How to Read the Bible

Blog »  How to Read the Bible
Tuesday, September 3, 2013   Jeff Lampl

 

 

        “the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah,
        and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights”   Jonah 1:17 (NIV)

 

 

“Did this really happen?”  In my experience this is the most frequently asked question when reading Jonah.   “In a fish for three days, praying a beautiful prayer while in there and surviving?”   I have read all kinds of responses to this.   Some say, “never happened, it’s a made up story”.   Others say, “Why not, God can do anything”.  Others point to examples of this having actually happened in modern times (although internet fact checkers say these stories never happened).    Furthermore, the issue takes on greater importance because Jesus referred to this passage as the sign by which people would discover that he is Lord  (Matt 16:4).   The question gets further confused when some people insist that every aspect of the Bible must be accurate as in eyewitness news fact reporting and others insist that there is much in the Bible that must be read metaphorically.   And that’s only the tip of the iceberg!

 

Here’s what I have discovered and concluded.   Some Bible believing scholars believe that the book of Jonah details an event that happened in history.  Period.  Other Bible believing scholars (who also refer to the Bible as inerrant, inspired and  infallible) believe that Jonah is more like one of Jesus’ parables, a story written to show us what God is like over and against what many of us are like.

 

So who’s right?   Both sets of scholars are rigorous, godly, devout scholars.   What I do with this is to open my mind to consider that either side could be correct.   Of course God can do out of the ordinary things.   And of course God can use lots of stories, metaphors, word pictures to get his point across.   Jesus did both and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to think that Jesus was referring to a non historical but full of truth story of Jonah.  

 

Here’s one fundamental rule of how to read the Bible.   Readings from the Bible mean at least what the inspired author of the passage intended it to mean.  If the author of Jonah was Jonah and he intended it recount actual historical events, then that’s exactly how to read Jonah.   If the author was someone who intended the story to be read as something like a parable then that’s exactly how it should be read.   In neither case is one reading more “true” than the other.   Either reading is God’s truth.  

 

To be perfectly honest, I do not feel an allegiance to one position or the other.   I do not find compelling the argument of those who say Jesus would never have used a parable to authenticate his deity via the resurrection, nor do I believe that we have to remove the miracles from the Old Testament.   It all depends on who’s writing what and for what purpose.

 

Therefore it’s always good to read the Bible using a Bible with notes, and to read your Bible with a good commentary to help you understand the context of what you are reading, who the author was, what he’s addressing.

 

Above all, do read your Bible!   Of all practices that a Christian can engage in, studies have shown that Bible reading is the most catalytic.

 

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Either/Or

Blog »  Either/Or|

Friday, August 30, 2013 Nick Cirino

For Paul there is no in between. It’s either/or.  

I count 5 times in the book of Ephesians where Paul reminds us of who we were and who we are. The contrast is stunning. Read through Ephesians quickly and note every time Paul makes this contrast.  

The change that happened inside of us was no superficial, throw-a-band-aid-on-it type of change. It was as contrary to nature as the dead coming to life. We were not sick, we were dead (Eph. 2:1). We were not dim, we were darkness (v. 8)—darkened in our understanding, with calloused hearts, and ruled by deceitful lusts (4:17-22). Most chilling of all, we were not just distant from God, we were without God and without hope in the world (2:12). Paul is far from flattering us.  

Why does Paul harp on this issue?  

Maybe—and I don’t claim to know the thoughts of Paul—he wanted to make sure we diagnose our problem properly. If we think we are sick, we think we need some touch-ups. If we are dead, we need nothing short of resurrection.  

What hope does a person like Paul describe have? Certainly not salvation by self-effort. The only hope for a person like that—like me—is the death and resurrection of Christ.  

And it’s either/or. Either I am trusting in Christ or I’m trusting in something else. Either I’m dead or alive. Either I’m light or darkness.  

Christian, no matter how much we struggle to put off the old man and put on the new (Eph 4:22-24), we are light in the Lord. So walk as a child of the light. Don’t get discouraged by sin in your life. You are not an in-between Christian, some sort of half-breed hybrid of Christ and the world. If you are in Christ, you are his alone and he will keep you till the end.

 

Photo from: flickr.com/photos/richiepreiss/4290794529/

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Wisdom

Blog »  Wisdom|

Thursday, August 29, 2013 Nick Cirino

I have to cut a lot by Thursday. That’s usually the day of the week that I realize that there is way more in the passage I’m writing a sermon on than one sermon can handle. It’s always a little sad to cut out so much that is so important! It reminds me of how deep God’s word is.  

Here’s a section fresh off the chopping block:  

Let’s take this section one verse at a time. First, let’s look at Ephesians 5:15. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise.” When we think of wisdom we thinking of aptly applied knowledge. Someone who is wise understands how people and situations work and is able to discern what the best course of action is in a given situation. I’m going to argue that wisdom in the Bible isn’t less than this, but it is so much more.  

Wisdom has to do first and foremost with God. Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom is recognizing that God exists, the he rules the universe. True wisdom starts there. True wisdom is knowing how to live in God’s world.  

Foolishness, or being unwise then is also fundamentally a God-ward category. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” That means that no matter how much you know, and how good you are at discerning how life works—if you don’t start with the recognition that God is the one running everything, you are ultimately a fool. You won’t figure out life because the point of life is to live for God.

So when Paul says here, “walk as a wise man”—he is thinking about living life in light of God existence and everything that entails.

