There have been two similar conversations in the past year with different men that have been echoes of conversations that have repeated over the years. One was a direct conversation and the other was a report of one. The core of the dialog was the notion that one did not need to read or study the Bible because some ecclesiastical body is responsible to tell us what we are to believe and understand about the Bible. In fact we are not equipped, without the help of professionals, to understand the Bible on our own.
Other than that position is counter to what both the Old and New Testament requires of believers (I recognize that is a huge statement that requires validation, if you wish I will validate it but there is not space here, ask and you will receive), It makes no sense logically. Now I realize that in order to understand the example I am fixin’ to use one has to have read some part of the Bible specifically Ephesians 5:32. Paul uses the marriage analogy to describe our union with Christ…
So the argument above would be something like your getting married and then the pastor moving in with your wife and reporting to you what it is like to be a husband to her, once a week. That does not describe the sort of marriage in which I would be interested.
So the argument above would be something like your getting married and then the pastor moving in with your wife and reporting to you what it is like to be a husband to her, once a week. That does not describe the sort of marriage in which I would be interested.
A friend once said, "Your relationship with God is never better than your relationship with people." (including your wife). I think I've come to believe that's a very accurate statement. My relationship with Christ is similar to that of my wife in one regard--it would graph as a sine wave, sometimes high, sometimes low.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Great thought.
DeleteGreat post,Michael! You've tapped into one of my deepest longings as a pastor: that every person in the congregation would become confident in their own ability to study God's Word for themselves; and that such confidence would fuel a passionate commitment to spend time daily in the Word. Truth you mine for yourself tends to "stick" more than truth someone else feeds you. Plus, as you know, there is nothing more exhilirating than discovering biblical truth for yourself and having God speak directly to your heart through His word. Oh, that every believer would understand you don't need a seminary degree to handle accurately God's Word; you only need some equipping. Thanks again, brother.
ReplyDeleteAmen brother. I could not agree more.
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