How to Read Scripture

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If we believe the Scriptures are infallible, supreme, and sufficient, then we also understand the form in which Scripture is delivered to us is aligned with God’s plan. The Bible is presented to us as a grand narrative revealing the redemptive purpose of God, relating stories like the beauty of creation, the tragic introduction of sin and its destructive power, and the winding road of redemption. These stories are told in the context of king’s palaces and prison cells, through the lives of fishermen and prophets. The characters of Scripture are unassuming men and women, always in the minority, whose lives play out in the Bible for the sake of our salvation. The inevitable conclusion of this redemptive story is divine victory because of the triumph of God’s sovereign will, summed up in our Savior’s words, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

This narrative, however, does not end at the cross. The book of Acts tells the story of the early church, recounting victories, and not shying away from the struggles and defeats of the brave men and women who blazed the trail for the church today.  When we read the Bible as a narrative, we allow ourselves to become immersed in the story. We identify with the characters and sympathize with their struggles. These stories are not fairy tales. They happened to real men and women living in the moment, walking by faith, not having the luxury of knowing how their stories would end. This is the reason we can identify with the characters in Scripture. They are just like us—ordinary, fallible, imperfect people.

‍There is an ebb and flow about the Bible that is comforting. The Scriptures are not packaged or systematic. The story of redemption meanders through a variety of cultures, languages, and literary genres. Not all the books of the Bible are written in narrative form. The Psalms are songs and poetry. The Epistles are letters written to churches and individuals. In the books where the primary form is not a narrative, the text is still part of a bigger picture that tells the story of God’s redemptive purpose.

Knowing how to read the Bible is of fundamental importance if you are to arrive at a correct and well-rounded understanding of what the text reveals. The process of reading and extracting the correct meaning of the text is known as exegesis. Eugene Peterson describes exegesis as “the discipline of attending to the text and listening to it rightly and well.”[1] Peterson continues:

Exegesis introduces another dimension into our relation to this text. The text as story carries us along, we are in on something larger than ourselves, we let the story take us where it will. But exegesis is focused attention, asking questions, sorting through possible meanings. Exegesis is rigorous, disciplined, intellectual work. It rarely feels "spiritual." Men and women who are, as we say, "into" spirituality, frequently give exegesis short shrift, preferring to rely on inspiration and intuition. But the long and broad consensus in the community of God's people has always insisted on a vigorous and meticulous exegesis: Give long and close and learned attention to this text! All our masters in spirituality were and are master exegetes. There's a lot going on here; we don't want to miss any of it; we don't want to sleepwalk through this text.[2]

Exegesis applies to all readers of the Bible, not just ministers who prepare a sermon. Giving the text its full and proper attention is a discipline everyone who reads the Scriptures must do. Too many preachers of the gospel do not give due diligence to the intentional reading of the Scriptures, making biblical exposition in the pulpit nearly impossible.[3] We all must read the Bible with care, and with a prayerful mind, absorbing every bit of revelatory truth God has for us at that moment.

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[1] Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006), 50.

[2] Ibid., 50.

[3] See chapter ten for a full discussion on expository preaching.

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The Sufficiency of Scripture

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Until I enrolled in a biblical counseling course at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I had never distinguished between the supremacy of the Scriptures and the sufficiency of the Scriptures. John Babler and Frank Catanzaro taught this class, driving home the point the Scriptures are not only supreme, but also sufficient for everything in life. I expected the class to teach us how to counsel people using biblical principles, but instead I learned how to use the Bible to address people’s problems. The expectation these men had of the Scriptures was inspirational. Giving little credence to secular psychology, they taught the Bible could address every problem we encounter in the counseling arena.[1]

‍Catanzaro posed to the class many times the following rhetorical question: “What is the intrinsic deficiency of Scripture that makes us turn to other sources to find the answers to life’s problems?” He taught us when counseling people, we should “listen for unbiblical thinking and counter it with biblical truth.” Through the respect and faith in Scripture demonstrated by these two professors, a passion arose in me to communicate to the world the relevancy of the Bible in our culture. Babler and Catanzaro reinforced in me the idea that Scripture is sufficient for every endeavor in life and ministry.

