Reflecting on Truth #42
Q: How is the Word of God to be read and heard?
A: With diligence, preparation, and prayer; so that we may accept it with faith, store it in our hearts, and practice it in our lives.
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 complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Why does this matter?
The Scripture tells us that all Scripture, that is, all parts of Scripture, is breathed out by God. If the Scripture comes out of God’s own mouth, this means several things. Our doctrines of inspiration, infallibility, inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of the Scripture all derive from this fact. In this context, it means that the Scripture is divine; the Scripture is the Word of God. As such, the Scripture is spiritual by nature.
Because of its nature, the Scripture must not be approached lightly or, worse, haphazardly. The reason is because, while we have been made a new (spiritual) creation, we are still in the flesh and by and large still interact with the mundane things of the physical world. As such, we need to approach the Scripture with diligence, preparation, and prayer. Prayer is especially important because only the Holy Spirit who dwells in Christians will explain spiritual matters, illumine the minds, and convict the hearts, so that every Christian is equipped for every good work that will glorify God.
What does this mean for us?
In our reading and studying of the Scripture, both in private and in community, we are to approach the Scripture both solemnly and spiritually with diligence, preparation, and prayer. Diligence is required in the sense that it has to be regular. But more than having to be regular, it has to also be frequent just as how we ought to eat and drink frequently. While it is traditionally understood that frequent bible reading belongs to the private realm, there is no reason why we should not do frequent bible reading in and with the community as there is also much benefit. It can start with our own family members, but it can also expand to doing it with fellow church members who live near us as much as it is practicable.
Preparation is especially important when we read and hear the Scripture in the communal realm. Before going for a group bible study, be it in Care Group (CG) or Wednesday Bible Study (WBS) or other avenues, it is only responsible for us to come prepared to contribute as well as to edify the other members of the group bible study. This is also why it is so important for us to read the sermon passage even before coming to the worship service. It will certainly help us to understand the sermon. But more than that, if we rightly understand weekly sermons as part of our church life, it is imperative that we apply the sermon with one another by preparing to read the passage beforehand as well as reading the passage together afterward in order to come up with applications that involve our community.
We trust that, in reading the Scripture with diligence, preparation, and prayer, our reading will become a means of grace that is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training both in our private life as well as in our community. The goal is always for the edification of everyone involved in the reading.
Let’s treat the Word of God for what it really is: The Word of God.