Jesus told his disciples that he had far more to tell them than they could cope with [John 16:12-15]. He went on to say that after him, the Spirit, also part of God and equally reliable, would keep on revealing new snippets of truth as appropriate and as individuals needed or were ready for them.
I often stare in amazement at the booklined studies we see when we join zoom meetings at which Ministers and Preachers are present. I feel slightly ashamed that behind me there is a clock (or two), pot plants, various memorabilia, hymn books and a bible. It’s not that we do not have other books in our house, but that they are elsewhere.
These days I find I use online resources far more than books because of the speed of electronic searching and the capacity of a computer to save time. That is not to say that I do not still sit as I have always done and pray for inspiration as I read the words of scripture.
The third section of the Statement of the Nature, Faith and Order of the United Reformed Church reminds us of the authority of the word of God and the role of the Holy Spirit in interpreting it for us, in our situation, today. All our other paraphernalia matters but nothing matters as much as the bible itself and the inspiration that God gives each of us to enable the bible to come to life for us, where we are.
The highest authority for what we believe and do is God’s Word in the Bible alive for his people today through the help of the Spirit. We respond to this Word, whose servants we are with all God’s people through the years.
Open the bible, read, and pray to understand an immediately you are united with the scholars, theologians, preachers, and people who have done the same through hundreds of years. Indeed, where else did the great commentators start?
A Prayer
Lord, I pray that when I read the bible, I may understand it in ways that are relevant where I am and in what I am doing. Through it, may I know I am at one with all who have made the same prayer and found it answered through the ages. Thank you, Lord. Amen.