A friend pointed out that my last post, identified a problem but provided no solutions. I must admit, it was a reactive post. I am tired of well-intentioned people chasing "being right" and "being good" rather than chasing God. I am tired of people being alienated from love because of "truth" that is no "Truth" at all because it has no love. I am tired of conservatives and liberals arguing over words, when it is the Word that matters.]
I am aware that many of these discussions are helpful and create some light in a murky world, but I fear that more often than not we miss God through our reasoning together and our apparent need to understand. If all of this is true, then what is our recourse? How do we approach the Scriptures?
Let me suggest some possible guidelines that might help:
- We need to approach Scipture humbly and with a prayerfully open mind. Rather than trying to become masters of it we need to allow it to master us. Rather than trying to use it to get people to do what we want we need to see what it is saying to us as individuals and to our immediate community. Asking God for help in this endeavor is a great starting point. I try to start my day, "God, what do you have for me today? Help me listen."
- We try to understand what the original author was attempting to say to his original audience and what that audience would have heard. They are two different things and sometimes we focus on the former forgetting the latter, while the Spirit of God's initial concern is obviously the latter rather than the former. We do this not so much to hem the text in -- if that is what it originally meant than that is surely what it means today..." -- no that would be foolish. We do it in order to create a back drop for understanding what God might be wanting to say to us today in our current situation.
- Scripture needs to be studied in community. It needs to be studied with the historical community -- those who have gone before and wrestled with the text in their time and culture -- and the current community. Those who are wrestling with it now. This community needs to be both local and global, and voiced need to be heard not necesssarily obeyed. The Word of God to First Baptist is not necessarily the Word of God to First Congregational or First Presbyterian, but the Word of God to those congregations needs to be heard by First Baptist. In a simliar vein, the Word to Johnny's family may not be the same Word that Susie's family needs to hear. And following it further, Maria -- Johnny's daughter may hear a different Word than Malachi, Johnny's son. (One hearsthat they are to be a missionary, the other that she is to be a business woman who supports him. One is a pacifist, the other manufactures guns.) This framework can be problematic but does not have to be. It can be abused and individualised but it does not have to. God is still in the business of speaking to individuals. It is sad that not many of us are in tunewith Him enough to hear His voice as clearly as He would like.
Paul tells us in Colossians that we are to "Let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly..." He doesn't say, "Dwell in the Word of Christ." Insteadm, we are to let it take root in us, become a part of us; in a very real sense, "be in relationship with us." The Psalmist writes, "Your Word I have hidden in my heart," We need to do this. The Word needs to become part of our daily lives rather than merely words on a page placed there to be studied and understood. When the Word becomes a part of us we will find that we argue about it less because it is a part of us. We don't argue about my bald spot or my overweightness. Neither would we argue about Scripture being a part of me.
I think we would find that if we approached the Word this way, then the different testimonies of the Spirit to us about the Word would bother us less. We would cease using it as a carrot or a stick. We would instead use it to love people and care for people, to speak the Truth to people as we've understood it for our lives that they may find freedom from the bondages that they face.
I read the Scriptures differently than I used to. It may not be perfect, but it does testify about Perfect, Incredible, Crucified and Risen One. His name is Jesus, and He really digs me. And I really dig Him back.
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