THE B-I-B-L-E, YES THAT’S THE BOOK FOR ME
An old Sunday school song said “the B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E! BIBLE!” Children from an early age are taught to treat the Bible with respect, to cherish the Bible as a great gift to mankind and to learn the wonderful stories in those precious pages for wisdom to live by.
King David went so far as to say “Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) The great king was expressing what believers have discovered throughout the centuries that the scriptures were central to really knowing and following God and His Way. But there are so many “versions” of God’s Word, and there are so many “interpretations” and “interpreters!”
How are we to understand the Bible as it was meant to be understood?
There is a story in the New Testament book of Acts that really illustrates our dilemma. There was an Ethiopian riding along in his chariot just outside of Jerusalem. While he was riding, he was reading aloud a portion of the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. St. Philip the Deacon came upon this scene and asked the man “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian answered “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:26-40)
We live in a country where it seems everyone has an opinion about what the Bible means and how it should be understood. The ever multiplying groups and denominations appearing in this country are testament to the various ways we humans interpret scripture, but are we really left to our own devises when it comes to the wisdom of the Bible and the light it can shed on our spiritual journey?
No, not at all. In fact, it is a relatively recent notion that everybody gets to interpret the Bible “in their own way.” I would argue that this notion does more harm than good to the spiritual maturity of those who claim to love God. And don’t we see the poverty of soul created by this cacophony of voices all calling us to this or that particular and novel understanding of the Bible?
What is the remedy? How can we confidently read the scriptures and who will guide us? Some would say the Holy Spirit will guide each believer, but we’ve already been witness to the slippery slope of heresy that kind of thinking creates.
Here are four ways Orthodox Bishop KALLISTOS Ware suggests we read the Bible:
First, Reading scripture is Obedient. Believers committed to the historical and timeless Christian faith read the Bible and obey it. The scriptures are inspired (literally “God breathed”) and are meant to be read by us and to change our behavior. The scriptures wash over us the wisdom of God Himself to transform and challenge our daily lives. The Bible wasn’t preserved juts to satisfy our curiosity about religious ideas. It was written and preserved by the Church to change us. Any other application of Holy scripture misses the point.
Second, Reading scripture is Ecclesial. That is a fancy word for “church.” We understand scripture in the midst of the Church, the timeless Body of Jesus. It was the Church that wrote the Bible. It was the Church that discerned the contents of the Bible, and it has been the Church that has preserved the Bible. It seems to follow that the Church has understood the Bible and it would be a foolish person indeed that dismissed or remained ignorant of this vital reservoir of wisdom. It is only in the safety of the Church that we protect ourselves from the tendency we all have to see things only from our perspective.
Third, Reading scripture is Christ-Centered. St. John began his Gospel with these words “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) The central Christian truth is that the Person of Jesus is where we see the scriptures fully fulfilled and lived. We Christians are not simply “People of the Book” as if God can be reduced to the printed page. No, we are People of the Son. Jesus Christ and His life provide us with the fullness of understanding of the Bible. We understand all wisdom and direction from scripture in light of the Person of the Son, the Word made flesh for us.
Finally, Reading scripture is Personal. St. Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-83) wrote “Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ Himself is speaking to you. And while you read, you are praying and talking to Him.” When we read scripture or hear scripture read to us in worship, we must ask “What is this saying to me?” We never apply what we hear or read to our neighbor, but always to ourselves. This way of understanding scripture protects us from pride and from missing a vast well of wisdom directed right to the heart of our daily living.
This week, Emmy and I will visit with Fr. Thomas Hopko. Fr. Hopko is a favorite guest on CRTL and this week he guides us in how we can use scripture reading every day to help us use “the Sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) wisely as we struggle to become by grace the Children of God. We always look forward to Fr. Hopko’s visits and we are thrilled to announce Fr. Hopko has agreed to become a regular contributor to CRTL.
One final word, our Share The Light Sunday packets have arrived in most of your parishes by now. Please ask your parish priest if he’s received his materials. Ask him to use them to focus your parish on the vision of creating a national media ministry tool for all our churches. The date to remember is Sunday January 15th , our second national Share The Light Sunday.This is such an important event. If you need more information, or if your parish hasn’t received its packet, call us toll free at 877-273-2348.
Until next week,
Yours for the spread of Orthodoxy,
Fr. Chris Metropulos
P.S. Visit our web site at http://www.receive.org and click on the Patriarchal Visit link on our front page to watch the special Epiphany celebration from Tarpon Springs, Florida. Myself, along with John Metaxas of CNN, are co-anchoring this special visit to America by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW