image map Home Favorites Reading About Contact

Bible or Jesus?

Someone has observed that a belief is what you hold, but a conviction is what holds you. You may live contrary to what you believe, but you cannot live contrary to your convictions.
JERRY BRIDGES, The Discipline of Grace

To do’s with Scripture

Do you have many convictions?
Beliefs deep enough that they affect who you are?

In Chapter 10 of The Discipline of Grace, Jerry Bridges comes down hard on forming our convictions through intentional time spent with Scripture.

We must commit ourselves to be proactive. We must memorize key passages (or carry them on cards) so that we can think about them. We must be alert for those times during the day when we can turn our minds to the Word of God, and then we must do it.

Even the practice of daily Bible reading is insufficient if we go the rest of the day without meditating on some truths of Scripture.

We must choose to meditate instead of thinking about other things, or listening to the radio, or watching television.

We simply have to decide which end of the influence continuum we want to live on and take steps accordingly.

At one time, I would have had no problem with these statements. 

And even now, I agree these are wonderful practices that I’d highly recommend.

Who saves?

But is it time spent with Scripture that makes the difference?
Or is it time spent with the Lord (even through Scripture)?

I’m troubled with the language. As I tweeted yesterday (yeah, this stays on my mind a lot):

Jesus tweet

Giving Bridges the benefit of the doubt—I’ve read enough of his writings lately!—I confidently say he counts Jesus as Lord, too, not a book. But that’s all the more reason to be clear about it.

I’m uncomfortable with his words that elevate things we *must* do with scripture. (And let’s not forget that most people in the world don’t have a dozen or more copies of The Holy Bible in their house like many evangelical believers do here in the States, so they might not could do these things even if they wanted to.)

Our righteousness doesn’t hinge on the practice of daily Bible reading or memorizations or meditations, but on Jesus Christ. [Again, I’m confident Bridges would agree, but I need to be plain about this for me.] We can draw nearer to Jesus through daily Bible readings and memorizations and meditations—and I do!, but I won’t draw hard lines on daily practices of them for everyone.

As a more contemplative person, these practices feel natural to me. And the Holy Spirit uses them for my transformation.

But for someone like my husband, he’s more transformed into Christlikeness with a chainsaw in his hand clearing someone’s property after a storm.

Yes, he still reads his Bible and values the Word—just as I also value serving in tangible ways—but he’s more influenced in the doing, not in carrying around a 3x5 card with a memory verse on it (a practice that *I* treasure).

Where’s the grace?

By the end of the chapter, Bridges brings up the question himself. And he does rely on grace—he points that out. He explains beautifully that the disciplines we use are never to earn acceptance with God; we’re gifted with acceptance solely through the work of Jesus Christ.

These disciplines of Bible study, Scripture memorization, continual meditation, and application of Scripture are avenues God has established to aid us in following him. I agree.

The goal of it all is to live lives that honor God, not to make deposit after deposit of information in our brain account.

We should pray for knowledge of truth that will change our lives rather than simply inform our minds.

We seek truth in the scripture to know perfect Truth here and now. 
We read words in the Bible to love the living Word in our life.

Those are convictions I hold. And convictions that hold me. the discipline of grace

* * *

Am I overly sensitive to Bridges’ word choices in this chapter? Perhaps.

Read what others say on this chapter at Challies.

My summaries on Chapters 1-9

It’s Day 11 of . . .

31-Days-of-Grace_LisaNotes

Comments (8)

Loading... Logging you in...
  • Logged in as
Intriguing... I agree with you that Jesus saves and not the Bible, and that Grace is important.... I think that recently I have been toying with the idea of Salvation as a process and not a "prayer" (i.e. Fire Insurance card). When I've read 1 John recently I've been more challenged to think that way... Look at 1 John 1:5-7 and tell me what you think!
My recent post 31 days of {inner} beauty - the first 10 days at a glance
1 reply · active 648 weeks ago
The "fire insurance card" is a view I'm trying to move away from, too. Reading 1 John I'm reminded that it is indeed a "walk". Our transformation is certainly process, even while we're continually being washed clean.
Interesting thoughts, Lisa ... my first reaction when I read your post was ... "but Jesus is the Word!" (look at John 1:14 - well all of John 1, really) It can't be wrong to spend time in Scripture. But, I do understand your point - people are so prone to taking anything and making it into a formula so that they can "earn" favor with God. I want to shy away from anything that "smacks" of legalism.

I'm so glad that God looks at us through the righteousness of Jesus and not through our own!
My recent post Day 11: Be Encouraged - Your God is Enough
3 replies · active 648 weeks ago
Exactly, Jerralea. Jesus IS the Word. I love that. I'm probably not explaining myself clearly because I agree with everything you said. :)
I really appreciate what you have written, Lisa. My first reaction was, " Right! John 5:39&40 applies to so many of us."You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."
Yes--those verses are totally applicable still in our day. They are ones I need to remember often. Thanks, Pam.
My recent post Stay alert – How to guard against temptation
I didn't see the chapter at all as setting up Jesus and the Bible as an either/or thing, but as getting to know Jesus and His will through the Bible. The Bible is the primary way He speaks to us. Sure, there are people who search the Scripture and miss Jesus, and there are people who get bogged down in their systems, but that is not the fault of the Bible.

Someone said recently that drift is always away, and I have seen this in my own life as well as others: when we're not actively, purposefully spending time in the Word, we're coming more under the influence of the world's thinking. I think that's what Bridges main point was.
My recent post The Discipline of Convictions
1 reply · active 648 weeks ago
I'm glad to hear your take on this chapter, Barbara. I was wondering if it was just my sensitivity to this issue that made me notice what I did, and perhaps so, since you didn't pick up on it.

I definitely agree that the Bible is the primary way we learn about Jesus and his will. I just like to hear it spelled out clearly that that's the goal, rather than the more vague goal we often hear to just "study the Bible." Our Bible study has a goal beyond itself--Jesus. Like I said, I'm sure Bridges would totally agree; he just didn't always say it as plainly as I'd like in this section.

The Bible is full of Jesus, but the Bible can't contain Jesus. The living Word is much bigger than just the written words.

I love that message John puts at the end of his epistle:

John 20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
John 20:31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

My recent post New grace every morning

Post a new comment

Comments by

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails