By: Gen. Jim – POW — 12/19/19
“Jesus said…‘I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life…” – Jn. 14:6. Jesus was/is the WORD (see Jn. 1:14,17. He also said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – Jn. 8:32. Jesus was referring to being free of/from sin, as Rom. 8:14,18,22 explains.
Why has the modern church gotten off the WAY, i.e. path of righteousness, and gone on the path to mere Bible theology?
I’m not debasing Bible study, I love to study, but if we neglect being free from sin or sins, we miss the concept and purpose of Christ’s sacrifice. Theology’s subtle stumbling block is dangerous. One may memorize the whole N.T. yet fail to keep himself/herself free of sin – I mean habitual sinning. Jesus was the only human free of original sin.
There are whole Bible colleges etc. that pride themselves on degrees, yet fail to incorporate the practicing of Biblical Christianity, hence, Churchianity.
When Jesus said those things quoted above, He did not have in mind any Bible college or denominational church etc. He said, “I AM THE TRUTH!” This was before there were any Bibles. He wants us to know Him. And He also mentioned – which I’ve already written about – He was going to send the Holy Ghost or Spirit, which is also called “the Spirit of Truth” in Jn. 14:17. First John 4:6 says “… by this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” It is the Holy Spirit that is our teacher. This is not to say that Bible study is not needed; the Holy Spirit will quicken Scripture to us.
But what of all those believers throughout history who never had a Bible, did they know the truth? If they know Him, yes.
It is not possible to teach/preach the Christian faith seriously, professionally, or responsibly without attempting to clarify WHAT Christianity is. And if we teach from the Bible, we must always employ exegesis, i.e. determining the original meaning of Scripture, not what is means to us today, in our culture/language, but to the people whom the Word was being delivered. Too much cursory reading is done today and not enough Holy Spirit leading.
There are commentaries and Heb./Gk. et al dictionaries that can be consulted for word clarification – what words mean/meant in ancient days, not now. This of course will take us into Theology-land, which does have its place. But we must combine Word study with seeking God.
I’ve always been tenacious in my searching to know God, i.e. Triadic/Trinity. We need to know God and if possible, know Them.
It has been said that we as students encounter the capacious world of Christian theology (CT), and as they become familiar with its shape and contours, they easily conflate cognitive agreement with Christian faith. I’ve met so many over the years who are well versed in the Bible BUT had never invited Christ into their hearts (see Eph. 3:17). I met a Bible prof. that said he never was saved!!! Wow!
In the world of “religion,” one can be confused believing in God with believing things about God. We’ll never really know how many are merely “religious” as opposed to those that are “saved.”
In today’s Churchianity, esp. the Emergent Church, one only has to think “positive” and never worry about whether they are saved from hell! The Bible is clear: Christ wants disciples/saints/soldiers, not admirers. While the scholarly world of theology has its place, it can never take the place of knowing the author of New Testament Biblical Christianity.
With the making of the Bible, we now need to know Christian doctrine as well as the author, Jesus Christ the Lord. But, as you know, too many church organizations/denominations use doctrine to formulate their particular belief systems, hence sects. Misuse/abuse of doctrine to support one’s intellectualized belief is dangerous if it evades the demands of true, genuine Biblical discipleship/soldiership. Mere academic learning is not what the Bible teaches. Even under Old Testament Judaism, going into New Testament times, the first century Jews had 613 regulations in the Law, 248 commands, and 365 prohibitions; from the foundational to the peripheral. So, Bible/scroll learning was/is part of knowing God, things about God and history etc.
Too many theology teachers or just plain pastors are more bent on helping students understand theology etc., etc. than helping them find Jesus and helping them to see the meaning of life as a believer. There are Christian colleges/universities that are so backslid that one would never know that God, the Son, or the Holy Spirit even exist today. Having Christ & Holy Spirit in our lives is transformative. After all, our quest should be to know Him/Them and be like Him/Them. If you are fraught with ambivalence, pray that your faith will become “living.”