Scripture… As We Live It #63
This is the 63rd installment of “Scripture… As We Live It“:
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures commentaries, confessional statements, and theology books daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11 re-mix)
Don’t forget “examining our traditions and what we’ve always done before…”
Alan,
That particular interpretation of Scripture seems to be a favourite in this country; even amongst those who use the word “Berean” in their name.
C.H.Mackintosh once wrote, “We must never lose sight of the weighty fact that it is as we act on what we know that our knowledge shall increase. It will never do to sit down like a bookworm to read the Bible. WE MAY FILL OUR INTELLECT WITH BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE, WE MAY HAVE THE DOCTRINES OF THE BIBLE AND THE LETTER OF SCRIPTURE AT OUR FINGERTIPS WITHOUT ONE PARTICLE OF UNCTION OR POWER. We must go to Scripture as a thirsty man goes to a well; as a hungry man goes to a meal; as a mariner goes to a chart. We must go to it because we cannot do without it. We go, not merely to study, but to feed. The instincts of the divine nature lead us to the Word of God as the new-born babe desires the milk by which he is to grow. It is by feeding on the Word that the new man grows. (emphasis mine).
Those who hold their “commentaries, confessional statements, and theology books” as their primary source of understanding Scripture are doing what Mackintosh describes as trading “on borrowed capital”.
Hi Alan-
Just caught up with this post. I wonder how many people have their
beliefs shaped, not by Scripture (or even by commentaries, confessional statements, and theology books), but by Max Lucado, Beth Moore, John Piper, Veggie Tales or “Touched by an Angel” or Charlton Heston…You can insert nearly any name.
We have raised up any number of godlets by bypassing God’s own Word.