{"id":1307,"date":"2010-12-24T12:49:48","date_gmt":"2010-12-24T12:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/bibleandculture\/2010\/12\/a-normal-christian-life--part-ten.html"},"modified":"2010-12-24T12:49:48","modified_gmt":"2010-12-24T12:49:48","slug":"a-normal-christian-life-part-ten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/2010\/12\/a-normal-christian-life-part-ten.html","title":{"rendered":"A Normal Christian Life—- Part Ten"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Thumbnail<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The devotional use and
\nreading of the Bible has gone on for as long as there has been a Bible, but
\nwhen John Wesley refers to ‘searching the Scriptures’ he in fact is not
\nreferring to a particular kind of use of the Bible or a particular sort of way
\nof reading it for spiritual benefit, as is the discussion in much modern
\nspiritual formation literature.  <\/span>What Wesley means is that the Bible
\nitself,  <\/span>however you may read it,  <\/span>is a book inspired by God, a spiritual book
\nif you will, and as such it has spiritual effects on those who read it with
\neyes wide open and heart’s door cracked, and the Spirit resident inside the
\nbeliever.<\/i>  <\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The
\nBible is both inspired and inspiring, it is not merely a human record of God’s
\nWord, it is the living Word of God which transforms human beings, and
\ncontinually spiritually forms those who are open to its effect.   <\/span>Like those two disciples at the inn at Emmaus
\nwho felt their hearts burn when Jesus spoke to them and broke bread with them, so
\ntoo the Bible is the living Word of God, the bread of life which if consumed
\nprovides not merely nourishment but indeed soul formation and enlightenment.   <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This
\nconviction about the character of the Bible was of course profoundly important
\nto Wesley.   <\/span>In his Introduction to his
\nStandard Sermons he says this: <\/span><\/p>\n

To candid, reasonable men, I am not
\nafraid to lay open what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have
\nthought, I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the
\nair. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: just hovering over the
\ngreat gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an
\nunchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing the way to heaven; how to land
\nsafe on that happy shore. God Himself has condescended to teach the way; for
\nthis very end He came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me
\nthat book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge
\nenough for me. Let me be “homo unius libri.” <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Here then I am, far from the busy
\nways of men. I sit down alone: only God is here. In His presence I open, I read
\nHis book; for this end, to find the way to heaven. Is there a doubt concerning
\nthe meaning of what I read? Does anything appear dark or intricate? I lift up
\nmy heart to the Father of Lights: “Lord, is it not Thy word, ‘If any man
\nlack wisdom, let him ask of God’? Thou ‘givest liberally, and upbraidest not.’
\nThou hast said, ‘If any be willing to do Thy will, he shall know.’ I am willing
\nto do, let me know, Thy will. ‘ I then search after and consider parallel passages
\nof Scripture, “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” I meditate
\nthereon with all the attention and earnestness of which my mind is capable. If
\nany doubt still remains, I consult those who are experienced in the things of
\nGod; and then the writings whereby, being dead, they yet speak. And what I thus
\nlearn, that I teach.<\/p>\n

Concerning the Scriptures in general, it may be observed, the word of the
\nliving God, which directed the first patriarchs also, was, in the time of
\nMoses, committed to writing. To this were added, in several succeeding
\ngenerations, the inspired writings of the other prophets. Afterward, what the
\nSon of God preached, and the Holy Ghost spake by the apostles, the apostles and
\nevangelists wrote. This is what we now style the “Holy Scripture:”
\nthis is that “word of God which remaineth for ever:” of which, though
\n“heaven and earth pass away, one jot or tittle shall not pass away.”
\nThe Scripture therefore of the “Old and New Testament,” is a most solid
\nand precious system of divine truth. Every part thereof is worthy of God; and
\nall together are one entire body, wherein is no defect, no excess. It is the
\nfountain of heavenly wisdom, which they who are able to taste, prefer to all
\nwritings of men, however wise, or learned, or holy.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

