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Most Christians agree that the Bible is inspired, but what impact does that have upon our lives? Did inspiration stop with the biblical text? Did God just stop speaking when the last books of the Bible were finalized and became part of the biblical canon? How does the inspired Bible and the inspired community of God function together? In my most recent post and comments, I have discussed the concept of inspiration and how the biblical canon was formed. I have used this as a way to ask questions about the functionality of the biblical text today. The text is inspired, but it is our starting point; it is not our end. The Holy Spirit teaches us from the text, prayer and community. It carries on the good work that God began in us. Let’s talk about the way that many use the Bible today and the ways our use of the Bible can be improved.
 Letting Christ transcend the biblical text is going beyond the text. It is taking our study of the Word to a place of continual response to the Word. It is putting into practice what we know. Eventually, we stop just reading the Bible, and start letting the Bible read us. We start letting the living words of God, by means of the Holy Spirit, search us, teach us, and change us. How are we to respond to what the biblical text says, as individuals or as a community? First, we must respond as individuals (come to Christ personally). But, after our individual response, we must realize that God works beyond the confines of individuals (and their study of the Bible) and works in community (e.g., Acts 2). God did not just inspire the Bible; he inspires us as a community. Reading is not simply digesting words; reading is about using the energy of the food we have digested. Reading is about running the great race God has placed before us, together, as a community of God. A biblical community does not just study the Bible; they act in accordance with what they are reading in the Bible. Christ truly transcends the text when we go beyond the word of the text and live-out what it is sending us forth to do. The Holy Spirit is still at work. It is still our guide. It guides us in our study of the Bible and it guides us to work on God’s behalf. If it ends with our study of the Bible, and is not put into practice, we have lost sight of the message of the Bible entirely. Reading the Bible is not just looking at words on a page, but actualizing and internalizing. God needs voices, and we are meant to be those voices. What would your life look like if you started being one of those voices? What would your community look like if it was a constant voice for the Maker and the redemption He has brought through His Son? Sometimes being that voice is just simply about acting on what He has taught us—caring for the poor, sick, and orphaned; and loving your neighbor as yourself. |
Comments
I have my buddy J.D. to thank for inspiring me to write this post. J.D., thanks for taking time to read all the comment threads and guide me as to where this discussion should go next.
--John
One of my recent Q & A answers about the definition of church may help guide us in this discussion:
Church Redefined
The term church comes from the Greek word ekklesia, meaning "gathering" or "assembly." It simply refers to a group of people being gathered together. In the context of Christ-followers, it means a group of people gathering together in Christ's name.
When Jesus uses the term in Matt 16.18, he is stating that Peter will be the one who gathers the first church together. He is the foundation of what is to come (the center piece). But the amazing thing is, Jesus is right. Peter ends up being at the center of the first church in Jerusalem and is the first one to preach the gospel of the resurrected Lord in public. Peter leads droves of people to Christ, creates the first major gathering of Christ-followers, and essentially begins what would come to be known as "the church." In this way, "church" is simply a redefinition of the original term, "gathering."
--John
I wanted to say something to agree with you, but my wife has done it better in her most recent Xanga post, http://www.xanga.com/naydvy/681395078/press-on.html
doc
Doc,
Thanks for the link and sharing the insights of your wife with me.
--John
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