This does not mean we do not read other books. Neither of these professors advocated reading only the Bible. That is not the logical conclusion of biblical sufficiency. They were not teaching biblical exclusivity, but rather the Bible presents to us through a variety of literary forms the theological direction needed for our understanding of redemption and sanctification.

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[1] For more on biblical counseling, see John Babler, David Penley, and Mike Bizzell, Counseling by the Book (n.p.: Xulon Press, n.d.).

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The Supremacy of Scripture

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The genre of Christian literature encompasses a wide range of book titles, topics, and subgenres, including fictional love stories, financial guides, diet and exercise plans, and leadership. We can be helped by books written by Christian authors when based on a biblical model.

Regardless of how well books are written or how gifted the author, the words on the page are not infallible. It is good and right to read all books with a skeptical eye, expecting the author to back up conjecture with well-reasoned logic and thinking. The author may be inspired, but the ideas he or she communicates are not infallible.

It is impossible to separate influence from the writer’s pen. The life of the reader is changed by the words they read and internalize. The style may be poetic or it may tell a story, but regardless of the form the words take, readers are shaped by what they read. Ideology travels on the wings of paragraphs and sentences.

The Bible is the Spirit of God in writing. This unique quality of Scripture is what makes it infallible. The apostle Paul said all Scripture is “breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16).[1] This gives us insight into the relationship between the Word of God and the Spirit of God. When the Spirit of God was given in Acts 2, the Bible says there was “a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind” (v. 2), and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 4). The word the translators interpreted as Spirit comes from the Greek word pneuma, meaning “the breathing out of air.”[2] Jesus used the word pneuma for both “wind” and “Spirit” when he told Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

The fundamental nature of God is that he is Spirit. The Holy Spirit fell upon people with the promise that his presence is for everyone (Acts 2:39). His Spirit moving upon men is also what produced the Scriptures. The Bible is not just good literature or motivational monologue. It is the Holy Spirit in a book, God-breathed words that will transform every life. The apostle Peter writes,

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20–21)

The Holy Spirit moved and produced the Bible through the pen and parchment of holy men. Jesus said, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). His Word is the vehicle through which his Spirit travels. The Word of God and the Spirit of God are beautifully intertwined and often indistinguishable.

This is the reason the Bible is supreme over all other writings. It has intrinsic value built into its origin. It is God himself in a book. Everything the Bible declares is true and right and just, and anything ever spoken or written must align with Scripture if we are to consider it truth. It is a book full of inexhaustible revelation. We spend a lifetime reading the same Scriptures repeatedly and never exhaust their revelation declaring the glory of God. There is no limit to the depth of the glory and grace of Jesus Christ.

We know the Scriptures are true because our obedience to them is authenticated by a life full of faith and joy. As we read the Scriptures and allow them to become part of us, they earn our trust. The Savior we find in the Bible is the same God we encounter in prayer and in our daily walk. We read the story of redemption and it harmonizes with the story of our own redemption through Jesus Christ. His faithfulness throughout the Scriptures is consistent with his faithfulness to us. The Word of God is alive, self-revealing, and self-authenticating.

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[1] The Greek word the apostle penned was theopneustos. It is the only time this word is used in the New Testament. It is a combination of the word theos (meaning God) and a derivative of the word pneo (meaning breathe or breeze).

[2] Walter Bauer et al., eds., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., ed. Frederick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 832.

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Be a Doer of the Word of God

The Sermon on the Mount is the title given to the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 5–7. These three chapters are rich with theological insight into how Christians ought to live and treat each other. Jesus closes the sermon with these words:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24–27)

The difference between being labeled wise or foolish by Jesus is determined by what you do with his words. Both men who built their houses had heard the Word. The wise man took it a step further. He did what Jesus said to do. Again, it goes back to submission and obedience. The doer of the Word obeyed what he heard. This is what today’s churches need—doers of the Word. We need men, women, boys, and girls, who will leave the worship service ready to put into action the truth communicated to them through preaching. Our world needs people who read the Bible with a prayerful heart, pondering the things of God, allowing the Word to transform them. This is real-time transformation. Jesus confirms this is what separates the wise from the foolish.

