A Spiritual Sword

[T]ake the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God - Ephesians 6:17

It is said that the best defence is a strong offence. Describing God's protective armor for us the Bible says we are to use the word of God like a sword. He, of course, is referring to the Scriptures.

Jesus, when tempted in the wilderness,¹ struck back each time with the scriptures - responding, "It is written ..., it is written..., it is written...¹ quoting a passage that directly addresses the problem. Can we expect to succeed differently?

This means we must pick up our Bible and get to know it - better a little each day than a lot at one time. Take the lunch hour to feed your body and your spirit or listen to it in the car on the way home. Take it with you to read when waiting for the kids at soccer.

Get to know your Bible, it will keep you strong.

- fritz


^{1 - Matthew Chapter 4}

George Bush Remembring Billy Graham

"In his gentle, loving way, Billy began to deepen my shallow understanding of faith ... self-improvement is not really the point of the Bible. The center of Christianity is not the self. It is Christ.

Billy explained that we are all sinners, and that we cannot earn God's love through good deeds. He made clear that the path to salvation is through the grace of God. And the way to find that grace is to embrace Christ as the risen Lord--the son of a God so powerful and loving that He gave His only son to conquer death and defeat sin.

These were profound concepts, and I did not fully grasp them that day. But Billy had planted a seed. His thoughtful explanation made the soil less firm and the brambles less thick."

- George W Bush, Decision Points, 2010

Grafting Plants and Hearts

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. - James 1:21

I have a grafted Orange tree. The original stalk was cut and a cultured Orange tree was tied in place until the stock actually grew into and through the graft. If you look closely you can still see the scars.

"Engrafted" is the horticultural term used to describe how the Word of God, both the living and the written, becomes part of our lives.

We are cut by our guilt, grief, and repentance, and God's word is placed in our hearts then held there as we grow into and through it. If you look closely you can still see the scars.

Take the bible, read it, think about it throughout the day, talk about it, meet with others doing the same, letting God's word stay close enough to enable your life grow into and through it.

- fritz

^{Also See: Patrikin blog post, October 30, 2010 - "Reading the Scriptures Adequately and Accurately"}

Who the Bible was written for

For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written - 1st Corinthians 9:9-10a

The Bible, even the Old Testament, was written for us, not just for the people of that day.

It finds its fulfillment in the followers of Christ and should always be read that way.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. - Hebrews 11:39-40

-fritz

Written for me

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." - Romans 15:4

The biblical viewpoint has always been that the scriptures were written not just for their penman's times but for us, and written in such a way normal people could understand and be encouraged.

I was impressed by what philosophy professor Dallas Willard wrote concerning his own assumptions about the Bible:

"I assume that it was produced and preserved by competent human beings who were at least as intelligent and devout as we are today."

"I assume that [God] did not and would not leave his message to humankind in a form that can only be understood by a handful of late-twentieth-century professional scholars, who cannot even agree among themselves on the theories that they assume to determine what the message is."¹

- fritz

^{1 - Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (HarperCollins, 1998) 13.}