Re: If Jesus Intended for Christianity to be Exclusively a “Religion of the Book,” Wh
Actually, if most of the Bible disappeared tomorrow, your life would not change any bit. Our life is around basic teachings and the example of Jesus Christ and the apostles. If you would not have 100 psalms or one of the gospels or Revelation, would you be more evil person? I do not think so.
So by "live it" I meant the basic and core Christianity.
This is a big issue with me. What if the Bible did disappear tomorrow?
Well, the first thing is, I know I have not memorized enough Scripture and hidden it in my heart. This inspires me to spur myself to get back to memorizing the Bible. That is the best way to make it part of your life, to meditate on it, to let the Holy Spirit work it in your heart and transform you.
In order to grow in our faith, our love of God, and to be changed into something very different than the person we were before we got saved, we need spiritual food. God has given us that spiritual food in the form of the bible. It is called the "Word of God" for a reason!
I don't know about anyone else, but my spiritual life is formed around God's Word. Daily, as I read and ponder the Words of Life, God responds by literally illuminating verses which I need to not just read, but to memorize and hid in my heart. The Holy Spirit does not work in a vacuum. He uses the Word to change us, and to help us become more like him!
God has left us his Word for a reason! It is his love letter to us, as Kayla so aptly put earlier in her metaphor! And because we are NOT separated from God, because the Spirit dwells in our hearts, there is a continual interaction with the truths that God has outlined in our Bible. The Word of God is the truth of Jesus Christ. The Word of God is the revelation of Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation.
To ridiculously suggest the Bible must be read in groups, or only with a designated elder reading the Bible is ridiculous. God speaks to us all. We hear his voice in our spirit, because God has spoken in his Word. We are not dependent on some kind of charismatic revelation to know God's will, his plan, his purpose for humanity and also for us. Although if we are walking with God, seeking him daily and throughout the day, we will experience the illumination that comes from knowing the Word of God and walking in it in our lives.
If the Bible disappeared tomorrow, my prayer is that I have read and studied it enough, and I have memorized enough that I could continue to walk with God because it would be in my heart. If the bible disappeared tomorrow, and that included my knowledge of it, then I would no longer be a Christian. Because the truth of Jesus Christ is revealed in the Bible, and without the Bible, I would have no knowledge of God.
As for the Psalms, I read 5 a day, after 2 years of not reading the Bible, when I was in a deep depression because I had severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Word Faith people had shamed me with their heresies about my lack of faith because I was not healed, when in fact, my deep studies of Scipture show that healing is not even in the atonement. God prompted me for months to read 5 Psalms, I am glad he did not give up on insisting that is where I need to park myself for 2 years! The Psalms are about real people, with real problems who cry out to God, and hold onto hope because of knowing God is who he is. I always recommend reading through the Psalms over and over when people are suffering, there is no better consolation and hope.
The gospels are precious because we can see Jesus' life on earth revealed. We can see the man, who is also God, and his compassion and mercy, and his lack of tolerance for those who have twisted the OT into something he did not create it to be. How could we live without the gospels?? Absurd to even consider!!
As for Revelation, I don't think I will say anything. It has never been my favourite book, especially when people come up with the most bizarre eschatological answers for the strange visions John had! But does it have value for the Christian? Always!
Trofimus, I did not know you felt this way about God's Word and it troubles me terribly! Have you ever read the Bible through? I would suggest you read it through, not once but 50 times, and let it permeate your soul! You will be amazed at how God uses it to make you more like him!