Today's Journal
BEYOND THE TEXT
Stephen Freeman, Orthodox priest wrote:“Perhaps the greatest betrayals of Scripture have been the many movements that have reduced it to a text. It is not that the Scriptures cannot be studied, but that the true study of Scripture is not found in the acquisition of information. Rather, it’s true study is that which results in a life transformed into the image of Christ.”
This is a remarkable statement by Freeman. ‘Reducing scripture to a text’ is the fundamental reason for non-growth for disciples of Jesus. Information from the Bible that remains information transforms no one. Even if we have great study habits, Bible reading programs and schedules for scripture study, if it remains only as knowledge prompted by, ‘Christians should be reading the Bible’ is just religious ritual.
I fully believe in careful reading and study of scripture, but it must be translated to forming me as a person. I recall years ago seeing the need to ‘put myself in the stories, parables and situations of scripture.’ For example: becoming the Samaritan on the side of the road, the two religious dudes walking on by him, a good Samaritan stopping to help him, the inn keeper, etc. Putting myself in each part and piece of the story really helped me to have scripture come alive. This is what I call, ‘letting the Bible read me.’
I recently had another thought along these lines. For scripture to truly transform a person, we must ‘Become Scripture.’ It is no longer just a text, but by allowing ourselves to become scripture, we are more able to become like the Christ the scriptures are about.
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” Jesus