Read the Bible

11Jun
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough.

-2 Corinthians 11:1-4


In these chapters from his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul is defending his ministry against various accusations and other ministers that he calls super-apostles. He argues that he is “not in the least inferior” to them. He also admits that he “may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge.”  


I take these verses today as a good reminder to not be swayed by dynamic preachers, shiny and glossy presentations of the gospel in church or elsewhere, or the latest well-written book unless they are presenting the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We have to be careful that we are not drawn in by an inaccurate gospel version that seems attractive or into a cult of personality by a dynamic leader who might be distorting the truth.


This is why I firmly believe that it is of the utmost importance that we spend as much time as possible reading our Bibles and absorbing the message directly. I believe this must include the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. This enables us to discern the true gospel vs. someone else’s version of it, as well as true spirits vs false ones. Our Daily Office readings are a great place to start. I can also recommend reading through the Bible with a Reader's Version that does not distract you with verse numbers and numerous footnotes.


Fortunately, as we all know, this is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things we can do in our walk as followers of Christ. So, have fun with it!


Musical Reflection - Establish the Work of our Hands - The Porter's Gate


Q. Why do we call the Holy Scriptures the Word of God?

A. We call them the Word of God because God inspired their human authors and because God still speaks to us through the Bible.  

-The Catechism (BCP p. 844)

Bible StudyNew TestamentPentecost

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