Shaped by Scripture

In their book More Jesus, Less Religion, Steve Arterburn and Jack Felton tell a fascinating story about the work of a Wycliffe Bible translator in a remote village in Papua New Guinea. When the opening chapters of Genesis were first translated into the native language, the attitude toward women in the tribe changed overnight. When they realized that the woman had been specially formed out of the side of the man, these people immediately grasped the idea of equality between the sexes and began adjusting their behaviour. The people heard, believed, obeyed and changed.

This illustrates that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17), and that “the word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12). Scripture is not merely a document with spiritual words. It is a Voice with spiritual force. Scripture is not just a record of what God spoke, but of what God speaks. It is not just a digest of what God did, but of what God does. Our ultimate goal in Bible study is not to merely understand what God said, but to embrace what God says and allow it to shape us. The goal is not to master the Bible, but to allow the Bible to master us.

Have you read your Bible, attended Bible studies and listened to Sunday messages but found that nothing changed in your life? Maybe you analyzed the Sermon on the Mount or heard a message on The Good Samaritan and feel you have an understanding of what those passages mean. But unless you ask, “How can I personally respond to these truths in my conduct, conversation and character?”, you will not truly understand those Scriptures. They will only inform you, not form you. Scripture must settle into your heart, not just your head. You may know the Greek word for each fruit of the Spirit and the historical background of Galatians, but if you are legalistic and unloving to your spouse, children and those at work, you really don’t understand Galatians. It has not shaped you.

We must not simply study Scripture. We must also obey it. James declares, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Paul told the Thessalonians, “We also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). When we allow Scripture to work in us, it shapes us, and we truly understand. According to Jesus, to know Scripture (hear) is to practise it (obey). We learn truth by doing it. We learn love by loving; we learn prayer by praying; we learn wisdom by making wise choices; we learn the fruit of the Spirit by exercising patience, gentleness and self-control.

Let me suggest ways to be shaped by Scripture:

1. Read Scripture formationally more than informationally.

Come in openness to hear God’s Voice, to be “mastered” and shaped by Scripture. The goal is quality, not quantity. The text is not the object we control, but we are the objects to be shaped by the text. Read quietly, slowly, allowing each word to seep into your heart. Take short pauses as you dwell on the spiritual force of the words. Ask: “God, what are You saying to me through this text? What action or attitude must I embrace?”

2. Read Scripture relationally more than functionally.

“Our spiritual disciplines must emerge from our relationship with God,” M. Robert Muholland Jr. wrote in Shaped by the Word. “If our spiritual disciplines don’t emerge from our relationship with God . . . they become a very subtle and destructive form of works-righteousness. When this happens, Scripture becomes a collection of rules or behaviors to be observed in order to achieve the desired results. . . . Spiritual formation is a loving relationship with God that shapes our being rather than a technique or method or program for self-improvement.”

A test case:

Romans 12:11–12 says, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

When you come to a text like this, read through it slowly, drinking in every word. Consult commentaries or a study Bible to learn the meaning of key words like “zeal”, “spiritual fervor”, “hope”, “affliction” and “prayer”. For example, zeal means “haste and diligence” while spiritual fervor means to “boil with Spirit”. Then enter the text and expect God to address you. Close your eyes and imagine what these ideas look like. Ask: What is God saying to me here? What attitude or action must I cultivate today? What does this say about my relationship with God? Pray through the text.

For example, I might pray, “Lord, I lack zeal and don’t feel hot with Your Spirit. May I serve You with passion. I hunger for Your presence and power in my life. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might be hot.”

When I read “joyful in hope . . . patient in affliction . . . faithful in prayer”, I need to understand that biblical hope is expectant anticipation, not wishful thinking. It is faith, ruthless trust, waiting on God. This lifts my heart. It means that even if, for instance, I am unemployed, I should not lose heart, because my ultimate future is secure no matter what. Life is hard, full of pain, loss and affliction, but God invites me to be patient in affliction. Therefore, I need to pray, “Lord will You help me to keep on and to never give up?”

How do I do this? By being “faithful in prayer”. My response to this might be: “Lord, I will try to pray about everything – my relationship with You, my beautiful city, my wife and children, my place of ministry, my life purpose, my friends.”

I will come to understand this Scripture better as I allow it to shape me. I will come to know it by practising it, not just in my devotional time, but also in my life.

Roger Helland, formerly senior associate pastor at Garden Valley Community Church in Winfield, B.C. is now pastor of discipleship at Vernon (B.C.) Alliance Church.