Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel said, "It has seemed puzzling to me how greatly attached to the Bible you seem to be and yet how much like pagans you handle it." The next part of his quote is my prayer for myself, "the great challenge to those of us who wish to take the Bible seriously is to let it teach us its own essential categories and then for us to think with them instead of just about them."
I loved this quote immediately. I began to ask God not to allow me to believe things I've come to know about him through a man if it is not the true teaching of His breath. If you know me well, you probably have had me ask you at some point, "why do you believe that?" "That" refers to any theological statement made to me from you. I'm interested in whether you own your talking points, theology, a doctrine, or are you parroting others? I have a good friend, my best friend actually, who is almost always challenging me. I love it! Even if, at times it can be frustrating. However, the joy is I know I must be secure in the things I communicate. She examines the Scriptures to see if she can agree with me, Acts 17:11.
Here is the second thing that fascinates me about this quote, even if I'm secure in what I am sharing, is it correctly exegeted? Scriptures and doctrinal truths have been debated, to the point of separating those who say they love God. That is sad, but oh so true.
The challenge is to allow the Scripture to teach us "its own essential categories." That does not negate learning from others. But it should begin to curtail all avenues of complacency when it comes to knowing God through his word, on our own. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul lets Timothy know the essence of God's Word and the benefits of it. Those benefits come with the challenge of knowing it and being led away from handling it as the world, or pagans do.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for correction, and for training, equipped for every good work." First of all, he says it is profitable, or beneficial, and useful. For teaching, or doctrine. When we allow Scripture to offer its own essential categories we offer God our understanding. He begins to teach us how to think through a topic. This is not easy or lazy work, but it is quite rewarding. After months or even years of doing this, you may discover things you thought you believed are not exactly what Scripture teaches. Many secondary issues, that are important, divide us and have done so for a while. The question from the aforementioned quote would be, "where do you stand on any given doctrine? Is that belief due to Scripture's teaching or man's? The answer to the latter question can be man, but you must know that man got it from Scripture. Again, not lazy work. Pagans take the lazy way and sit satisfied in their self aggrandizing.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 continues to declare the benefits of Scripture, with correction or reproof. If you allow the Spirit of God to meet you in the pages of his book you will be met with conviction. If you stay open to allowing God to teach himself to you, he will disabuse and bring reproof to doctrines that are not taught the way you may have come to believe. He may even affirm doctrines you believe to be true. Staying open to him is more important than going to his word with a bias, or a preconceived belief you are determined to hold to.
We will all arrive in the presence of the Lord with some incorrect doctrinal reality, the question is, "were you willing to let go of false beliefs for what the Scripture actually says?" "Were you seeking to know him to the point you were willing to believe what Scripture actually teaches?" Paul continues with Scripture brings correction. It sets the record straight. Read to be set straight, pagans do not do that. They read to prove others wrong. If they read it at all. If they do, they only read to affirm their lies.
Lastly, Scripture offers us training or instruction. We go through a process, from newborn babes to maturity in Christ, 1 Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:12, the Scripture requires this of us. When we handle the Bible like pagans, we use it to satisfy some religious requirement. Due to the fact that God's word is living, it requires something of us. In Christ, God offers us His Word and His Spirit, then with that, he demands a changed life.
If you've seen no change in your life, you need to ask if you are in Christ. "Am I still pagan?"
If you only desire to parrot others' beliefs, you may not be in Christ. "Am I still pagan?"
If you aren't interested in the Scriptures teaching you "its essential categories," you may not be in Christ. "Am I still pagan?"
These are all pagan ways of handling the Scriptures. No change, parroting others, not caring about the essential truths of God, looks pagan to me.
The gift to each of us is life. That means we can repent and change. We can begin to dive into the book that allows us to intimately know God. We get the reward of becoming his useful vessel. We get the added blessing of experiencing what God wants to teach us from His Word. What better teacher than God himself, through his Spirit?
Please, don't be like the pagans in the handling of the Scriptures, it avails not!
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