At our church on Wednesday nights, we are studying through George Guthrie's book Read the Bible for Life. Each week, I'll be posting a summary of one chapter of the book along with a few comments from me.
Read the Bible for Life, Chapter 1
Reading the Bible as a Guide for Life
Interview with David Dockery, President of Union University
Note: February, 2008 an F4 tornado devastated their campus; rebuilt dorms in approximately 6 months; news people from major networks thought they would find people in despair, but rather found people with hope; Dr. Dockery credited this to the students and faculty of Union University’s lives being “oriented” to and “centered” on the bible
Primary passage of scripture: Psalm 25
- Key verses: 25:4-5 - “make me, teach me, lead me”
- Reading the bible as a guide for life is about following a person, the one who is the way, the truth, and the life------Jesus
- Parallel: John 14:6
Chapter Summary
- “To read the bible as a guide for life, we must first embrace the Bible’s view of reality”
- “Reading the Bible as a guide for life is not primarily about methodology but rather an approach to living all of life from the standpoint of a biblical view of the world”
- “They are reference points by which we understand life and the things that go on around us.”
- the gospel
- Cf. “The Chair” by Frank Perretti
- “We learn to interpret the bible, but we also learn to let the bible interpret us in light of what it says is true about the world”
- “The Bible really is at the center, providing an orientation to life, which directs us in all we do and helps us face the challenges of life”
“How can we cultivate a life oriented to the bible?”
- “Develop a habit of reading the bible on a regular basis, reading it with an openness to what God would say to us”
- “reading the bible with a view of studying it more seriously”
- Hebrews 5:11-14, exhortation to all Christians
- article: “Being Discipled” by James Emery White, not a passive lifestyle
“Problems to Avoid”
- Mistakes in interpretation (author’s intended meaning)
- Mistakes in application
- Reading out of context (different kinds of literature in the bible)
- Forgetting the big picture & our part in it
JA Bengel - “Apply yourself wholly to the scriptures, and apply the scriptures wholly to yourself”
Reading the bible as a guide for life is “really a lifestyle, lived in relationship with the Lord by his Spirit, lived out with other people in the community” of believers.
“the bible-oriented building of lives over time, lives oriented to the Bible’s way of seeing and responding to life”
Reflection:
- What is the area in which you need God’s guidance the most right now in life?
- In what difficult situation or important life decision has the bible been helpful to you or someone you know?
- What do you think are the 3 most important truths in a biblical worldview and why would you point to those three?
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