Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

(Continued from Day 68)

Whether or not you meet Jesus and go to heaven, you will still receive blessings and benefits from reading and heeding the Bible. I grew up Catholic, and my mom knew the Lord, though I did not. I didn’t have much interest in God but sitting in church, I heard the Old and New Testaments, and those Scriptures gave me some guardrails that really did improve my life even though I did not yet know Jesus. “Don’t get drunk. Don’t have a kid out of wedlock. Don’t steal or kill.” These basic guardrails kept me out of a lot of trouble.

Additionally, if we know God and live under the authority of His Word, then we locate ourselves in the place God blesses. God does not bless people alone, but rather people who place themselves under the authority of His Word.

When it comes to God’s Word, you really have only three possible ways to view it:

1. Scripture is perfect and from God. It’s His infallible, inerrant truth.

2. Scripture is imperfect and from people. It’s moral myths, fables, and folklore.

3. Scripture is a combination of 1 and 2, and we get to choose which part is from God (perfect) and which part is from us (imperfect).

It used to be that the role of “scholarship” was to determine what was true and false. Today, however, we have all become self-appointed scholars. Usually, we pick out the things we like. “God loves me? Of course, He does. Look how awesome I am. Good job, God.” Then we reject the things with which we disagree. “Hell? No, I don’t like that at all. Not going to do that. That’s probably not what it meant in the original Hebrew.”

Paul says that those who believe Scripture is perfect and from God and seek to obey it have changed lives. This promise has proven true. In a study of 400,000 people conducted by the Center for Bible Engagement, “The Power of 4 Effect” was discovered. Being in God’s Word one to three days a week had a minimal (or negligible) effect on a person’s behavior. However, massive, radical life changes happened when God’s Word was part of at least four days of a person’s week. These findings prove that when God’s Word is included in the majority of your week, your life changes by God’s power. Depression and anxiety decrease, addictive and self-destructive tendencies lift, and hope for the future increases.

Today’s Reflection

Is your involvement with the Bible impacting your life in negligible or radical ways?