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February 22 - April 25, 2020
Many of us wear our “Sunday best” to church because we claim we want to look our best for God.[20] But God sees us all week. Is it really God for whom we want to look our best?
When two biblical books or writers present the same information in a different order, or chronicle the same event but include different details, scholars have been quick to assume that this means one—or both—of the accounts is wrong. They certainly can’t both be right, can they?
The Indonesian—and arguably the biblical—view of law always left room for exceptions. Paul states, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet” (1 Tim 2:12). “But what about Priscilla and Junia?” we might ask Paul. “They taught in church. You said women must keep silent.” Perhaps Paul would answer, “Yes. And most of them do.”
Lightning was once considered miraculous, supernatural.[12] The major resistance to Franklin’s invention of the lightning rod came from clergy who objected that it removed one of the instruments of divine justice!
Once we understand a bit about how something works, we shove the divine out of it.
Our tendency to emphasize rules over relationship and correctness over community means that we are often willing to sacrifice relationships on the altar of rules.
We attend lots of Bible studies. After a verse is read, participants are frequently asked for comments. People often begin their replies with, “What this verse means to me is . . .” Technically, the verse means what it means. What the participant actually means is, “How this verse applies to me is . . .” which is a wonderfully appropriate point to make. We affirm that God’s Word has application for his people. But when we confuse application with meaning, we can ignore the actual meaning of the text altogether.
