Christian Gems – Past & Present: Why I Preach the Bible by Will Thomas Occasionally a visitor to our church will query me about my sermon, “Do you always spend so much time on the Bible?” Apparently, not all churches make the Bible front and center. For me, the best response is to model what I believe—to let the Bible answer the question. The New Testament book of 2 Timothy does just that. In this short letter, Paul seeks to stiffen the resolve of his protégé Timothy. He does so by making the case for keeping the main thing the main thing. In the process he answers why it is so important that a preacher should place so much emphasis on the Bible. First, I preach the Bible because what we believe matters. It matters because the Christian faith consists of specific truths and specific events. The Christian Gospel is not about feelings or fantasies or wishing thinking; it is about facts! It is not about religious rituals, ceremonies, and traditions that somehow contain magic in themselves. The heart of the faith is not about what you think or I think, about what you or I do, but what Jesus said and did. This is really the theme of the apostle’s letter: “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (1:13-14). In the next chapter, Paul outlines this “good deposit.” “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel” (2:8). In our day, we easily talk as if believing requires no object. Some suggest, “It makes no difference what you believe, just as long as you believe.” Really? I can believe that the bottle in my medicine cabinet contains a prescription from my doctor. I can believe that sincerely. However, if that bottle contains someone else’s prescription that would be quite harmful to me, will my belief change the reality? Of course not! The power of faith lies not in the fervency of the believer, but in the reality of the object. Faith in an untrue object is mere superstition. If I believe a lie, my belief does not make it truth. Powerful faith and truth must go hand in hand. Secondly, I preach the Bible so much because not everyone teaches or preaches the same thing. 2 Timothy 4:3 warns, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” I spend so much time on the Bible because I want everyone to be able to resist the many half-truths and deceptions that abound. It matters because without that firm foundation anyone can be tossed around like a leaf blowing in the wind. It is a windy world out there! How does one discern the good from the bad, the true from the false? By firmly anchoring his or her life and faith in the Word of God! It will not come from following the latest public opinion poll or waiting for the latest pronouncement from a religious leader. Discernment comes from Scripture. I preach and teach the Bible because I want the people to be anchored in the truth. Thirdly, I preach the Bible because the Bible alone can produce the spiritual vitality and strength that people need and deserve. Paul encourages young Timothy in chapter 3 saying, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:14-17). Only the Bible can produce that. Discussing and studying current events won’t. Talking politics can’t. Even digging deep in the best of the world’s religious literature will never substitute for knowing, learning, and obeying the God’s Word! Finally, I preach the Bible for one other reason. Unless the Bible is at the center, we can easily drift into endless arguments over human opinions and traditions. This was at the heart of Paul’s concern for Timothy’s church. “Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly” (2 Tim. 2:14-16). A few verses later, he adds, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:23-26). Too many of the religious differences that divide churches or separate one Christian group from another have nothing to do with the Bible. The differences often arise from spending too much time on human opinions, traditions, and ideas and too little time in the Word of God itself. Why do I preach the Bible so much? Because therein is found the truth of God. It provides a foundation against the storms of deception and doubt that abound in our world. The Bible alone grows strong spiritual lives. Sticking to the Bible spares the church many needless quarrels and strife. It always has and it always will! (Will Thomas is a retired pastor from the Chicago area. After nearly forty years of serving churches and ministries in Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma, he now studies and writes while business traveling with his wife, a healthcare executive.) (Disciple Magazine, Vol. 6, #2, 2/17/2014)
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 12:01:58 +0000
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