Pursuing Wisdom Wisely

Inside Cleveland Church

If, as Peter Enns says, the purpose of the Bible is to invite us to pursue wisdom, then can we see evidence of that in the Bible itself?  Did the later writers recognize that the scripture they had was ancient, ambiguous and diverse?

If you read his book, How the Bible Actually Works, then I think you will find that the Bible there are several examples of how biblical writers practiced wisdom in what they wrote.  They saw that the work they were reading, even in their time, was not a history book, but a story of truth. 

For example, compare the books of Kings to the books of Chronicles.  Same story - same time period.  Very different telling.

Look at Paul.  He quotes prophets when he writes his letters, but he pulls sentences out of context to apply to Jesus. They weren't written to speak of Jesus, but in them, Paul sees Jesus, so he writes of them.  I don't think that gives us permission to pull scripture out of context, but I do think it releases us from the idea that scripture can't be used to speak to today.

Wisdom

I taught Sunday school a Sunday or two ago.  I focused the lesson on the beginning of Peter Enns' book, How the Bible Works.  His thesis is that the Bible is designed by God to invite us on a quest for wisdom.  

Let's talk about wisdom for a little bit:

1. Wisdom was present before creation à Proverbs 3:19-20 says, “The Lord by wisdom  founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the  deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.  Paul speaks of how Jesus and  wisdom are intertwined in 1 Corinthians 1:30 “He (God) is the source of your life in  Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and  sanctification and redemption…”
2. “At least some ancient Jews ascribed to wisdom something approaching divine status to  act as a mediator between God and humanity, to make God accessible to us here and  now.”  (Enns) We can understand that wisdom is a characteristic of God.
3. I think wisdom is one of the ways God employs sanctifying grace to help us to grown  more into God’s own image.  

Wisdom makes God more accessible to us.  Wisdom is what the Holy Spirit whispers to us.  Wisdom  was present with God when Jesus was, at the beginning.  

And the Bible invites us to pursue it.  

How do we do that?  I think there are lots of ways, but I think back to Wesley, and the means of grace.  If Wisdom is a characteristic of God that leads us closer the image of God, then I think it is a kind of sanctifying grace.  If it's grace, then what about Wesley's means of grace?  Could these be tools to help us to seek wisdom?

Tomorrow, let's talk about the Means of Grace.  

Spouting Verses

A couple of weeks ago in worship, the lectionary reading was the temptation of Jesus. Jesus goes into the wilderness for 40 days, fasting.  The devil comes to him, and tempts him.  What was interesting to me that morning in worship was that for temptation, the devil used bible verses from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).

In a world where I hear so many people quoting Bible verses to make a point, this struck home with me.  I don’t think we are the devil when we quote scripture, but I think that story points us to a conclusion that is extremely important in our faith. The purpose of the Bible is not that it is to be used as a weapon. It isn’t to be used as an “instruction” manual, with verses lifted up as arrows.

So, what is the purpose of the Bible?

I'm reading a book called How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns.  He writes that the purpose of the Bible is to invite us to pursue a quest for wisdom.  This is how God designed the Bible; and don't you and I believe that God knew what he was doing?

If God knew the best kind of sacred writing we would need, and I believe that to be true, then what is God’s plan? His purpose for this writing? Peter Enns says that the pursuit of wisdom is God's Plan A.

Think about that the next time you are tempted to spout Bible verses in support of what you believe. Anita, in Sunday school, put it best today.  "Don't use the Bible like the drunk who uses light post for support instead of for illumination."

Holy, Perfect, and Clear

I'm currently reading Peter Enn's book, How the Bible Actually Works.  I picked it up because I very much enjoy (and learn from) his (with Jared Byas) podcast, The Bible for Normal People.  If you can follow that weirdly constructed sentence, then , go , now and subscribe to that podcast.

In the very beginning of the book, Enns writes, "The spiritual disconnection many people feel today stems precisely from expecting (or being told to expect) the Bible to be holy, perfect, and clear, while in fact after reading it they find it to be morally suspect, out of touch, confusing, and just plain weird.  As you read that sentence, what is your reaction? Are you thinking, "Yes, I know what he means?" or are you thinking "Sacrilege!  Why is she reading that book?"

I want to approach the Bible the way God intended for me to approach it.  I want to be prepared to hear the Word of God through it, and not what other people tell me I should hear.  I want to respect this gift we have from God and not misuse it.  

When I hear someone say that the earth is 6000 years old or so, because the Bible told him so, I cringe.  When I hear that a Southern Baptist Church can be removed from their convention by appointing a woman as senior pastor, because the Bible told them so, I cringe.   And when I hear that a loving gay couple is rejected because the Bible says their love is an abomination, I cringe.  And all of these actions are taken because people say the Bible is holy, perfect, and clear.

I believe the bible is holy.  I have never found the Bible to be clear.  Ever.  It is wonderfully complicated and contradictory.  And if it is perfect, it is perfect in its depth and wisdom, not in its infallibility. And there are those of you who have stopped reading now, and doubt my connection to God. That's OK.  I love  you anyway, because the Bible told me so. Which it does.

Enns talks about the Bible as a book of wisdom, leading us to God.  It is a book (or several books, stories, letters, poems, etc) that speak to us of God, and through which we can find God, and because of which God can reach us.  It is a book that leads us to an understanding of who God is.  

It is complicated and contradictory and lovely.  It is full of people's experiences of God.  It contains a depth that none of us have yet to completely understand or explore.  It is holy.

And for me, when we call it simple and clear, we disrespect it.  And when we use it to support our own beliefs instead of allowing to be a conduit of grace and a means to wisdom, to take the Lord's name in vain.

We all need to stop doing that.