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Read Reverently
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READ REVERENTLY
Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5 ESV)
Why Did God Write A Book?
Why did God write a book? Think of all the ways a book is helpful, but also all the ways it is unhelpful when you have questions.
Scripture speaks of God relating to the world (you and me) by His “word.” Thus God’s word is eternal (Psalm 119:89-90), “living and active” (Heb 4:12), and it “stands forever” (1 Pet 1:24-25). It will never pass away (Luke 21:33). We see God speaking creation into existence (Genesis 1:3; Heb 1:3), and by his word sustaining that world (Ps 33:8-9). We hear of God’s wisdom calling forth (expressed through words) in Proverbs 8-9. In the Old Testament, a prophet would often receive or speak a “word” from the Lord; this “word” is revealing and is a guide—“a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps 119:105).
It is interesting that the Father speaks (Heb 1:5-13), the Son speaks (Heb 2:12-13), and the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7-11); yet in all of this it is the one and same God who speaks (Heb 1:1-4), and He speaks one unified message, or “word.” In the book of Acts, the central message and teaching of the apostles and prophets is called “the word,” “God’s word,” or “the word of the Lord.” The message of God, through his people, is one word: the word of the gospel (Acts 8:25; 15:7).
But the gospel is the story of Jesus Christ. All of Scripture bears witness to Christ. The whole story is really the story of Christ. That is why we read of Jesus as the “Word” that existed in the beginning and made the world (John 1:1-14). All of this helps us see that the “word of God” is something long before we had Bibles. The “word of God” is one creating, revealing, communicating message seen in God’s acts and his person.
We learn about God through nature. How has God “written his word” in nature?
We learn about God through reason and reflection. How has God “written his word” in our hearts?
We learn about God in Jesus. How is Jesus the ultimate “communication” of God to humanity?
We learn about God by reading Scripture. How can Scripture—written texts telling the story of God at work among his people—reveal the “Word of God” to us? By recording how God spoke to our ancestors, how they struggled with faith, how God was faithful in spite of their mistakes, and how God made and fulfilled promises to and through his people, Scripture makes communication from God to us (“Word of God”) something we can equally share, learn from, reflect on, and refer to.
Reflect on these questions. Does this enhance/help your view of a written book that we declare to be “the word of God written”?
The Bible is “word of God” because it is the record of God’s words (and dealings) involving his self-revelation. The word of God written records the words of God in history (Num 12:5; Jer 1:9; 1 Thess 2:13).
The Bible is “word of God” because it speaks of Christ (even before he came to earth). The word of God written points to the Word of God incarnate.
The Bible is “word of God” because it is the primary way we access the revealing of God to humanity. The word of God written summons us to respond to God in prayer and obedience.
In short, in Scripture God speaks. God gives us His word (John 17:20), and we are then called to abide within it (John 8:31-32).
A Word That Acts
Words not only describe things; they can also “do” things. For example, when the officiant at a wedding says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” those words spoken into the air cause something to happen. Before those words, they were not married; after those words, they are married.
God’s Word is “living and active” in part because God is living and active and when He speaks, something happens. Just think of creation. “He spoke,” says the Psalm, “and it was done” (Psalm 33:9). It is “powerful and performative,” says John Kleinig, “effective and productive.”
Consider Isaiah 55:10-11:
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
And do not return there but water the earth,
Making it bring forth and sprout,
Giving seed to the sower and bread for the eater,
So shall my word be that goes out of my mouth;
It shall not return to me empty,
But shall accomplish that which I purpose,
And shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Unlike our speech, God’s word only does good and always leads to what God wants. It gives life, energizes us, cuts us deep to the heart, and forces us to examine and re-examine ourselves and the world.
The word of God saves (Acts 13:26), gives life (John 6:68), nourishes (Jer 15:16), heals (Ps 107:20), energizes (Heb 4:12),
The Bible, then, is God’s living and active speech in written form, pointing to Jesus Christ and calling us, by the Spirit, to be reborn to new life, energized by the Spirit, and changed forever.
How The Church Reveres the Bible
It is remarkable that a single page of Scripture has survived. Even more remarkable is the story of how the Bible was preserved, translated, and disseminated. Reflect on God’s providential care in giving us Scripture.
Scripture is true and trustworthy. “How” is something for another day. Be careful to allow yourself to be open to learning how. We will learn later that Scripture is true in what it claims to teach; this is different than assuming every person’s interpretation is true. It is trustworthy in that it will lead us out of sin and into salvation; this is different than treating it like a magic book intended to give hidden clues. We should appreciate the Bible’s “normal” literature styles (which can include metaphors, stories not meant to be read literally, etc). But the church throughout history has claimed that Scripture (both Old and New Testaments) serves as the primary vehicle for learning who God is and what He wants to tell his people about Himself. We can trust that witness.
Reasons the Church holds Scripture as the primary witness
Scripture’s claims: The Bible actually says very little about itself. The Bible is a library of books by different authors with various styles. Authors were sometimes passive (receiving messages), sometimes active (worked or collaborated in receiving messages or sharing insights), and sometimes wrote based on eye-witness testimony. Some authors even consulted sources before writing (which we don’t have) (Josh 10:13; 2 Sam 1:18; 1 Kings 15:31; 16:20; 2 Kings 10:34; 13:8; Ezra 7:1-26; Luke 1:1-4). But the church believes above and behind all of that is one author and one unified message. Scripture is concerned with what “Scripture” has to say (John 13:18; Rom. 1:17; 3:10; 4:9). God is the underwriter of Scripture, His Spirit sealing affirming and confirming it (Acts 1:16; Heb 3:7). The claims of Scripture are such that the church believes it is the word of God written.
