Explore the Bible Series for May 13: Living your beliefs is what counts

Posted: 5/02/07

Explore the Bible Series for May 13

Living your beliefs is what counts

• 2 Peter 1:12-21

By Kathryn Aragon

First Baptist Church, Duncanville

Sometimes we talk about something so much the words begin to lose their meaning. You know, like “freedom” and “Christian love.”

This week’s lesson focuses on another one of those things we talk about without thinking. This week we want to discuss the importance of Bible knowledge.

Bible study, like other Christian disciplines, is much easier to talk about than to do. In the church setting, we tend to pick up the language. We quickly learn the right things to say, and to avoid judgment, we often just say the right thing regardless of what we really think. So Bible study is one of those things we agree is important, yet few of us actually do.

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But what does this disparity between words and actions mean? In this case, it means we don’t really believe Bible study is important since, when we really believe something, we’ll do it. In other words, actions speak louder than words. And if we continue to say things we don’t really believe, we must question the belief.

Of course, our words may be wishful thinking. Maybe we’re hoping if we say them often enough, they’ll come true. Or maybe we’re just fooling ourselves. If we say them often enough, no one will see the truth, that we’re afraid to put our words to the test to find out if they really work. Besides, we tell ourselves, no one really notices the disparity between words and actions, right?

Wrong. Even if our pew-mates turn a blind eye to our actions (or lack of them), the world does not. Our Christian nation is becoming increasingly secular. In 1993, 63 percent of Americans said they were Protestants. By 2002, only 52 percent claimed the label. There’s a real need to proclaim the truth of our faith, that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. However, if we are to be taken seriously, we must not preach empty words. And empty is what they are if we can’t live them.

The truth, however, is most of us don’t really know what we believe. Bill McKibben, in his article “The Christian Paradox,” cites some statistics. “Only 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.”

Yet we still call ourselves a Christian nation, and we in the church call ourselves people of the Bible. If we don’t know what we believe, how can we expect to convince others of what we believe? If we don’t believe the truth is important enough to study and learn, how can we expect others to believe it’s important?

The goal

The goal of Christianity is to be able to stand before God on judgment day. It’s the security we seek when we accept Jesus as savior. Yet most of us don’t give it another thought after rising from our salvation prayer. Paul encourages us to remember it, though: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

We prefer not to think about eternal matters once our salvation is secure, but in this passage, Paul is speaking to believers. Regardless of whether our name is in the Book of Life, we will still answer for our words, actions and attitudes.

But once again, we must ask how we plan to live a life that honors God if we don’t know what God wants. John says we can have confidence on the day of judgment if in this world we are like Jesus (1 John 4:17). Yet we will never be able to achieve Christlikeness if we don’t know what Christ was like.

Telephone is a game, not a study method

I am reminded of a childhood game called telephone. To play, everyone sits in a circle. The first person whispers something in the ear of the person next to him, who in turn whispers the message, exactly as he heard it, in the ear of the person sitting next to him. This continues around the circle until the last person has received the message and announces it to the group.

Ask anyone who has ever played telephone. The message is garbled and nonsensical. It rarely even resembles the original message.

What makes an entertaining party game, however, does not make good Bible instruction. Unless we make Bible reading and meditation a priority, the results are grave. Obviously, without study, we can’t know anything about the Bible or Jesus’ teachings. Since this is not really acceptable in most churches, we must rely on second-hand knowledge. We leave it to others to do the study and share it with us.

Imagine, if you will, how this begins to look. We rely on a Bible scholar in our church to teach us the Bible. That scholar possibly never did more than cursory reading of the Bible himself, but learned about the Bible from a great teacher in his past. This could go on for generations, and it begins to look a bit like the game of telephone. We must wonder if our message is becoming equally garbled.

Return to the Bible

There’s only one solution. We’ve got to return to the Bible. Only first-hand knowledge of the book we call the guidebook will give us what we’re looking for. If we really desire to please God, we must know his heart, learn his precepts and his commands, and commit to obey.

For most required reading, you can get the plot summary from Cliff Notes, but the only way to ace the test is actually to read the book. Similarly, you can let someone tell you about the Bible, but unless you read it yourself, you won’t really grasp the heart of God. Start with the Sermon on the Mount and the book of 1 John. Don’t just read words. Treat it like a treasure hunt, the prize being the breadth and depth of God’s love.

Once we begin to grasp God’s nature and his desires for us, we can better interpret his laws and precepts. It isn’t very difficult, though, because God, in his desire for us to understand, makes it very clear.

When a Pharisee asked Jesus to sum up the law, Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

Now to find out who our neighbors are, we’ll need to look at the parable of the sheep and the goats. Who are we to love? The poor, the sick, the naked and the hungry. Oh, and let’s not forget our enemies.

Finally, our beliefs don’t amount to anything more than word games unless we’ll actually live by them. In one of his final moments with the disciples before being turned over to the Pharisees, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).

Indeed, this is one of his final commandments and the one that should pierce us to the heart. After all, how can we obey him if we don’t know him? And how will we know him if we don’t spend time with him and his words?

Of course the words are the easy part. It’s living out the words that becomes hard. Let’s make the commitment to obey him even when it hurts. May we be recognized, not by our speech, but by our actions. And may we live out Jesus’ commands so well the world can’t help but take us seriously.

Discussion questions

• Do you spend time each day reading the Bible and meditating on it?

• If not, when could you fit it in?