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It's that time of year again when we attempt to communicate to our children that the end of October is not really about pumpkins and skeleton masks, but about a time of remembrance and thanksgiving for the convictions of godly men who, five centuries ago, were seized by the majesty and glory of God and His Book; men who re-discovered the centrality of the Word in the church and who re-emphasized the locus of that Word--the atoning death of Christ for sinners. Because of their lives and ministries, we have a clearer testimony of the truth.
Though it's extremely easy and natural to think of the Protestant Reformation in terms of a wide-scale movement (and indeed it was), we must also view this extraordinary recapturing of the essence of genuine Biblical Christianity in the singular. As people finally acquired and understood the Word of God themselves, one by one individual hearts were stirred towards personal reformation. The Spirit of God was on the march as the Word of God was being proclaimed in truth. Reformation was occurring because lives were centered on written revelation which, in turn, produced spiritual progress.
The Lord has not shifted in His workings and dealings with us. If we are to experience personal reformation, there must be faithful and meaningful engagement with the Scriptures. This involves a commitment to self-discipline that is increasingly cultivated when basic convictions about the Bible are continually congealed in the heart and mind of the believer. In other words, my faithfulness to God's Word will be in proportion to the strength of my conviction that the Bible is not the word of men, but God-breathed (I Thes. 2:13; II Tim. 3:16). I must think, "God is my God [conviction]! This is His Word to me and to all the church on who He is and how I should live [conviction]. It's not an option for me to engage this book; it is a must [faithfulness]!" Also, I must engage the Bible in a meaningful way: asking questions of it; hiding it in my inmost being; remembering that context is critical in interpreting every passage; to pause regularly during my intake of it to pray and to be enthralled with its Author; and to seek to put into practice what God has mercifully shown to me. The Bible is not just a reference book of knowledge and ancient wisdom to be accessed whenever curiosities or emotions are roused , but a book given by our Creator that demands our utmost attention and engagement--faithfully and meaningfully (Matt. 4:4).
Honest self-appraisal that is generated by this kind of engagement with the Word is another means to experiencing change, or reform, on a personal level. This is what happens when we are preoccupied by the truth of Scripture--we are cut to pieces spiritually speaking. The graphic language of Hebrews 4:12 is telling--"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." This spiritual surgery that the Word performs enables the one engaged to bring up the thoughts and intentions of the heart. It reveals motivations and attitudes that would otherwise go unchecked. King Solomon knew this. He wrote,”The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out" (Prov. 20:5). This is not always pleasant. We are proud to the core. Yet, this is a necessary discipline for those who would walk before God with integrity. To keep on seeing ourselves for who we really are, always in reference to God's Word, is transformational. As if the Word weren't enough, my perceptive son Isaac has reminded me on more than one occasion of some acts of hypocrisy in my life. We must bow to the Scriptures (along with providential words from six-year old sons) and appraise our lives with startling honesty.
Furthermore, as we orbit the whole of our lives around this living and active Word, an attitude of repentance must be developed and sought after (Rev. 2:5). Genuine repentance is not marked by mere words, but manifests itself in expressions like humble sorrow over and hate for sin; a renewing of the mind concerning self, church, God; new actions that accord with godliness; and a hunger to cling to Christ. If personal reformation is to occur, there must be a gradual weakening of our desire to do anything contrary to God's heart. Repentance will produce this necessary weakening. Not long ago, I had a gentleman attempt to explain to me that repentance was unnecessary after conversion. I cited Job as an example of continued repentance. Though Job was considered blameless and a servant of the Lord God, he repented of his irresponsible words and his lack of understanding the ways God (Job 42:2-6). I endeavored to press upon this gentleman the need for ongoing repentance because of our sin and continual need for cleansing before a Holy Master. John's gospel supplies for us an august conversation between Jesus and Peter that teaches us to live lives marked with repentance. In chapter thirteen, Jesus, in such a remarkable display of humility, begins to wash the feet of His disciples. Brazenly, Peter attempts to deny Christ that honor by saying, "You shall never wash my feet." The interchange that follows is very instructive--"Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me. Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean...and you are clean...'" With these words Jesus was declaring that His disciples, except for Judas, had been washed with the Holy Spirit and forgiven of all sin. Yet there was still an ongoing need for internal cleansing that only genuine repentance brings to the soul. A Word-centered life yields a repentance-oriented life. How pleased God is when His creatures repent and keep on repenting! What a highway to Christ's cross repentance becomes!
Lastly, if we are to shift progressively in holy living, an unending savoring and reliance on the gospel is paramount in the life of the believer. As we are being built up into a spiritual household, we must constantly acknowledge and delight in that which creates and holds the structure together--the chief cornerstone which is the gospel of Christ (Eph. 2:20, I Pet. 2:6). I remember my comment to Jessica when we were first married around nine years ago. I said something to the effect, "I hear too many sermons about the cross of Jesus." I don't remember Jessica's response, but as I think of that assessment now, I shake my head at that twenty year old who was entertaining the thought of "outgrowing" sermons on the cross. J.I. Packer expressed, "The traveler through the Bible landscape misses his way as soon as he loses sight of the hill called Calvary." I had lost my bearings in my journey through the Word as a Bible college student and didn't know it. I believed the gospel but my daily reliance on it was weak. I am convinced that if we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, we must learn to consider the gospel as central to all of the Christian life. It must be our standing (I Cor. 15:1). It must be our boast (Gal. 6:14). It must be our motivation for holy living (Col. 3:13). It must be on our lips for the advancement of the kingdom (I Cor. 9:16). It must consume our thoughts and praises as we suffer (Heb. 12:3-11). As we are faithful to the Word and as we engage the Word in meaningful ways, the gospel will begin to sprout up everywhere in the garden of Scripture--and that will be an enriching means of the personal reformation that we so desperately need.
Sola Scriptura is not just ivory tower phraseology borrowed from centuries past, but it is for me and for you, today and every day...day by day. May we build our lives precept upon precept, trusting that the prayer of our Lord Jesus seen in John 17:17 will be answered with an "Amen" from God the Father--"Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth."
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