“Put that down. We do not need that in this situation.” These words were spoken to me by a gentleman in my living room recently when I reached for some authority on the matter with which we were discussing. I was reaching for the Bible.
This gentleman was a confessing evangelical worshiping each week in an evangelical church in our community. In his view the Bible has authority when it comes to certain subjects, but it is actually a human book not a divine revelation. It is a guide to a religious experience but on this occasion its authority was displaced by an opposing authority, his opinion that the matter we were discussing was not in the realm of the Bible’s authority. His view is not only in contradiction to his confessing evangelicalism but it is leading him and others away from the good and true beauty of God.
Are you traversing the road that offers breathtaking views of the glory and majesty of God, the road that provides the richest delights from his table of goodness, and the road that bends and winds its way through truth and righteousness? Those who hold to the Bible as authoritative believe that God is its author and that he has given it to direct the belief and behavior of his people. And it is these who will traverse through this world to behold his beauty, goodness and truth and their voices will resound in shouts of praise and their lives will reflect his glory as they trust and obey by his grace. We all long for this truth, goodness and beauty, but how do we know that God can provide it, and how do we know it will really benefit us in this life?
We all live in the midst of revelation. Everyday we see and hear the world around us and its inhabitants. We long for this revelation to shed some truth, goodness and beauty upon us, and in this theater of the natural revelation of God it does. However, we do not clearly see it. We see it in a distorted way like a middle aged man trying to read tiny print under a dim light. Therefore God expired his special revelation to us in the Scriptures. As Paul tells Timothy, All Scripture is breathed out by God.(2Tim.3:16). God is the source, the ultimate author of the Bible. He used human authors to write, but he is the authoritative source. Therefore the Bible is distinguished from all other writings as authoritative. It is true in all its parts. It is sufficient to lead us to God’s goodness in salvation and eternal life. It is clear so that anyone can be lead to the beauty of God in all of life. God has provided for us his authoritative word to lead us into truth, goodness and beauty. But is not the Bible outdated and unable to really benefit us in this life?
God’s word is profitable (2Tim.3:16). I often hear that as Presbyterians we are to ‘theological’ or ‘doctrinal’. It is interesting to note what God’s expired word is first of all profitable for in Paul’s list to Timothy. He says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching…that is doctrine. It is profitable because it teaches us what to believe about God, man and this world in which we live. But what profit is that doctrine? It reproves, corrects and trains us for life in a Godward direction. In the reformed church there have been three main focuses, doctrine, piety and culture. When God’s people profit from the Word of God it affects what they believe (doctrine) and when they have a true apprehension of that beauty it affects their hearts (piety), and when they have tasted and seen that God is good it affects what they do toward their neighbor (culture). But where the Word is not treasured as profitable the church is dysfunctional and does not benefit itself or others in this life.
Are you reaching for God’s authoritative profitable word and discovering Him who reveals himself so that you can know and enjoy him in all his truth, goodness and beauty. Reach and read it, reach and meditate on it, reach and memorize it, reach and pray it, reach and sing it, reach and worship around it, reach and speak it to others for his glory, your good and the good of those around you.
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