The rewards and consequences of Jesus deeming us wise or foolish cannot be overlooked nor overstated. Both the wise and the foolish man faced the storm. The rains came, the winds blew, and the house shook in both of their lives. However, the difference was the damage assessment after the storm. Only the man who acted on the Word of God still had his home intact. The foolish man’s house fell, and in what are some of the most sobering words in the Bible, Jesus said “and great was the fall of it.” Everyone knew the house fell. Its destruction was swift and complete. The difference in whether your house will stand or fall has nothing to do with your personality, your background, your talent, your spouse, or even God’s anointing on your life. The determining factor, according to Jesus, is whether you do what he says to do.

 The overarching question to determine whether we are submitted to his Word is this: Does the way we live our lives every day confirm what we believe theologically? In other words, could a person who does not know us observe the life we lead during the week and come away with a basic framework of what we believe about God? The answer to these questions will give you insight into where you are in your relationship with Jesus Christ, how submitted you are to his Word, and to what extent the idolatry of “self” is determining your values.

Submitted to the Word of God

What is the catalyst that causes our theology to affect our actions? How can our behavior align with our beliefs? Ultimately, it is an issue of surrender and submission. The man or woman who wants to please God must submit to God and his Word. Our carnal nature must die.

The cross once again appears on the horizon as the instrument by which we can live according to God’s Word, except this time it is not the cross of Calvary. It is our cross. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Those who heard Jesus speak these words knew what he meant. In their culture, the cross was the typical instrument of execution, which they would have witnessed many times. The ruling government’s primary method of capital punishment was crucifixion. Criminals died gruesome, brutal deaths upon the crude wooden cross. Vulgar and revolting, the cross imagery was what Jesus brought into the minds of those around him when he called for people to take up a cross and follow him.

The next verse in Luke 9 is even more telling, when Jesus instructs the people to put themselves on the cross every day. He states, “Whosoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (v. 24). The only path to true living is to die to self. The apostle Paul understood this principle when he writes to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul was a walking dead man. He died to his desires on a road to Damascus and lived his life from that point with singleness of purpose.

Jesus commanded we take up a cross and die daily, and Paul obeyed this command. “I die every day” was the apostle’s simple declaration (1 Corinthians 15:31). Paul’s success was not a product of his talent or education. It was his unbridled obedience and submission to God and his Word.

Belief & Behavior

If you walk with God long enough you will discover your actions don’t always reflect what you claim to believe. Our actions often betray our confession of faith. Shouldn’t our behavior always perfectly mirror our theology? Why is it that sometimes—even if we consider ourselves to be spiritually mature—our hearts betray us?

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The answer lies in the reality of the struggle between Christ and the nature of sin we all battle. Without the cleansing of the blood of Jesus and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, we are without hope, enslaved to the lusts of our flesh and the powers of darkness. We all have the capacity to commit heinous acts and vile sins. John Calvin wrote, “We have seen that the lordship of sin, having overcome the first man, made the whole of humanity its slaves.”[1] None of us can escape being included in Cavlin’s description of humanity. Without Jesus Christ, our fallen nature propels us toward a lifetime of disappointing behavior, with eternal damnation as the only justified penalty for our sin. And while believers have the power to live above sin, the reality is we still possess a sinful nature that we will battle until we die.

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The apostle Paul examined himself and declared, “I know that nothing good dwells in me” (Romans 7:18). He then says he has the desire to do what is right but lacks the ability to accomplish it. This is the quandary in the lives of millions of people. This is why it’s possible to believe something and it still doesn’t affect your behavior. You don’t have the ability to do what you believe. The will exists inside of you, but the power does not.

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We don’t have to look far to see examples of people’s lifestyles not matching their beliefs. People know eating poorly will likely result in serious health issues, and yet they still make unhealthy choices. Breaking the speed limit may result in a ticket, and yet people exceed the limit without giving it any thought. We are irrational creatures, servants to our emotions and impulses to a much greater degree than we want to admit. The market is full of self-help books and seminars designed to guide us to a place of discipline and order, and yet people remain in chaos and disorder. These tools have their place in our lives and may sometimes help, but nothing can create true, lasting change like the transforming power of the gospel.

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One of the saddest observations in my ministry has been watching people walk away from God and the church. They know the road they’re traveling will lead to heartache in this life and damnation in eternity, yet they continue to stumble toward destruction, aware of the consequences that await them. Shouldn’t this knowledge change their behavior? Isn’t the idea of spending eternity in a place of torment enough to change their ways? The truth, as I have witnessed in countless lives, is that simply having a belief about something is not enough to produce change. People believe in hell and still rebel against God.

