Tag: John 8:31-32

Formation (Part 2)

One of the best ways to become more like Jesus is to replace an unhealthy habit with the practice of reading Scripture daily. In fact, the Center for Bible Engagement surveyed more than 100,000 people from all over the world about their spiritual lives and found that engaging the Bible four or more days a week is the “single most powerful predictor of spiritual growth.”1  This week, you’re being encouraged to make Bible reading a daily practice as we continue our journey through John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way.

Let’s start with some encouragement straight from the Bible that shows why this practice is worth your time:

  • “Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.” (Psalm 119:98-100, NIV)
  • “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NIV)
  • “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31-32, NIV)
  • “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)
  • “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)

Even when we believe its benefits, knowing how to approach this multifaceted sacred book makes a big difference. Flipping to random pages with no context is unlikely to lead to meaningful understanding, let alone life transformation. Let’s explore a few helpful approaches to keep in mind when reading the Bible.

Interpreting Scripture: The Bible must always be interpreted in light of its context. The environment or setting in which it was written helps us determine what a passage does and doesn’t mean. Repeated phrases and ideas in the text help us to figure out what’s important. As we read, we should ask ourselves:

  • What was the importance of this text for the original audience? (For them then?)
  • What does it say that applies to all people or believers? (For us always?)
  • How is this true in my current circumstances? (For me now?)2

Reading Literarily, not Literally: The writings in Scripture include many different genres including law, history, poetry, wisdom literature, prophecy, gospels (biographies of Jesus), epistles (letters), and apocalyptic writing. Everything in the Bible isn’t meant to be read literally, but literarily. Bible teacher and author Jen Wilkin explains: “Language obeys different rules in  different contexts, and the language of the Bible is no exception. A literate reading takes these rules into consideration…When an author chooses to communicate through a particular form, they do so for a good reason. They believe that particular form will best communicate the meaning they intend. The way that biblical poetry uses language is different than the way that historical narrative does. Prophecy uses language differently than a law code. And so on.”3 Knowing what genre you’re reading impacts your understanding and application of the text.

Recognizing the Difference Between Descriptive and Prescriptive: It is important to determine whether a passage is descriptive or prescriptive. A descriptive passage shows us what happened while a prescriptive passage tells us what to do. “If a verse or passage is simply describing something, with nothing said in the positive or negative about that something, then it is descriptive and should not be considered something we are commanded to do. It is only when Scripture specifically instructs (prescribes) that New Testament believers do something that we are to take it as a command to obey.”4

We often approach the Bible looking for a shot of inspiration or a truth about ourselves forgetting that first and foremost, it is a book about God. Whether you’re starting to read the Bible regularly for the first time or have been doing it for years, the most important thing is to pray first. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what you read and to show you what He wants you to learn about the Lord.

Now, let’s explore a bit of Bible background to enhance your knowledge, provide context, and build your enthusiasm about reading it daily:

Major Themes: God’s redemption story contains a four-part pattern that has been repeated throughout history:  1) Rejection of God’s way 2) Decline of God’s people 3) Consequences allowed by God’s hand 4) Restored relationship to God’s presence.5

Word Meanings and Organizational Structure: The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word biblos meaning “book” or “scroll”; the plural form “biblia” refers to a collection of scriptures that are treated as one book. The 39 books of the Old Testament were written mostly in Hebrew (a few short passages in Aramaic).  About 100 years (or more) before the Christian era the entire Old Testament was translated into the Greek language.  Our English Bible is a translation from these original languages. The word “testament” means “covenant,” or “agreement.”  The Old Testament is the covenant of law God made with humans. The 27 books of the New Testament explain the covenant of grace God made to provide salvation for sinful humans through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.6

Chronology and Content: The books of the Bible are not all written in perfect chronological order. Some books have overlapping stories and themes with others. All of them can be read as stand-alone books. The Old Testament focuses on the story of the Jews (also called the Israelites, Hebrews, or Children of Israel) from their earliest beginnings. It chronicles their history as God’s chosen people. The Old Testament covers a span of 1000 years. The New Testament focuses on Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy who came to save and redeem not only the Jewish people but all of mankind as well.  The New Testament was written over the span of 100 years with the earliest being written between A.D. 48 & 60 and the latest between A.D. 60 and 100.7

Authors: The Bible was written by about 40 authors over 1600 years.  The authors were kings and princes, poets and philosophers, prophets and statesmen. Some were learned in all the arts of the times and others were unschooled fishermen. Some of its authors knew Jesus personally. Two of them were his brothers (James and Jude).8

Consistent Source of Guidance: The Church believes that Jewish and Christian writers were guided by the Holy Spirit in the selection of the Scriptures that became the Old and New Testaments. The Apostle Peter explains, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21, NIV).

Reading the Bible is an essential spiritual practice for believers. Doing it consistently enables you to be with Jesus so you can become like Him and do as He did. Ask the Lord to help you make it a consistent part of your daily rhythm.

*This post is part of a series based on Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer and weekly practices described in the eight-session study guide. Order your copy of Practicing the Way using this link or buy it anywhere books are sold.

