and you. Most of the people in Australia love God and Jesus now and then
So if you love Jesus and God and trust God you will be a Christian and you will go to heaven and have all again another life and you don’t you will go to hell
Trust God, love God and if you do, you are a Christian
Merry, merry Christmas to all of you
A Christmas is a birthday party for Jesus
Say a prayer before dinner and breakfast.

 

Benefits of Leviticus

I am about to end a 7 week study of the first 7 chapters of the Old Testament book Leviticus. This section of the book deals with the sacrificial system of worship used in Israel from 1446BC when they left Egypt up to about AD70 when the last temple was destroyed.

This book has been ridiculed and attacked because of the strong indictments it makes against purification and ceremonial behaviours that Israel was to abstain from. These seem too harsh for the post modern sensitive eclectic spiritualists and anti-theists. Many Christians have shied away from the book instead of engaging it head on to deal with the counter cultural precepts it has.

My 7 week study didn’t get to the controversial personal purity laws – that comes later on, maybe next year Instead, I focused on the ritual sacrifice ceremonies introduced at the beginning and sought to understand how these fit into the overall story of the Bible and, what, if any, instruction or relevance they have for anyone today.

Why not teach something easier or a little more directly applicable to a modern hearer? Why not emphasise Bible stories or passages that have universal appeal on matters of peace, harmony and personal fulfilment? To answer that, a few months ago, before starting the series, I jotted down a few of the benefits of studying Leviticus. Some of these apply to any book of the Bible and some are specific to Leviticus.

1. All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable. Full stop. Period. c.f. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. If the reliability and authority of the Bible is impugned by Leviticus than the rest of it is worth kindling. So, it is a worthwhile exercise to wrestle with this book, in an honest way, to understand it through historical and grammatical interpretation to find the original authorial intent and the original audience expectation (as much as may be possible with available internal and external evidentiary sources, references and support).

2. Psalm 119:130 “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” i.e. through the reading and study of one part of the Bible we will improve and increase our understanding of other parts of the Bible. Instead of quoting one or two selective verses from the book of Leviticus and making a biased criticism about how it is out of date, irrelevant, oppressive, sexist, discriminatory and contradictory, why not read all of it and see how it integrates with the rest of the Bible and perhaps resolves some of those concerns about the way some controversial topics are handled.

3. Leviticus provides an example of liturgy and right worship (by ‘right’, I mean both worshipping rightly and worshipping the right object). Leviticus shows that worship includes fear, confession of sin, death of a substitute in the place of the sinner, rescue and redemption of the sinner, praise and thanksgiving.

4. Leviticus reinforces the covenantal patterns of how God relates to his creation. In the process of creation, destruction and recreation we have vivid instruction that leads to a fuller understanding of life, death, resurrection and glorification.

5. Leviticus fills out our understanding of many of the theological terms used in the New Testament. e.g. sacrifice, atonement, forgiveness, sin, guilt, offering, peace, priest, purification, holy, unholy etc.

6. In contrast to Israel who approached their worship with trepidation, we enter God’s presence boldly through Jesus who has perfectly completed all the types, symbols and ceremonies of the Law. He is our righteousness, peace, sanctification, sacrifice, atonement, heavenly bread, high priest, scapegoat and retribution for our sin.

7. Leviticus points us to Jesus as the ceremonies and rituals anticipate one who is greater that will forever satisfy the justice and share the mercy of God.

What other benefits have you enjoyed from studying the book of Leviticus?

 

8 Profitable Ways to Read the Bible

Reblogged from J.C. Ryle Quotes:

1. Begin reading your Bible this very day. The way to do a thing is to do it; and the way to read the Bible is actually to read it! It is not merely meaning, or wishing, or resolving, or intending, or thinking about it , which will advance you one step. You must positively read. There is no royal road in this matter, any more than in the matter of prayer.

Read more… 884 more words

  This article, originally by J. C. Ryle, is an excellent and practical approach to reading the Bible.  

 

Swallowing a lie

The Bible pattern tells us how God reveals himself, how we receive his revelation (i.e. We eat it and make it part of ourselves) and how we exercise stewardship of his Word in our world. (i.e. Word, Sacrament & Government)

The fall into sin, told in Genesis 3, shows us what happens when God’s Word is not received. Instead of producing maturity, experiencing conquest and resting in satisfaction we are undone, unmade and destroyed.

Consider the events as they unfold in Genesis 2-3. Note the forming & filling pattern. Although in this instance the progress (or regress!) pivots on the testing of Adam and follows the ‘banquet‘ chiasm.

Forming

Creation
Adam is created in the image of God and given God’s Word / Law. Gen 2:16-17

Division
Adam is divided (blood is shed, his rib removed) and Eve is made. Gen 2:20-21

Ascension
They are brought together in a covenant of marriage. Gen 2:22-25

Filling

Testing
Adam, as high priest guardian & protector of Eve & Eden is tested. Gen 3:1-6

Maturity (or immaturity)
Adam seizes the fruit (takes things into his own hands, literally) and tries to cover his disobedience with fig leaves. Gen 3:7

Conquest (or defeat)
God uncovers Adam’s sin & covers it with blood of an innocent animal. He is outside the angelic veil and no longer in the promised land. Gen 3:8-13, 21-24

Future

Glorification / Rest (or pain / suffering)
Adam’s failed dominion is inherited by his offspring. Gen 5:3

Related Post
Where did we go wrong?