fbpx

15 days in Genesis

An open Bible being read

A couple days ago, I wrapped by my latest read-through of Genesis in the quest to read through the entire Bible this year. I’ve read this book many times, but I never tire of it.

I love seeing how the Holy Spirit inspired the crafting of this book to display his power and glory as the Creator of all things. How he continually shows mercy and compassion to undeserving sinners, sparing humanity from destruction by commanding Noah to build an ark. How grace flows through each page as I recognize the patriarchs for the train wrecks that they are. (Kind of like all of us, huh?) How he has orchestrated events to fulfill his purposes in the world, preserving his people through Joseph being sent to Egypt as a slave.

But most of all, it’s the gospel that I see being hinted at and foretold throughout so much of this book. In the garden as the first humans and the serpent are cursed. As God covers the man and woman in animal skins. As Noah finds favor in God’s sight, despite being a sinner like the rest of us. As God promises an offspring to Abraham, one who will be a blessing to all nations. As Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness, and later still did not hold back his son from the Lord.

There is so much to relish in this book of the Bible, as the seeds of God’s great rescue plan are sowed. One can hardly help but rejoice reading this book, even in the darkest moments, because it offers us such good news. It offers us the gospel, the promise upon which all humanity’s hopes rest.

Should we teach kids about sin?

As part of my job, I am involved in a couple of Kids Ministry groups on Facebook. The conversations I see are fascinating. Usually they’re about best practices for discipling kids, occasionally folks are looking for different curriculum options… and then every so often there’s a question about what we should and shouldn’t be teaching kids.

Are sin too big for kids? Do we really need to teach them this or that story?

These are good questions, important questions. While some may disagree, it should be no surprise that I will say yes to each.

Yes, we need to teach kids about sin. We need to because they already know about it. They’ve experienced it in some way, but they should know how and why sin is in the world, what God has done to solve the problem of sin. So we teach them about sin to give them context and understanding of the world they live in.

And yes, that also means there aren’t really any stories from the Bible that are off-limits. You can (and should) teach kids about the nastier bits of Scripture, especially when it comes to the people we tend to portray as heroes (Abraham, Jacob, the Judges, David…). We don’t need to expose them to situations way too mature for them, of course, but in an age appropriate way, we should be helping kids see that the heroes of the Bible are people who needed God’s grace and forgiveness just like we do. That God was gracious to them, just as he is gracious to us. If all Scripture is inspired and profitable, then it’s inspired and profitable for all ages. Our responsibility is to teach it faithfully at an age-appropriate level (e.g., we don’t need to talk about adultery necessarily, but we do need to talk about David sinning).

Ultimately, we want kids to see that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and his gospel is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That Jesus’ goodness and righteousness is what we need to be in relationship with God. That Jesus is the one who paid for our sins. And Jesus is the one who we will spend eternity with by faith.

One big hint the Bible is true

Yesterday, I got to one of those really weird and awkward stories in the Bible: the tale of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. The details of the story are probably familiar to many of you: Jacob had run off to live with his uncle Laban after stealing his brother’s blessing and birthright. On the way, he saw Rachel and immediately fell in deep smit with her. He agreed to work for his uncle for seven years to marry her, was given Leah in marriage instead, and then married Rachel in exchange for working for another seven years. Along the way, there’s trickery, rivalry, and more than a little bartering that goes on in exchange for who gets to (ahem) spend time with Jacob.

Stories that belong in soap operas

Jacob, one of the Patriarchs, the father of the heads of what would become the 12 tribes of Israel. This is an incredibly messed up story, and the deeper you go into his family’s story, the worse it gets.1 It’s a story that seems like it belongs in a soap opera, and yet there it is in the Bible.

Which seems to me like a pretty big hint that the Bible is actually true.

See, here’s the thing: When we’re writing stories about ourselves, what do we do? We almost always cast ourselves in the best light possible. Even when we talk about the terrible things we’ve done, it’s typically from a perspective of overcoming or learning from them. But Jacob’s story doesn’t really go that way. His favoritism of Rachel over Leah never diminishes. His favoritism of the children she bore is evident. He is a broken, train wreck of a human being.

In other words, he’s one of us.

A person, a sinner, in need of grace.

Real, broken people in need of grace (just like us)

And this is what we see in the Bible over and over again, not just with the Patriarchs, but with everyone we would be inclined to look to as a hero. Samson was a proud fool. Samuel was a negligent father. David was a polygamist, adulterer, and murderer. Solomon was an idolator. Peter was a people pleaser. Paul was a murderer, too.

God’s Word doesn’t present our heroes at their best. It doesn’t repackage their stories as we might our own. It presents them as they were. Broken sinners like you and me in need of the one Hero who never falls. The One they are mere shadows of when they’re at their best.