If you’re participating in a group in person at CPC Danville, copies of the Reading Reflection Guide are available at Focused Living AM and PM and in the church office. If you’d like a digital PDF to download, please reply in the comments.

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  1. Bible Engagement and “The Power of Four”: A Key to Spiritual Growth. Click here for full article.
  2. Adapted from Jen Wilkin and the Village Church Bible study materials.
  3. Jen Wilkin, “Why We Should Read the Bible Literarily” Click here for full article.
  4. “What does it mean that a biblical passage is descriptive rather than prescriptive?” Click here for full article.
  5. This is a commonly held truth among Bible scholars.  This particular statement is paraphrased from Priscilla ShirerGideon: Your Weakness. God’s Strength. Lifeway Press, 2013.
  6. Paraphrased from Henrietta Mears’ book What the Bible is All About, Tyndale 1953.
  7. Paul E. Little, Know What You Believe, Victor Books, 1987.
  8. Henrietta Mears, What the Bible is All About,Tyndale 1953.

 

 

Spreading Christ’s Aroma

Clenching a pipe between his teeth, my grandpa would light sweet-smelling tobacco and stand puffing away in our garage. This is one of my most vivid childhood memories. Every year he would travel from Philadelphia to California to spend two weeks with the family of his only child, my mom. His visits included a few predictable elements: he would always bring mint bark from his favorite candy shop on the Jersey shore and rye bread from a Jewish deli in Philadelphia. At some point during the visit my grandpa would bake a Philadelphia cheesecake (he eschewed the “lesser” New York cheesecake with a crust that he considered too sweet). But the thing I remember most about my grandpa’s visits is the spicy, pungent scent of tobacco that would permeate our garage long after he’d flown back to Pennsylvania. I don’t smell pipe tobacco very often, but when I do, it makes me smile.

That sweet fragrance of my grandpa’s tobacco came to mind as I learned about the outer court of the Israelites’ Tent of Meeting in Exodus recently. I never realized the important role fragrance played as an element of worship. Outside the Holy Place, a powerful mix of acrid smells wafted through the courtyard; the comingled scents of livestock, urine, manure, and blood were probably overpowering as the people brought animals to be sacrificed. 

In contrast, a sweeter scent met the nostrils of any priest entering the Holy Place. The Lord gave Moses a specific recipe of spices to combine and explained: “Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.” He instructed Moses to consecrate all objects inside the Tent of Meeting by anointing them. Additionally, the Lord told Moses to anoint Aaron and his sons, consecrating them as priests. He concluded by explaining, “This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.” (Exodus 30:25 & 31-33)

The smell the people would detect on the priests would be uniquely associated with the Lord. It was sacred and signified what Scripture reiterates numerous times: “The Lord is God; besides him there is no other.” (Deuteronomy 4:35b, NIV)

Here’s the part that’s most inspiring, though. Each element of the Tent of Meeting pointed the way to Jesus and has corresponding facets in the Christian faith. When it comes to the aroma of God, here’s what the Apostle Paul explains in the New Testament:

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, NIV)

“Paul’s metaphor would be readily understood by his audience, with the apostle and his co-laborers portrayed as victorious soldiers in a triumphal procession. During these Roman military parades, captives of war would be marched through the streets as garlands of flowers were carried and incense was burned to the gods. The aromatic perfumes wafted on the air as spectators and those in the procession breathed in their fragrance. At the parade’s finale, many prisoners would be put to death. Thus, the aromas were pleasing and life-giving to the victors, but they were the smell of death to those who had been defeated.”1

Unlike the Roman processions, every person now has the option to side with the victor by accepting Christ. The truth of the gospel causes people to face the reality of their sin. Those who smell the aroma of life recognize they need the blood of Jesus to atone for their sins. Those who smell the aroma of death hear the truth and reject it—preferring to ignore sin or re-frame it rather than admitting it. Jesus states this clearly in John’s gospel: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36, NIV)

The New Testament declares that followers of Jesus are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9)  So, just as the priests came out of the Tabernacle emitting the smell of the sacred oil and incense, followers of Jesus give off the scent of Christ through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 

We have the privilege and responsibility of spreading the aroma of the knowledge of Christ wherever we go. The smell of Jesus is always good, right, and true, but that doesn’t mean it’s always nice, easy, or pleasant. Some people will be drawn to it and others will be repelled by it. Jesus told His disciples: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” (John 15:18-19, NIV)

If you’re walking with Jesus, you’re going to smell like Him. Sometimes people are going to like this about you, and sometimes they’re not. Don’t be tempted to veer from the truth, even when it’s not popular. True life and freedom are found only in Christ: “Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31b-32, NIV)

Envisioning Jesus leading a triumphal procession in victory over death and sin inspires celebration in me. Click here and “smell” the aroma of victory as you listen to Phil Wickham’s “Battle Belongs.”

Inspired by God of Freedom by Jen Wilkin, Lifeway Press 2022, Week 7.

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1. “What does it mean that Christians are the aroma of christ?”gotquestions.org.