The Established Path of Discipleship

In the latest episode of the White Horse Inn podcast, Michael Horton said something that made me nod and chuckle in agreement. In discussing misunderstood passages about culture, Horton said, “Using verses instead of submitting to them and understanding them. Using them as a kind of talisman.” I heartily recommend that you listen to the entire episode here. It is an excellent corrective to common contemporary hermeneutical errors.

I appreciate Horton’s attention to this common error of using instead of understanding and submitting to Scripture. The Bible is not a tool we use to fix the broken pieces of our lives. It is not a pill we take to cure our depression, nor is it a book of magical words we repeat that obligate God to do something on our behalf. Instead, the Bible is the word of God. We first seek to understand God’s words and then submit to them. Our understanding (1 Cor. 2:12) and submission/obedience (1 Pet. 1:2) to the Bible is the fruit of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The reason why we often use instead of submit to Scripture is our starting point in biblical interpretation. Instead of looking first to Scripture, we look first to ourselves or whatever issue we are obsessed with, whether cultural or theological. Then, we hunt for verses about our subject and use them to justify our preconceived notions. In this process, we often lift verses out of context and force them to fit our context. This, my friends, is a recipe for all kinds of spurious and sometimes bizarre interpretations of Scripture.

In their zeal for revival, I’ve heard people use Matt. 3:11 to claim that we need a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. According to verse 12, which is conveniently left out, the baptism with fire explains that the fire part refers to judgment. Umm, I will pass on the judgment by unquenchable fire part. Or consider contemporary uses for Philippians 4:13: I can win this football game, accomplish this task at work, climb this mountain, and overcome any obstacle in my path “through him who strengthens me.” When looking at the context, however, I can instead live through times of abundance and need “through him who gives me strength.” I am sure you could come up with many more examples.

View the Bible for what it is: God’s Word. Do you want to hear God speak? Read the Word. Do you want to be transformed by the word of God? Then, understand what the Bible is and what the Bible does. The Bible is not another tool in your life toolbox. It is a sword that pierces “to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow.” As you read, the Bible is “discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). When this happens, the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Word, applies it to our hearts, and we submit. The Word is the primary means the Spirit uses to sanctify us. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). May that be your prayer as you read the Word, “Father, sanctify me in truth; your word is truth.”