 

Photo from: flickr.com/photos/spavaai/3191732307/in/photostream/

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You Can't Be Someone Else

Blog »  You Can’t be Someone Else

Wednesday, August 28, 2013   Jeff Lampl

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" Ephesians 4:1 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is under house arrest in Rome.   Rather than bemoaning his fate, rather than complaining to God, “Lord, I’ve been faithful, I’ve served you for thirty years, I’ve suffered for you, and where are you now?”, Paul has instead spent three chapters fully of gratitude and praise for the life God has given him to live.   Paul was on the fast track to the equivalent of becoming partner in the most prestigious law firm with a shot at being on the supreme court.   Instead he’s in prison awaiting probable death.    

He then urges his readers to “life a life worthy of the calling you have received”  

You are not the apostle Paul.    His calling was his calling.   Your calling is your calling.   You can only become the best you can become.   You can’t succeed at serving God, praying, reading scripture, by trying to those things in the same way as others.   You must find your own way.  

BUT you do have a calling.   God has given you a purpose to live for his sake and that purpose encompasses every aspect of your life.   And when you accept that calling, take it seriously, realize that the whole of your life is to be lived for God and for others, then you will experience suffering.    

Suffering is a small price to pay for the fullness of life that is offered to those who willing enter into God’s high calling for their lives. 

 

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Half

Blog » Half|

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 Nick Cirino

             "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the
            calling to which you have been called,"         (Eph 4:1 ESV)  

If “calling” refers to my call to be a Christian (see last blog), what does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of that call?  

It means living a life that lines up with what God has done in me.  

I was once dead in my sins. Not dying. Dead. But God made me alive together with Christ. I have been made alive! (Eph. 2:1-9). What should that mean for my life that I now walk in new life? The answer comes in chapter 4-6. 

I was once separated from God and alienated from God’s people and without hope in the world (Eph 2:11). But now, by the blood of Christ, I have been brought near! (Eph 2:13). How should that effect my everyday life? Why does that matter to me? Chapters 4-6 bring that out.  

God has made those who weren’t his people—the Gentiles—to be fellow heirs with the people of God. We partake in Jesus, the savior promised to the Jews, through the gospel (Eph 3:4-6). How should I live my life now that I belong to God? Paul explains that in chapters 4-6, especially 4:17-24.  

This is critical to see: everything that Paul commands us to do in Ephesians 4-6 is based on what God has already done in chapters 1-3. It isn’t the way we earn a spot in God’s kingdom; it is how we should act because we are already in God’s kingdom. We can live a life glorifying to God because God works in our hearts and gives us the strength to do so. We live because we were made alive with Christ. It is based on grace.  

Does this give you hope? I hope it does!

Photo from: flickr.com/photos/55935853@N00/

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Half

Blog » Half|

Monday, August 26, 2013 Nick Cirino

Ephesians can be divided roughly in half. It may be overly simplistic, but we could call chapters 1-3 “theology” and chapters 4-6 “application.” The reality is though, all of Paul’s “theology” is application, and all of his “application” is theology. Maybe it would be better to call Eph. 1-3 theology seen and Eph. 4-6 theology lived out.  

In between these two halves of the letter comes one very important verse that ties the whole book together: Eph. 4:1, it says, 

        "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling
         to which you have been called, (Eph. 4:1 ESV)  

The phrase “calling with which you have been called” harkens back to everything Paul has said in chapters 1-3. This verse is often misunderstood. Calling in this verse doesn’t refer to vocation. Paul is not saying, walk worthy of your calling to be a businessman, or a pastor, or a mom, or a small group leader, or whatever.  

Instead he means God called us from death to life (Eph. 2:1-10), from being outsiders to being insiders (Eph. 2:11-21). It is the intention he had to bring us to himself through the death of Christ (Eph. 1:3-8). It is the call to believe in Jesus Christ and be a Christian.  

Where am I getting this idea? From looking at how Paul uses the word calling in other places. Here is one example:

        ·          (1Cor. 7:20-21 ESV) Each one should remain in the condition in which he was
                   called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it.
                    (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.)

Paul here is talking about conversion, not vocation. He is talking about when God called me out and I believed in Jesus.  

We’ll talk about why this matters in the next blog.  

Other uses of “calling” in the New Testament: Rom. 11:29, 1 Co. 1:26, 1 Co. 7:20, Eph. 1:18, Eph. 4:4, Phil. 3:14, 2 Thess. 1:11, 2 Tim. 1:9, Heb. 3:1, 2 Pet. 1:10  

Photo from: flickr.com/photos/55935853@N00/

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How to Pray

Blog »  How to Pray  

Friday, August 23, 2013    Jeff Lampl

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

“in the spirit” . . . .  When a believer prays,  the spirit within connects with the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:9-16).   Even when you don’t know what to say or you think your prayers and powerless or even stupid, they are not (Romans 8:9, 26-27).   The point is this:  believe.  Believe that God is at work, that God listens, that God acts and that for some reason and in some way God has chosen to act in relation to the prayers of believers.   Pay attention to your thoughts and actions after praying.   It is often true that prayers  for whatever are answered through God’s directing you to be the answer in some way.  

“on all occasions”. . . .   Pray in the morning, throughout the day, and before bed.  Be attentive,, “be alert” to God constantly.   Listening is actually more important than talking.  

“all kinds of prayers”  I’m not sure that there is anything too minor to pray about.  

“for all the saints”  This means for other believers.   We must of course pray for non-believers, but Jesus and the New Testament as a whole put a premium on the love believers have for one another.

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