2 Peter 1:12-21 - Connecting to Christ through Scripture

Although I have referred to this before, I once again presented some helpful questions to ask when reading the Bible. I don't go through these questions explicitly very often, but I find that it is a great exercise every once in a while to go back and study out a text using these questions for redemptive reading.

The discussion time at tables was fascinating this week as we discussed why we trust the Bible and what doubts we have. Everyone came at it from different directions and with different reasons, and it was encouraging to hear all these diverse ways that can lead us to trust the Bible and, by the witness of Scripture, in Christ.

Here is just a summary sampling of the responses that were shared at my table:

• I trust the Bible because I have seen too many things in life that cannot be explained outside of God's supernatural intervention.
• I trust the Bible because it makes sense of life and explains my experiences.
• I trust the Bible because, out of all the religions and worldviews out there, it is the only one that is really coherent.
• I trust the Bible because Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, proving his identity as God-in-flesh. If Jesus trusted the Bible, so can I.
• I trust the Bible because of the many miracles of God that are visible in creation.

Whatever our reasons are for trusting Scripture, this passage from 2 Peter encourages us to pay attention to it since the Bible, both Old Testament and New, testifies to Christ and the blessings of gospel power that are available through knowing him by faith. We always have to remember that Scripture was given as "men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit". Whenever we read the Bible we are reading both what "men spoke" (the human origin) and what they spoke "from God" (the divine origin). Only by holding both of these together can we understand what God intends for us in Scripture.

Recommended Reading:
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible by Dr Gordon D Fee, Dr Douglas Stuart
A General Introduction to the Bible By Norman L. Geisler, William E. Nix
The Canon of Scripture by F. F. Bruce
God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts

(Holly and I generally own the books that I recommend, so if you are interested in borrowing any of them, let us know.)

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