Reading About Rollercoasters
Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? Now, have you ever read about roller coasters? I am guessing that more of you answered yes to the first question and no to the latter. Maybe you’re like me and it wasn’t until this idea came to me to ever even think about the notion of reading about roller coasters. Why is that? It seems to me that fundamentally a roller coaster is about experiential knowledge rather than practical knowledge for most of us (those of you who are into physics may be the exception). Even if you have never ridden a roller coaster, I’m sure you know that reading about what they are and what they do cannot give a complete, accurate demonstration of its purpose.
This is the metaphor that God put on my heart to demonstrate the difference between who He is and the Bible. Some of us have a relationship with the Bible (knowing/ quoting Scripture, reading it everyday) and yet are lacking in our relationship with God. How can this be? I believe that we have had unknowingly substituted practical, tangible knowledge of the Bible for the often intangible, relational experience with Jesus. As humans we REALLY like to have the answers to things. In order to find those answers as believers we go to the Bible. However, the Bible is not meant to be read as a recipe or math book. More times than not we need to connect with the author of the Word to truly understand its meaning, in general or for personal circumstances.
This is not a debate about whether the Bible is a gift and tool to help us navigate our faith. Rather, it is a caution to use the tool given to us as a replacement for our relationship and dependence on God alone. In Biblical days people did not have the whole and even access to parts of the Bible - it was being lived out! Did that make people less Spirit filled? The religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Jews got stuck on trying to decide whether Jesus was actually the Messiah and their primary method of trying to discredit Jesus was through their knowledge of Scripture! They had put themselves as authorities in the Scripture, combining it with human logic rather than allowing God’s logic to enter in. Jesus speaks plainly to this in John 5:39-40: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” People had replaced their Savior with Scripture - they traded the actual person for the thing they read about the person. Sound familiar?
A few years ago God made this very clear to me. I am a learner - I love knowledge and am always curious about the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of things. I felt God speaking to me that I needed to stop reading my Bible for a time (with the exception of John 15) to focus on our relationship. What?! This might be shocking for some of you. However, John 15 is about abiding in Christ and that anything worthwhile in this life comes from our relationship connected to Him as the source. God is the source! We cannot put the information about something ahead in priority to the actual thing! My head was full of knowledge about God but my heart needed to be filled up with God’s love for me that I had yet to experience in the way that He desired and I didn’t know I needed.
The Bible was not meant to replace a person, it was written to point us to THE person.
The Mirror translation of 2 Tim. 3:16 tells us that, “Jesus Christ and his work of salvation is the theme of Scripture. The value of scripture in its most complete context is always found in God’s prophetic voice inspiring a thorough education in the revelation of righteousness! This is what carries the breath of God and gives substance and proof to accurately gauge what is being taught.” There is no revelation of God without the relationship with God/ Jesus/ Holy Spirit! I cannot know more about the Bible reading it within the confines of my own logic, or anyone else’s for that matter, without the assistance of the Creator of that word. If I do, I am essentially making what they called in the Old Testament, an idol out of “knowing” the Bible.
Instead of using Scripture to explain God I have found that He shows me Himself in light of Scripture. I love the example in Luke 24 where the two of the disciples were walking along the road, talking about all the things that had transpired with Jesus’ death and the report of the women that Jesus had “supposedly” left the tomb. At that moment, Jesus appeared, though they did not recognize Him. As they walked, Jesus reminded them of what Scripture said about what would happen. Inviting Jesus to stay with them for a meal, Jesus broke bread with them, their eyes were opened and they were able to understand. The revelation was clear because of the relationship!
Imagine for a moment that someone you love would rather read a book about you and claim to know you from having read that book. They did not want to talk to you or spend time with you because they felt that by reading the book they knew everything there was to learn. Reading about a roller coaster v. riding a roller coaster. Our knowledge of Scripture is useless and potentially dangerous to our faith and others’ if we do not put it in its rightful place. Scripture invites us over and over again back to God - “our first love”, “our rescue”, “redeemer”, “sustainer”, “friend”, “refuge”, “strength”. God wants to be your guide and reveal Himself to you in relationship using the truth of His word - will you allow Him to?
- Katie Rivera