In
\nhis advice on how to read the Bible Wesley in his Preface to his Notes on the
\nOld Testament stresses:<\/span><\/p>\n

If you desire to read the scripture
\nin such a manner as may most effectually answer this end, would it not be
\nadvisable, <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

1.<\/span><\/b> To set apart a little time, if you
\ncan, every morning and evening for that purpose?
\n2.<\/span> At each time if you have
\nleisure, to read a chapter out of the Old, and one out of the New Testament: if
\nyou cannot do this, to take a single chapter, or a part of one?
\n3.<\/span> To read this with a single
\neye, to know the whole will of God, and a fixt resolution to do it? In order to
\nknow his will, you should,
\n4.<\/span> Have a constant eye to the
\nanalogy of faith; the connexion and harmony there is between those grand,
\nfundamental doctrines, Original Sin, Justification by Faith, the New Birth,
\nInward and Outward Holiness.
\n5.<\/span> Serious and earnest prayer
\nshould be constantly used, before we consult the oracles of God, seeing
\n“scripture can only be understood thro’ the same Spirit whereby it was
\ngiven.” Our reading should likewise be closed with prayer, that what we
\nread may be written on our hearts.
\n6.<\/span> It might also be of use, if
\nwhile we read, we were frequently to pause, and examine ourselves by what we
\nread, both with regard to our hearts, and lives. This would furnish us with
\nmatter of praise, where we found God had enabled us to conform to his blessed
\nwill, and matter of humiliation and prayer, where we were conscious of having
\nfallen short. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

And whatever light you then
\nreceive, should be used to the uttermost, and that immediately. Let there be no
\ndelay. Whatever you resolve, begin to execute the first moment you can. So
\nshall you find this word to be indeed the power of God unto present and eternal
\nsalvation. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

And
\nin his Preface to his Notes on the New Testament, Wesley adds: <\/span><\/p>\n

I advise every one, before he reads
\nthe Scripture, to use this or the like prayer: “Blessed Lord, who hast
\ncaused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may in
\nsuch wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by
\npatience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the
\nblessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus
\nChrist.” <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/span><\/b>What we should deduce
\nfrom all this is not merely that Wesley was in favor of devotional reading of
\nthe Bible, or that Wesley believed the Bible was true, or that Wesley saw such
\nreading as important for spiritual formation. 
\n<\/span> <\/span>No, he saw the reading and study of the Scriptures as essential if you
\nwanted to be a Christian at all because the Bible, coupled with the internal
\nillumination of the Spirit is what spiritually forms us and transforms us.  <\/span>It does not merely inform us. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

What
\ndid Wesley mean then about ‘searching the Scriptures’ as a means of grace?  <\/span>Here several things come to light not only
\nfrom the quotes above, but also from his sermon on ‘The Means of Grace’.   <\/span>Firstly, searching the Scriptures means a
\nwhole-hearted studying of God’s Word, giving it one’s full attention.   <\/span>There is nothing casual about searching the
\nScriptures.  <\/span>It is planned, intentional,
\nand often undertaken at certain times of the day, decided in advance. <\/span><\/p>\n