Jesus, the Son of God who came to rescue and redeem them.

The One in whom the Bible calls us to place all our hope.


  1. Remember, Abraham and Isaac both pretended their wives were their sisters out of fear that they would be killed. ↩︎

Reading God’s Word out loud

An open Bible being read

I don’t do this all the time. In fact, it’s pretty rare. But the other night, I decided to do something different as I prepared to start a new Bible reading plan: I read the first chapters of Genesis out loud. The creation story through the fall of humanity.

It wasn’t a terribly dramatic reading at least not at first. But as I read, I found the drama seeping into my voice. The excitement of creation building with each “Let there be.” The sinister sweetness of the serpent’s question, “Did God really say?” The indignation rising in Adam’s cry, “The woman you gave me.”

Reading flatly wasn’t an option. The emotional quality of the Story, the drama of the opening moments of history, compelled this response. It drew me in and wouldn’t let go.

And that was yet another “Oh yeah” moment for me.

It’s easy to wonder why God chose to communicate the way he did. Why didn’t he just give us a list of rules to obey? Why do we have a story? It’s because God is a storyteller.

From beginning to end, God is telling a story, the Story of his plan to rescue and redeem his people through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And he has made us as storytelling—and story consuming— creatures. He wants us to engage with the drama. He wants us to feel it as we learn from it. To know with both our heads and our hearts. That is what a good storyteller does. And that’s what I was reminded of once again by reading God’s Word aloud.

No Book is more astonishing

Highlighted Bible

There are many books on my shelf, and far too many have been neglected. But there is one book, out of all of them, that I fear neglecting: My Bible.

I didn’t always feel this way, of course. There was a time when I assumed it was a dreadfully dull book, with nothing of value to offer. But, beyond the fact that I wasn’t a believer, this was because I’d never read it. About 160 years ago, Charles Spurgeon challenged his congregation with these words:

The more you read the Bible, and the more you meditate upon it, the more you will be astonished with it. He who is but a casual reader of the Bible, does not know the height, the depth, the length, and breadth of the mighty meanings contained in its pages.

Spurgeon was right. The Bible is the book I want to read above all others. Even if it’s but a few words, it is nourishes my soul, and captivates my mind. It is the book I never get tired of returning to again and again. It is an astonishing book.

Would another tool like this be helpful?

An open Bible being read

A few years ago, I put together a tool to help memorize the book of Colossians. I had used one like it by Tim Brister to memorize the book of Philippians, and found the format useful and the experience rewarding.

Lately, I’ve been considering making a new one and making it available. Maybe changing up the formatting a little bit to make it easier to print, but essentially keeping it a similar style as the Colossians one.

The book I’m considering building one for is 1 John. Why 1 John?

  1. We’ve been studying this epistle at our church, and every time we come to it, it’s inspiring challenging (but hopeful) thinking and desires.
  2. In many ways, 1 John is the textbook for what Ray Ortlund describes as gospel culture—how the gospel shapes what we believe, who we become, and how we behave.
  3. John’s thought process is unlike ours in so many ways. 1 John is a decidedly non-linear book, and seeking to memorize it may be a great help in better understanding his message.

So that’s why I’ve been mulling it over. Now, here’s the question for you to answer, via Twitter, Facebook, or email: would a resource like this actually be helpful to you?

The Spirit always works through the Word

Highlighted Bible

Whenever I read or hear words like “resist the Spirit’s leading,” my first instinct is to cringe.[1. Unless I’m reading something like them in the Bible.]

This special appeal to the Spirit’s leading is most often used when espousing views contrary to those found in the words he inspired to be written on a host of issues like views of marriage and sexuality, the work of Christ, or the nature of God himself. And the question I find myself asking whenever I see the appeal made is a simple one: “How do you know?”

After all, if we can’t use the words the Spirit inspired to be our norming-norm, what do we use to determine whether or not we’re resisting him? Shifts in culture? Personal feelings and preference? (And as an aside, if you’re reading this and don’t believe Scripture is inspired and perfectly accurate in all it teaches, this really is a legitimate question. I want to know how you would determine this.)

