Bible, as we see it today came into existence after the invention of printing press. I checked Wikipedia and the first printing press was assembled by Gutenberg around 1440, which means the book form of the Bible (as we see it today) wasn't widely available for nearly 1500 years since the time of Jesus.
How did people live during that time? They didn't have the 'Message' version and no one 'amplified' it for them. Could it be that they lived from the LIFE of Christ in them? Could it be that they depended on the revelations God gave them through various means?
It's also interesting to see that Jesus or any Apostles never ever put a 'should' on people to 'spend time on the word' every day. None of the first century churches boasted about 'being committed to the Word'.
In the Bible itself, (John chapter 5), this words of Jesus are recorded: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. "
Pharisees of Jesus's time were 'committed to the Word', but they missed the whole point. There is no LIFE found in Scriptures. Scriptures only point to the one who has LIFE.
And we are to eat from the tree of LIFE, not from the other tree.
6 comments:
Thanks- I used your list of promise verses in a talk today. Thank you!
Bino,
While it's true that the Scriptures point us to Jesus Himself, they also are the very words of the One we love.
Worship of the Bible or "commitment", as you put it, can obscure the Lord, and end up in mere "study" or academics.
Yet in our communion and fellowship with the Lord, don't we want to hear from Him, even as we talk to Him?
And as we read and meditate on the written Word, we do hear from Him.
To try to sustain a close communion with Him without the written Word, in this Age, is to miss a lot.
You're "on to" something valuable with your comments, but I believe you go too far, brother.
True, the Church didn't have the Bible for hundreds of years, but those are known as the Dark Ages.
When the Word came again to the people in their own language, the Dark Ages lifted and despite all it's problems, the Church was able to break out of the darkness of the priest-led Roman ritualism.
Great post, Bino!
While I believe that some people do relate to God through the Bible, many people do not. We all have our own unique relationship with God and for some, it is based on the Bible but, for others it isn’t. I don’t think there’s a one size fits all way that God speaks to us and I think it’s wonderful when people find the unique way that God is speaking to them.
Jesus said that the scriptures, which is the Old Testament, led to him but once you find him, why continue to go to them looking for him? He now lives in us so now I can look into my heart in order to have relationship with him. The Bible may add to that but for me, it’s no longer where I go in order to have fellowship with him.
2 Timothy 3:14-4:4
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
In the Scriptures, by the power of the Holy Ghost, He makes Himself known unto our souls. . . . [Therefore] The very earliest portion of the day we can command should be devoted to the meditation on Scriptures. Our souls should feed upon the Word. . . . This intimate experimental acquaintance with Him will make us truly happy. Nothing else will. . . . In God our Father, and the blessed Jesus, our souls have a rich, divine, imperishable, eternal treasure. Let us enter into practical possession of these true riches; yea, let the remaining days of our earthily pilgrimage be spent in an ever increasing, devoted, earnest consecration of our souls to God. (George Mueller, A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings with George Mueller, Written by Himself [Muskegon, Mich.: Dust and Ashes Publications, 2003], pp. 730-732)
Thanks for this, Bino, I liked this a lot. I don't think anyone should condemn themselves for not reading the Bible as much as the next person, because we have the Living Word in us as our very Life.
It reminds me of something I read somewhere about Richard Wurmbrand was a man imprisoned and tortured for his faith for many years. Someone asked him what scriptures helped him while in prison. He said "I didn't remember ANY scriptures, but I did remember who Jesus was." When the rubber meets the road, He's all we need every time.
I found your blog through another blog.
I was just talking about this. We refer to the scriptures as the WORD... yet Jesus is the WORD... Man religion has done an number on so many of us.
I too am breaking out of religion into relationship. I write about it on my blog. I'd love to have you stop by for a visit. I love meeting new people.
It's great to meet you!
Julie
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