Biblical

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 8:31-32

 As the commemoration of the Reformation approaches, I sit here in Wittenberg with the bells of the city church where Luther preached over two thousand sermons ringing through the cold autumn air. It is a wonderful privilege to be in this significant place at this time of year when we give thanks to God for His preservation of the gospel through the faithful service of Luther and many others.

I have to confess that it is easy to be overwhelmed by the history and romanticism of this place, not to mention the encouragement that comes from being together with our dear friends from the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and leaders from their sister churches across the world. But the Reformation is not primarily lived out by basking in the past or in these blessed experiences in evocative settings. The Reformation was and continues to be lived out as the comfort of the gospel is proclaimed to troubled consciences, so that we might live and die with confidence in Christ and all He has done for us.

Luther and the reformers recognised that in the face of our own sin and the attacks of the devil, God has provided His Holy Word to provide us this comfort and confidence, and enables us to read and digest the Word for just this purpose. This was revolutionary at the time of the Reformation as most people didn’t have access to the Scriptures and even if they did, they were taught that it was all too difficult and unclear for the ordinary lay person to understand and that the Word needed to be mediated through the teaching of the Roman Church and her clergy.

As the scales fell from Luther’s eyes and he came to properly understand from Scripture that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, he realised it was the Roman Church that was obscuring the Scriptures and in so doing, they were robbing the church of the Bible’s central teaching on justification. Reading the Scriptures with fresh eyes, filled with the wonder of a God who loved him so much that He sent His one and only Son to die in His place, Luther came to understand that God’s Word is not only clear in its simple and intended sense, but that it is all a Christian needs to know to receive God’s gifts won for them by Christ Himself.

There are several methods and plans for Bible reading. We are encouraged to read God’s Word regularly, to feed and drink from the Source of Life. We are nurtured and strengthened in faith, and the Holy Spirit causes us to grow in our Christian life and witness to stand on God’s truth and share it. We need to be reminded always that tools are just tools. These are useful as long as they bring us into God’s Word. Jesus says: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

Methods of Bible Reading

There is not just one way of studying God’s Word. Methods vary greatly. Some people choose to simply read portions of Scripture regularly; some take notes about the reading; others write down personal applications and prayers related to the day’s reading; and still others develop a more comprehensive practice as they survey the contextual, exegetical, and doctrinal elements involving the text.

… There are many right ways to study Scripture. But there is also a wrong way. The wrong way is to approach the Bible without reverence and humility, relying more on your own understanding than on the power of the Word itself. The wrong way is when you distort God’s Word - for example, by taking a historical prophecy and assuming it’s personally about you. The wrong way is when you try to make Scripture say more or less than what it actually says—when you force it to accommodate to your worldview. God’s Word says what it says. It cannot be changed, added to, or subtracted from. It is God Himself speaking to us. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

We have a story to tell. A story of a struggle against the powers and the principalities, against sin and death and the devil. A story in which our Lord Jesus Christ is victorious over all these things (Colossians 2:15) and shares that victory with ordinary people like you and me. What makes this story so compelling is the fact that this victory was a costly one that required sacrifice and suffering. On the cross Jesus took hold of all that would rob us of life, and He allowed Himself to be overcome by the power of sin, death, the devil and all the despairing havoc they wreak on our lives. But in His resurrection, He not only defeats these powers, but is ultimately exalted to the right hand of the Father “with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22b). All authority in heaven and on earth have been given to Him, and He shares His victory and all its spoils with you and me. It really is quite a story!

In this article drawn from Chapter 10 of his book God’s Word: A Guide to Holy Scripture, Dr John Kleinig explores the healing power of God’s word.

“He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction” Psalm 107:20

We all know how words can heal, words that are wise and kind, apt and helpful. That is most evident when they address what we think and feel about ourselves, and how we relate to others and how they relate to us. The words of a good counsellor can mend a broken heart and heal a broken relationship. Just as nasty words damage people badly, wise words can heal the worst hurts.

The power of words to wound and heal is explored at some length and in considerable detail in the book of Proverbs, the book that teaches the wisdom that comes from God for those who respect him and his provision for all people on earth.

Drawing on the work of theologian Hemann Sasse and Timothy Wengert's A Formula for Parish Practice, Merv Wagner reflects on the great ages of the church as times when people had to contend against false teaching and clearly confess true doctrine for salvation's sake.