Key Bible Passage(s):

John 5:31-47

Tier 1:

It is hard to over-estimate the importance of our engagement with Scripture as disciples of Christ. We can only be true to the word of God when we know and understand what it teaches.  Engaging with God’s Word at various levels is an essential part of both personal and corporate Christian life.  When Christians doubt, ignore, or fail to understand the teachings of Scripture, and depart from its principles, they lose their spiritual power, and their discipleship grinds to a halt.

Tier 2:

Our intake of Scripture must be a sustained and life long habit. It is the most important thing we can do on any given day, and everything else should be scheduled around this. Engagement with Scripture is a multi-levelled discipline: we read it, study it, memorise it and meditate on it. And we do so expecting God to speak to us in such a way as to ‘initiate us into the reality of which the passage speaks’ (Foster).

Tier 3:

this is not an intellectual exercise where we see how many verses we can memorise, or how many times we can read through the Bible. It is a means to an end, and the goal is our transformation by the Spirit through the Word of God, growth in our mind and lives. We need the same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures to work in us that we might understand and respond appropriately. Refusal to put what we hear into practice grieves the Spirit and leaves the Scriptures then as a closed book.

Collect for Advent 2

Blessed Lord, who caused the Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we might so hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that through patience and the comfort of you holy Word, we may embrace and forever hold fast the joyful hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Most of all you should study and memorise the Word of God.  When I was in prison and camp, I had no Bible, but I was able to review what I had stored in my heart.  I went over two chapters for the OT and two chapters from the NT every day ... these Scriptures were food for my soul ... God always woke me up early in the morning ... This gave me time to pray and to meditate in peace.

Ivan Antonov

Discussion Groups:

Share how you engage with the Bible...  How has that changed during your involvement in DTP?

How can you guard against misunderstanding the Bible?

What do you do when you don’t understand a passage?  ...or when you do understand it but don’t agree with it? ... or don’t like it?

and later in the session:

Reflect on these images used to describe the Bible...  what are each of these images teaching us about Scripture?

Ps.12:6, the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.

Ps.119:103, How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Ps.119:105, Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Is.55:10-11, As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth...

Jer.20:9, his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.

Jer.23:39, Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

and a third group discussion:

Read John 5:31-47

Why does Jesus not testify about Himself (vv.31-32)?  How does the Father testify concerning the Son (v.37)?

Why can the Pharisees not understand or believe the Scriptures?  Do we make the same mistakes today? 

How do you think Jesus would respond to the idea that the Bible is unclear, or that it is ‘open to interpretation’, or that it ‘can be made to say anything’?  How should that affect how we read it and relate to it?

Based on this passage, what is the point of the Bible?

What does Jesus mean when He says that Moses wrote about Him (v.46)?   What is the connection between believing what Moses wrote, and believing what Jesus says?

Homework:

Over this half-term we will be working to memorise Matthew 5:38-42. You will have to keep refreshing Matt.5:1-37, Matt.6:5-34 and Matt.7:1-28 whilst you do this.

(we’ll memorise the whole of the Sermon on the Mount over the 3 years of DTP)

To Be A Christian Q&A 25-35, 227-232

What one-degree change can you make with regard to your engagement with Scripture?

Explore the website: www.thecommonrule.org What is helpful? What can you incorporate into your Rule of Life (To Be a Christian Q&A 252-255). Look particularly at the section on Scripture.

Meditate on Heb.6:7-8 using the guidelines we’ve discussed in this session