Secondly,
\nby searching the Scriptures, Wesley is of course not talking about what we mean
\nby ‘doing a Google search’.  <\/span>There is
\nnothing random about what Wesley refers to. 
\n<\/span>He is talking about deliberately and carefully comparing one Scripture
\nwith another, especially in regard to what the Bible says about soteriology,
\nthe doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thirdly,
\nWesley is talking about truth-seeking, not merely reference seeking, or mere
\nresearch.  <\/span>The Scriptures he cites is the
\nstory of the Bereans searching the OT to see if what Paul was preaching was
\ntrue (Acts 17.11–“they examined the Scriptures every day to see whether these
\nthings [Paul had preached] were true”). 
\n<\/span>This text is not merely about Christians reading the Bible, but in this
\ncase non-Christians reading it, and they are not reading it in the first
\ninstance for their spiritual improvement, they are reading it to see if Paul’s
\ninterpretation of the Bible was true!   
\n<\/span>And this brings up an important point. 
\n<\/span>Wesley did not distinguish between the honest open reading of the Bible
\nby non-Christians, and the same sort of reading of the Bible by
\nChristians.  <\/span>Why not?  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Two
\nreasons.  <\/span>First Wesley believed in
\npre-venient grace, namely that the Spirit worked on non-Christians to help them
\nsee the truth of God’s Word, and secondly he believed in the inherently
\ninspired Word of God character of the Bible— it could change a heart of stone
\ninto a heart for the Lord if received.   <\/span>He would not distinguish between a
\ntruth-seeking way of reading the Bible, and how a Christian reads it for his
\ncontinued edification.<\/i>   <\/span>The issue
\nwas the work of the Spirit and the character of the Bible, not primarily a
\nparticular way of reading th<\/i>e Bible
\nspiritually.  <\/span>In short, the Bible was
\ninherently a spiritual book.  <\/span>Searching
\nthe Scriptures then was for everyone, whether a Christian or not, because in
\nWesley’s view, everyone needed to be saved, everyone could be saved, and
\nScripture was the tool for or roadmap to salvation, indeed the roadmap to
\nheaven.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Modern
\ndistinctions between an ‘academic’ study of the Bible and a ‘devotional’ one,
\nare not really applicable because on the one hand Wesley thought that the most
\nspiritual benefit could be had from reading the Bible in its original
\nlanguages!   <\/span>He thought that a person
\nshould apply her whole self, and commit herself to lifelong study of the Bible,
\nwhether or not she was a scholar. Wesley encouraged even lay people who were
\ncapable, to read the Bible in Hebrew and Greek. 
\n<\/span>This is because he believed that the Bible itself is inherently inspired,
\nand a translation of the Bible, however good, is one step removed from the
\nsource.  <\/span>The more spiritual benefit you
\nwant to get out of the original Word of God, the better you ought to know its
\noriginal voice in the original languages.  <\/span>This is not because he thought an English
\ntranslation was inadequate for salvation or Christian growth.  <\/span>It is a matter of good and better.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My
\npoint is that ‘spiritually better’ is defined by Wesley as what we today might
\ncalled the highly academic learning of Greek and Hebrew in order to read the
\nreal Bible, not merely a translation of it.  
\n<\/span>Of course Wesley would however distinguish between merely reading the
\nBible for information, and reading it as a truth seeker, with eyes and heart
\nopen.  <\/span>It is the latter sort of reading
\nhe is commending whether by Christians or others.   <\/span>At this juncture it would be good if we went
\nto the Bible itself, in this case the NT and see what we can learn about how
\nthe Biblical writers viewed both the oral word of God, and the written text of
\nScriptures.  <\/span>There are some surprises
\nthat come to light when we do this sort of study. <\/span><\/p>\n

What I have done in these ten posts is given you a little taste of my forthcoming book.  I have concentrated on the portions of the book that focus on Wesley  since most of you will be more familiar with the NT than with Wesley, but there is just as much discussion of key NT texts.  I am completely convinced that if one does a good study of the NT and Wesley you come up with a helpful model of spiritual formation for the normal Christian life which encourages them to focus on the collective context for spiritual formation— the sort of worship, communion, searching the Scriptures, and prayer that happens when Christians come together to glorify God and edify one another.  After all, we have a promise of the Lord that wherever 2 or more are gathered there He is in our midst.  And if he is in our midst, we are being spiritually formed, whether we realize it or not.  It happens when we focus on Him, not on ourselves.     ‘How silently how silently the precious gift is given. And God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.’     Merry Christmas to all ya’ll!!   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. Witherington has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell. A popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings not only in the United States but also in England, Estonia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia. He has also led tours to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Witherington has written over thirty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications, and is a frequent contributor to the Beliefnet website. Along with many interviews on radio networks across the country, Witherington has been seen on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and the PAX Network.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/author\/bwitherington"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/bibleandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}