Paul's Passing Thoughts

The whole widely accepted idea that Christians should read their Bibles must be qualified. If you ask the average Churchian why they should read their Bibles the answers would be varied and interesting. Being a Churchian, it’s just another thing in a list of other things that they do while having no idea why they do it.

So, according to orthodoxy, according to their spiritual heroes, according to the original tenets of the Protestant Reformation, what is the purpose of Bible reading? Answer: Bible reading is one of the “ordinary means of grace.” What’s that? Church is a salvation PROCESS. There are no exceptions. And consequently, according to the Bible, in every case where salvation is not finished one remains under law and the law’s condemnation. In other words, church orthodoxy is biblically defined as pertaining to the unregenerate. And by the way, contemporary mainline Protestant leaders state this publicly all of the time. You are either under grace or under law, you cannot be both, but actually, church claims that under grace does not change your state of being, but is part of the salvation process while remaining under law.

So, why read your Bible according to church? Answer: it aides you as an “ordinary means of salvation (grace).” As you read the Bible, the goal is finding self-condemnation for purposes of returning to the cross for more Jesus, or in other words, more salvation. This is the extreme antithesis of what the Bible states regarding its purpose. According to the Bible, it is the source for learning how to love God and others with no fear of condemnation. In contrast, when Protestant pastors promote Bible reading, it’s the former purpose they are promoting without the parishioners even knowing it. On Sunday, during the “gospel preaching” anything read in the Bible during the week is reflected back as condemnation. It promotes a “lifestyle of repentance.”

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Problem is, it’s a backward look for purposes of gaining more and more salvation rather than a forward look that promotes love. The idea of finding love in the church is an orthodoxed oxymoron unless you are talking about more salvation as the only love prism. Argue with me if you will, but I will quote Calvin and Luther extensively and the argument will be over.

paul