Bible study has been reduced to chopping the Bible up into
little pieces to serve a particular topic of interest to the Bible study leader
or the ones responsible for his “teaching manual.” This is the method used by
every heretical cult that has ever been and is fraught with danger.
A case in point is the way the book of Proverbs is used to
address certain topics, for instance, “Watching your words.”
Being careful about what you say is important. Words can
hurt. Words can heal. Words can be neutral. But using some “proverbs” about
words from one section of Proverbs and some from another completely misses the
point of the book. Proverbs, in the Bible, is about growth. As we grow in Wisdom
(Christ), we will understand how to use words better. That’s why the subject of
how we use words is progressive in the book of Proverbs. Each time it is
brought up, a little more of the subject is revealed and a proper response
expanded.
Each section of Proverbs deals with the same group of
topics, each time a little more in depth and a little more detailed. The topics
are: Wisdom, the fear of the Lord, the company we keep, the value of money and
things, and the results of choosing wrongly. Wisdom is a type of Christ in
Proverbs and the point is that as we know Christ better we will exhibit more
and more of His characteristics.
Sermons have been reduced to modified legalism. Most
evangelical pastors would deny that they are legalistic, but then go right on preaching
about lists of things that are right and things that are wrong. That IS
legalism. And it is NOT what the Bible is about, no matter how many passages or
verses are quoted.
The Bible is about the gospel of Christ. That’s its message
from cover to cover. The gospel is the Good News that Christ has paid the
penalty for sin and that if we repent and turn to Him in faith, trusting in,
and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary, we will spend
eternity with Him in Heaven.
Whether we are preaching from Exodus, Leviticus, Malachi the
Gospels, or wherever, the message is the same: God is of the highest character;
He loves His creation and has a wonderful plan for its redemption.
The Bible is not about how we behave (although if you need a
behavioral guide, it is the best there is). It is not a history book (although
if you need to know the history of Israel or of God’s movement in history, it
is the best history there is). The Bible is not a psychology book (although it
contains the best psychology that ever has been, is now or ever will be). Nor
is the Bible a philosophy book (although it contains the only relevant
philosophy in the universe).
The Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for
His creation and His plan for its redemption.
Every Bible study leader should look for those three things.
If he cannot find them in what he is preparing to teach, he should go back and
study some more or he will be teaching the wrong thing.
Every preacher should look for those three things. If he
cannot find them in what he is preparing to preach, he should go back and study
some more or he will be preaching heresy.
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