Why Do We Read The Bible?
January 8, 2010
God is writing a story. Not in the sense that a novelist creates fictional characters and places, or even in the sense that a playwright or screenwriter develops a script that people actually act out. The world we find ourselves in-nature, people, time, relationships-this is all part of the story that God has been writing for thousands of years. The story has a beginning, an end, and a central character: God himself.
Thus God’s story begins with these words: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). We see God setting the pieces in place for his story to unravel: a good creation, humans who are created in his image and given purpose, a pattern of rest, and a tree to test whether his people will fully trust him. Then God’s people rebel and bring the conflict into the story that sets up the need for redemption, which God hints will come through a descendant of Adam and Eve.
This has huge implications for our emphasis on reading the Bible. Why do we read the Bible? Why should you consider beginning today in Genesis 1-2 and Psalm 1 so you can read the Bible through in one year? We have attempted to answer that question through one of our core values: “We prayerfully seek to be shaped in our priorities and affections by the Christ-centered story line of the Bible rather than the values and assumptions of this passing age.”
Among the numerous reasons why we read the Bible, this is central: to be shaped by God’s story. Take today’s reading for example. When we see God introduced as the main character of his story, it shapes our understanding of life being about God, not me. When we read that God created the heavens and earth, it shapes how we view and treat trees, mountains, animals, and land. When we read that God created Adam and Eve in his image and commanded them to fill the earth and subdue it, it shapes our sense of purpose in this world. When we read that this first couple was naked and not ashamed, it shapes the type of intimacy we pursue in marriage (not to mention the nature of marriage as a man and a woman). The list goes on.
I encourage you to begin today with some plan to make it through the whole of God’s story in 2010. We will provide guides on Sunday for you to keep in your Bible, or you can follow the plan as we post it on the left sidebar of this e-mail each week. As we read, ask God to shape your life, your view of the world, your priorities, and even your desires by the grand story that he is telling.
Seeking to be shaped with you,
Pastor Chris