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As a young man, I watched my pastor many times stand in the pulpit and put his fingers on both sides of his head. He would say, “The greatest battle you will ever fight is between these two points,” illustrating the battlefield of the mind is where the war is won or lost. We are our own worst enemy, reverting to self-destructive habits as a coping mechanism to deal with the battles of life. We often do the exact opposite of what is good for us. The person that takes their first hit of crack cocaine does so knowing it is the first step down a slippery slope of destruction and despair, yet they do it anyway. It sounds stupid, ignorant, and foolish, and it is. We are all held captive by the stupidity of sin. Our default position in this world is bondage.

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Pulpits across America are neglecting several doctrines, including the doctrine of sin. The self-destructive cancer of sin embedded deep in our spiritual DNA is destroying countless lives and families. We can’t help ourselves. We are slaves to our own nature. This is the tone of Romans 7, where at the end of the chapter, Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). We must confess like Paul we too are sinful, hopeless people without Jesus Christ.

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A beam of light breaks through the darkness in the opening words of the next chapter as Paul exhorts, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1). This freedom is found only through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection rescue us from the brutal condemnation of Satan and our own conscience. Only through the cross of Christ are we made righteous. We are hopeless without Jesus, but through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross and through the justification we receive by faith in Christ, we can live free from guilt and condemnation as we continue to grow in our faith.

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[1] John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. Robert White, 1541st edition. (Banner of Truth, 2014), 38.

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The Beauty of Holiness

Imagine living in a world without the curse of sin, sickness, and death—a place without hospitals, nursing homes, funeral homes, cemeteries, doctors, or prisons. Seldom do we stop and realize the effect the fall of man has had on our lives and society because we are immersed in a world full of darkness and despair.

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve in his image (Genesis 1:27). They lived in a world free from the curse of sin. While the Bible offers few details about their environment, we can imagine it as a place of beauty and perfection, a place where God gave them dominion over every living thing on the earth (Genesis 1:28). Here, the holiness of God was on display in full glory.

Holiness is the nature of God. It is who and what he is. His holiness is a description of his absolute perfection. When we say he is a holy God, we acknowledge his qualification to be Lord of the universe and the Master of our lives. When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought the curse of sickness and death into the world. The authors of Scripture reference this throughout the Bible. When David wrote he was born in sin (Psalm 51:5), he was writing of the curse of sin that continues today. The apostle Paul writes,

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19–23)

God’s redemptive plan brings his creation back into a right relationship with him. It starts with his redemption of mankind through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It finishes with him presenting the redeemed with a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1). The Bible opens and closes with a universe without sin, saturated in God's holiness.

Even in a world full of sin, God requires holiness of his people. God’s desire for us to be holy is both a calling and a command. There is constant tension in the life of every believer caused by us striving to live a sinless life while living in a body that has a sinful nature. This is the tone of Romans 7, when the apostle Paul cries out,

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:24–25)

Holiness in the Covenants

In the Old Testament, the tone of God’s desire for his people to be holy came in the form of a command.[1] This was achieved through the sacrifice of animals and ceremonial cleansing commanded by the Levitical Law. The standard of holiness in the Old Testament dealt primarily with how the Israelites lived, addressing little regarding the condition of their heart. In the New Testament, the standard evolved not to exclude the outward man, but to include the condition of the heart and mind. Inward transformation was now possible because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. People could be holy for the first time in God’s redemptive plan because they had the Spirit of God living inside them. New Covenant holiness is the result of God’s Spirit transforming us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Holiness moved from ritualistic cleansing to inward purity with the dawn of the New Covenant. The Mosaic Law was fulfilled in Christ and the “record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands” was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). The New Covenant did not abolish the eternal moral law of God, but rather instituted a new expression of his moral law through the law of Christ:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, “You fool!” will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:21–22)

God’s moral law evolved to cover not only the prohibition of outward sinful acts but also the condition of the heart. The call to holiness is now for our thoughts, motives, drives, desires, and deeds to conform with the will and purpose of God. This cannot be achieved through mere discipline alone. We all have a poor track record of doing what we know is right by sheer force of will. To be holy is to be dead to our carnal desires and to be alive in Christ.

[1] Leviticus 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:26.