I’m not sure we can do that. I’m not sure it’s possible to truly make the case. After all, the Spirit doesn’t work apart from the word he inspired. He always works through it. Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it well when he wrote,

The Holy Spirit always works through the word of God. Now there are many people who claim that He works directly. That was what caused the Quakers to wander off from the main party of the Puritans. They said that the word was not necessary, that the Holy Spirit spoke directly to each person, in some secret mystical manner, by some ‘inner light’. Not at all! The Holy Spirit always uses the word: ‘This is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you,’ says Peter (1 Pet. 1:25). ‘Being born again,’ says Peter, ‘not by corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever’ (1 Pet. 1:23).[1. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines of the Bible Volume II: God the Holy Spirit, Logos edition]

It’s important that we wrestle with what’s going on in our culture, the shifts in beliefs and behaviors especially. But if anyone is going to make a convincing argument on why Christians need to change their views on a number of key controversial issues, it’s not going to be pitting the Spirit against Scripture. Our understanding of the word might genuinely be wrong, and he if so, he will inevitably correct that. But the Spirit always works through the word, and he is never going to run contrary to it.

If the Bible is the Word of God…

An open Bible being read

Every generation wrestles with how to understand the Bible. Not just in terms of content (though there is that), but with regard to what the Bible actually is. And often, the wrestling winds up offering a take on the Bible that suggests we should respect and honor it, is doubtful as to its trustworthiness as a revelation of God’s will and character. Essentially, what you wind up with is a book that’s pretty much like any other. You can embrace the parts you find helpful and toss the rest.

But if the Bible is indeed the Word of God, that means what it says is what God says. It has authority. Correction: it is the ultimate source of authority for a Christian. It is truthful in everything that it teaches, without exception. It is a book overflowing with wisdom; it is “profitable” for us, equipping us in every way to live to the glory of God, even if that way seems strange to the world around us (2 Tim 3:17-18).

And this, I think, explains this tendency to redefine it. It’s an issue of authority. What this book says, God says. It tells us about how we were created to live, yes. But it does more than that. It tells a story about humanity. It speaks about humanity in a way no other book does. It doesn’t present us as being on a journey of progress, or as heroic figures, as any human author naturally would. Instead, when we read the Bible, we discover, “we have met the enemy and he is us.”[1. Walt Kelly, in the comic strip “Pogo”, April 22, 1971.] We don’t have all the answers. We aren’t good enough, smart enough, or doggone likable enough to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and realize our own potential. We need Someone to rescue us; to not just teach us how to be better people, but to make us new people. People with a desire to love, honor, and obey the One who created them. People who want to tell the entire world about Him!

That’s why this book matters. It is a book like no other. It’s the most humbling, frustrating, and awe-inspiring book you’ll ever read. But it’s the only one that has the answers to all the questions we don’t even know to ask.


Note: this post is part of an informal, periodic series exploring different theological concepts for another project I’m working on. As such, application is going to be limited. Hopefully the knowledge will be helpful. 

One thing you can’t afford *not* to do when reading the Bible

An open Bible being read

Reading the Bible is absolutely essential to a Christian’s growth in his or her faith. All of us probably know this (even if we don’t always do it). But it can’t be overstated: There is no book more important to us as believers. There is no book that will shape us like this like this one. And there’s one thing that is absolutely essential for us to commit to as we read it. Prayer. I love the way J.C. Ryle put it:

Is the Bible the Word of God? Then be sure you never read it without fervent prayer for the help and teaching of the Holy Spirit. Humble prayer will throw more light on your Bible than any commentary that ever was written. You will not understand it unless your heart is right. You will find it a sealed book without the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Its contents are often hidden from the wise and learned, and revealed to babes.

Reading the Bible is essential, but it isn’t enough without prayer. We need the Holy Spirit’s help in understanding the text. We need Him to transform us as we read the text. We need him to give us the humility to repent and believe as we read. Of all the things we should do, this is one thing that should never be overlooked.

God wants us to know his Word

An open Bible being read

There’s a doctrine that people get really weird about: the inerrancy of Scripture. In a nutshell, this doctrine means every word the original authors wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was free from error, without a shred of falsehood or deceit to be found in it in any way.

There’s an assumption that comes with this doctrine, this belief that God’s Word is really, and truly true: that God wants us to understand His Word. Christians believe that, as the Holy Spirit worked through human authors to reveal God to us, He made sure this revelation was clear. So clear, in fact, that much of it can be understood with many of the same basic principles of interpretation we use when we read any other book. We intuitively pay attention to context clues, verb tenses, and the literary forms used in the text we’re reading. This doesn’t mean it’s all equally clear, of course. Some parts are hard to understand (2 Pet. 3:16), and because of our sinful nature, there are aspects that we are incapable of fully grasping on our own.

But because He wants us to know His Word, God helps us understand them. During His earthly ministry, Jesus explained the Scriptures to His disciples (Luke 24:27), but also opened their minds to understand them (47). Today, the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scripture to our hearts and minds (John 14:15-18; 16:7-15). God helps us to understand what we could not otherwise, and gives us the desire to be transformed by the truth of His Word.