Why study Scripture?
Dave Black posted this on his bog at 5:32 a.m. today concerning the students in one of his classes:
But what I especially want to commend is the attitude I see in my students. If only you could see these young men and women, you would see they are marked by love and humility, and that they are far more concerned with communicating Christ to their classmates than their interpretation of the genitive case or the aorist tense. The latter information is not unimportant, of course. But teaching the Bible should transform our attitudes every bit as much as our theology. This is one of the great challenges of teaching the Scriptures. We tend to see the Bible as informational only and neglect its life-changing dimensions. Yes, we need good information, but our goal is to help others (and ourselves) know God more and more deeply. All of our teaching must focus on truth-response. Knowledge must be related to life. And that is what these students are striving to accomplish. It’s beautiful to see.
Why do you study Scripture? For knowledge/information or life transformation? How has the Spirit tranformed your life through Scripture recently?
Great post. I am new to the blogosphere and have really enjoyed and benefitted from the discussions on the church. Dr. Black’s quote reminded me of our family worship reading this week from chapter one of J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. He does a great job of putting into perspective the proper motive for scholarship.
Matt,
Thank you for the comment and welcome to my blog.
-Alan
Alan,
Just also just read Dave Black’s post. I understand his joy.
I have sought to practice his attitude in my own ministry. When members of the congregation were transferred to other towns and states what joy and excitement to see several of them, used of God, form a local fellowship of believers through the personal evangelism of their everyday life. No programmes, nothing contrived.
Aussie John
John,
I love your heart for people and for seeing God use them. I can tell that you recognize that the people are God’s and He may use them and send them as He wishes.
-Alan
Alan
Thanks for Dave Black’s words. He and his students strike a good balance. Great! Seems to me that Scripture is to be read for both information/knowledge and transformation. If the transformation is going to be Godly the information/knowledge needs to be accurate. But it doesn’t stop with the latter and must carry through to a changed life.
A taste of Spirit transformation for me has come from a re-reading of Paul’s notion in 2 Corinthians that we are letters from Christ, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of God.
Greg,
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate the reference to 2 Corinthians and our being letters from Christ written by the Spirit of God.
-Alan