Five Key passages
A. 2 Timothy 3:14-17
“Inspiration” (2 Tim 3:16) literally means “God-breathed.” It reminds us of God breathing into Adam, and man became a living being (Gen 2:7). It reminds us of God life into the dry bones, renewing his people (Ezek 36-37).
“All” Scripture is God-breathed, including the Old Testament (2 Tim 3:15) and the New Testament (see 2 Peter 3:16).
Inspiration refers to the product more than the process. It means God is the ultimate author, involved in a unique and special way. It means God has given Scripture to the church as a reliable witness to accomplish his purposes and reveal the nature, heart, and will of the God who gave it.
B. 2 Peter 1:19-21
Prophets were directed by the Spirit of God (1 Pet 1:10-12; 2 Pet 1:20-21); we are to pay attention to them until Jesus returns (2 Pet 1:19).
C. Luke 24:25-27, 44-49
In the end of Luke’s gospel, Jesus draws his disciples attention to “everything written about me” in all 3 parts of the Old Testament Scriptures—the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. We are also told that Jesus is in the business of “opening minds to understand the Scriptures,” which involves seeing how the prophets wrote about Christ. This is why we ought “to believe all that the prophets have spoken” or “written.”
D. 1 Thessalonians 2:13
Paul cites his own words, the Old Testament, and the words of Jesus alongside one another as authoritative (1 Cor 15:51). He tells the Thessalonians that what he communicated to them was not “words of men” but “word of God” (1 Thess 2:13). And note that this refers not just to the message, but the words used to articulate that message.
E. Galatians 3:16
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul makes an argument based on the tense of a single word (or, in English, a single letter) (Gal 2:16). Thus the words of Scripture have the seal of the Holy Spirit (verbal inspiration) and this extends to the whole Bible (plenary inspiration).
What, then, is Scripture? Here is a helpful (working) definition:
God’s approved message (1 Thess 2:13),
the final authority for faith and life (Matt 5:17-19).
It reveals a unified and trusted message from God (Ezek 3:27)
through humans (1 Thess 2:13; Jer 36:1-2; Ezek 11:5; Micah 3:8),
meant to be understood (Acts 8:30; James 1:21),
and to transform us into Godly people (2 Tim 2-3),
and to bring about a Godly world (Heb 4:12).
Scripture’s role as arbiter: The church through the ages has proclaimed that people may have different views, philosophies, and theories; but it is the word of God written that settles our debates or determines how serious to treat our debates.
Standing Under Scripture
There are three options for how we treat/relate to Scripture:
Stand over Scripture. This is to make ourselves gods, our own cultural lenses the final arbiter, and our own internal desires the standard of truth. This is disastrous, and has been proven so throughout world history.
Stand alongside Scripture. This is to treat Scripture as important, but only one of many important factors, equal to our own reasoning, church tradition, or experience. While those play an important role in interpreting Scripture, we proclaim Scripture as standing above all others.
Stand under Scripture. This is the call of the biblical witness and the claim of the church throughout the ages. This doesn’t mean to refuse to use our minds in reasoning and interpreting. It means that we revere Scripture and the truth of the biblical witness as the goal of our interpreting. “What he says we will do; where he sends, we will go.”
The are study notes for the “Dive Deeper” class at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR), an exploration that took place after the sermon “Read Reverently” on February 4, 2024. The sermon and class are first in a series titled “Read Well: Hear God In Scripture.” The class is live (in-person), but the sermon is available to watch or listen, and appears on the Life on the West Side podcast (Season 3, Episode 24). Available on all podcast platforms.
Resources For Reading Reverently
Questions For Discussion:
1. What is your “story with the Bible”? How has it affected you or shaped you?
2. Consider the decline in biblical literacy. Why is this a problem? What happens when a person, a family, or a culture loses knowledge of the Bible?
3. How is the “word” of God something bigger and earlier than the Bible?
4. How is the Bible the “word of God”?
5. How is the word of God “living and active”?
6. Why does the Church revere the Bible?
7. What does Scripture say about itself?
8. What does it mean to stand “under” Scripture?
9. How can we grow/improve in reading Scripture “reverently”?
Other Suggested Helps
Video
The Bible Project, “The Public Reading of Scripture” https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/public-reading-scripture/
Chapters/Articles For Further Insight To Accompany This Lesson
Kenneth L. Cukrowski, et. al., God’s Holy Fire: The Nature and Function of Scripture (ACU Press, 2002), Chapter 1: “Rediscovering the Word of God.”
Brad East, The Doctrine of Scripture (Cascade, 2021), Chapter 1: “Source.”
John W. Kleinig, God’s Word: A Guide to Holy Scripture (Lexham Press, 2022), Chapter 2: “The God Who Speaks.”
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My name is Nathan Guy, and I serve as the preaching minister for the West Side Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas. In my spare time, I teach classes as an adjunct instructor for St. Louis University and Harding University. I also serve as chairman of the board for the Center for Christian Studies. I am happily married to Katie and am the proud father of little Grace (who is 2) and baby Henry (who is new). You can find more resources on my website over at nathanguy.com. You can follow me on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), Threads, and YouTube.