Reading Scripture Covenantally (Lesson 1)

Introduction

During the Second Missionary Journey, the Apostle Paul and Silas stayed briefly in the city of Berea, having fled persecution in Thessalonica after having been there for only a few weeks.  Luke, writing the account of the stay, singled out the Bereans for particular commendation, saying: “These [Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).  Paul’s commendation is not just that the Bereans were receptive to the Gospel, which they were, but that they evaluated his claims by searching the Scriptures.  This is serious dedication to being “Bible believing,” which we compare poorly with today.  A key hallmark of historic Protestantism is a commitment to the preeminent authority of the Bible.  However, many people, if they read the Bible at all, read it devotionally: a few verses or a short passage with some inspirational thoughts by the devotional writer.  Such an approach reveals more about the mind of the devotion writer than that of the Lord, who inspired all Scripture.  So, what does it mean to be “Bible believing”?

Our tendency as modern Protestants is to think of the Bible solely as our guide to salvation.  Some will piously say that the Bible is “God’s love letter to His people,” but given the many hard things in the Bible, that would be a most curious “love letter.”  The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) says Scripture is clear regarding matters of salvation (WCF I.7), and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms (WLC, WSC) also observe that the Bible is more than just about how to be saved: “The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man” (WLC 5, WSC 3, emphasis added).  Indeed, WLC 6 expands on this to say, “The scriptures make known what God is, the persons in the Godhead, his decrees, and the execution of his decrees.”  Scripture is “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life” (WCF I.6), the “supreme judge of all controversies” (WCF I.10), and the only rule of faith and obedience to direct us in how we may glorify and enjoy God (WLC 3, WSC 2).  Scripture is the foundation of the Christian worldview.

That said, the Bible is complex.  WCF I.7 forthrightly acknowledges this when it says, “All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all.”  The Bible is made up of 66 individual books, with genres encompassing historical narrative, law code, poetry, wisdom literature, romance, epistle, and apocalypse.  It was written over a period of 1,500 years by some 40 authors, each with their own unique style.  At the same time, since these books were infallibly inspired by God, God is the ultimate author, and all Scripture is the very Word of God.  That means that despite the diversity in the Bible there is also a fundamental unity to it.  To be like the Bereans, then, we need to read Scripture not only continually, but also consistently, believing that the narrative and the doctrines in it cohere in a unified whole.

(For a fuller discussion, see the attached file)