The Bible is rich in knowledge and is full of all the mysteries of God and his divine kingdom. It is the blueprint of what it means to be a Christian and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Through an in-depth study and understating of this sacred book we can peak into this other world of an eternal life that Jesus Christ promises us. The story of God and his creation from the beginning to the very end unfolds right in front of our very own eyes in the pages of the Bible. Revelation is illuminated to us through each word by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we are able to understand who we are, where we came from, in whose image we were created and for what purpose. Unfortunately though, so many of us who identify ourselves as Christians hardly ever read our Bibles or even know how to properly do so i.e engagement, contemplation and application. I completely agreed with Burgess in his article that I am responding to when he says, “When we read scripture in snippets, we treat it as if it were a collection of favorite quotations. We tend to wrench passages out of context. Whether for worship, devotion, study, or for purposes of memorization, we must immerse ourselves in longer units of scripture.” (Burgess 4)
Whose fault is this though? Why are so many of us incapable of utilizing the Bible as a resource from which we can receive guidance and master God's principles of how to live our lives in this fallen world? Why do we select snippets of verses without hardly ever knowing the whole story or context in which they were used, turn around and use those verses as means of justification of our own beliefs or behavior? Which most often is so far from Biblical truth. I believe that this has a lot to do with the condition of today's church. We have come a such a long way from the times of theologians such as Martin Luther and John Calvin when systematic theology and Biblical literacy was upheld publicly and privately. In such a time most Christians were conditioned to turn to the Bible for everyday problem solving and life questions. Nowadays however, it seems like Biblical literacy is only reserved for seminarians and not the average lay person. Pastors in pulpits and worship leaders instead of preaching the Gospel have become more like motivational speakers, speaking, and singing about everything else except the teachings of the Gospel itself. Christ has been removed from the center stage and often used as a prop or backdrop to authenticate their messages here and there. So even in the church scripture is no longer at the center of liturgy. Yet this is one of the many ways God speaks to the hearts of the people in any congregation.
There are many reasons as to why the church has gone astray. One in particular is that in the church’s effort to be more accommodating and go with the zeitgeist of the times, it has become lukewarm in its adherence to the fundamental values of Christianity and Biblical truth. Instead of upholding Scripture and revering it as should be, declaring and hailing it as “Sola Scriptura” as done by our protestant predecessors during the reformation, we (the universal church) sometimes fail to even handle this sacred book with respect. So, what exactly did Martin Luther mean when he referred to Scripture as “Sola Scriptura?” According to John MacArthur’s article on the Ligonier Ministries website, Sola Scriptura means “All truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. It is not a claim that all truth of every kind is found in Scripture.” (MacArthur) Scripture brings forth to life the statutes of God and the stories that all point to Jesus Christ, our ultimate salvation. When we read, understand, and discern Scripture we gain spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Slowly the curtain begins to open, and we get to see more things without spiritual blindness but with more clarity. This is what Pastors and worship leaders should be doing, teaching Scripture, and encouraging and equipping their congregations in knowing how engage and dive deeper into their Bibles by themselves.
When we immerse ourselves into Scripture individually outside of church settings or community, we sometimes fail to realize that there are even more and richer ways for us to engage with these Biblical narratives, poems and all the rich content that is presented to us in this treasure of a book. Burgess in his essay emphasizes the importance of reading scripture out loudly, without us imposing our own feelings and emotions to it but projecting our voice in such a way that we just become the vessel from which the “Word” becomes. I had never approached scripture from that perspective before, but I found that approach to be very profound and powerful! When it says in Genesis, "And God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light" (Genesis. 1.3) God did not think it, and it became, he said it, and his voice "Word" projected a sound from which creation came into being. There is such a beautiful mystery to that whole concept of creation and sound, and it completely justifies why Burgess emphasizes that Scripture should be read aloud whether alone or in community.
Burgess also talks about the use of Scripture in worship and as God’s Word to a conflicted church. He is very elaborate on some of the ways in which this can be achieved in different congregations and Christian communities. What really resonated with me was when he talked about Scripture being read aloud in worship and the “Corporate Memory” that emerges out of that experience. The truth in that is truly amazing! We are communal beings, and we tend to remember things that we say or hear in groups more versus done individually. As in remembering a song I sing in a choir versus a song I hum to myself. Or a liturgy reading via the lectionary or a personal reading of a Bible passage by myself. Perhaps I am stretching this concept a bit much in my own personal attempt to justify its meaning, but that is how I understood it.
He also talks about the importance of memorizing verses which I definitely agree with. I am so glad that he pointed out the dangers of just memorizing verses without understanding or fully connecting with the deeper meaning of those verses or passages. When we understand and memorize scripture, it becomes embedded into the very core of our beings as a spiritual language which enhances the vocabulary of our spirit. Many Christians fail to realize this notion that our weapons of warfare of any kind is only the “Word of God” It is sharper than any two-edged sword and can bring down mountains and fill valleys. Meditating on Scripture and memorizing Scripture is crucial to the spiritual development of a believer. So, in conclusion I agree with Burgess on most if not all his points in this article about upholding Scripture as Sacramental Word.
Work Cited
Burgess, John P. “Scripture as Sacramental Word.” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, vol. 52, no. 4, 1998, pp. 380–91. Crossref,doi:10.1177/002096439805200405.
King James Bible Online. “Official King James Bible.” King James Bible Online, www.kingjamesbibleonline.org. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.
MacArthur, John. “What Does Sola Scriptura Mean?” Ligonier Ministries, 7 Aug. 2015, www.ligonier.org/blog/what-does-sola-scriptura-mean.
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