May 22nd, 2024
Last week we considered the idea that the content of the Bible is true and reliable because God is true and reliable. This is a great “launching off” point for this next point about Scripture as a means of grace: In the Bible, God makes sense of His world for us. The Westminster Shorter Catechism refers to the Bible as “the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.” It does this, by principally teaching “what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.”
I once worked for a small construction company, and my supervisor was the sort of boss who never felt the need to explain himself. I almost always fell short of his expectations, and he was almost always angry with me about it. If I had a dollar for every time he shouted “how could you not know that?!” I probably could have bought that company. I think a lot of us, inside and outside the church, have a hard time shaking this notion that God is like my supervisor was: seated in heaven, silently expecting success without giving a lick of instruction and ready to pounce and the smallest mistake. Thankfully - God has given us his inspired word, and spoken to us in Jesus Christ so that we can know who he is, who we are, and how we should live by faith. This is taught in Scripture through prophecy, history, poetry, proverbs, gospel, letters and law. All of which were written for our benefit.
Reflect and Respond
The Westminster Standards focus on the Lord’s Prayer and the 10 Commandments as vital guides for the Christian life. We are used to seeing one purely as instruction in prayer and the other as rules for life; both of which are true, but there’s more. Have you ever considered that these passages show us the way to glorify God and enjoy fellowship with him?
As we preach through the 10 Commandments from Exodus 20 this summer think about your response to words like “law” and “duty.” How can our duty before God also be a grace for us?
—Matt Allhands
