Submitting to the Word

"If we do not submit to the truth of the Scriptures and the reality of God's call on the lives of His people, we will continually be reconstructing our theology to fit our circumstances and conforming our image of God to fit our dreams for life and our desires for comfort. (Mills, Bill. The Day of the Lord!: Preparing to Meet the Bridegroom)*

Take a moment to process that statement- let it really sink in because the author of that passage, Bill Mills, is spot-on right.

In Philippians 3:10-11 Paul writes, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

The first part of verse 10 sounds so good- "to know Christ and the power of His resurrection".  Verse 11 is great- "to attain to the resurrection of the dead."  But it's that part in the middle that we ignore to our own detriment as disciples- "the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings".  

Modern American Christianity is often denuded of any real power or influence not because the world refuses to submit to God and His Word, but because the Church refuses to do so.

A great number of today's Christians have been fed a steady diet of poor (dare I say wrong) theology that reduces or ignores the call to suffering.  So when suffering comes, there are only two options: recast one's view of God, or abandon the Faith entirely.

There is a third option which Mills lays out: "submit to the truth of the Scriptures and the reality of God's call on the lives of His people".

If one calling oneself a christian (small 'c' intended) rejects the Bible as God's perfect Word, they have no real basis for understanding the world around them.

They will never have a fixed foundation of belief because they will "continually be reconstructing [their] theology to fit [their] circumstances".  They will attempt to interpret truth based on experience rather than the other way round.

They will never gain a healthy perspective about God because they will forever be "conforming [their] image of God to fit [their] dreams for life and [their] desires for comfort."  They will craft idols of the mind, concepts of God that are false and misleading.

Submission to the Bible is has become socially ridiculous and quite frankly, if you are reading this and do not claim to be a 'born again Christian' I would not expect it of you.  But if you claim to follow Jesus, yet do not submit to His Word, I ask you just what you think a 'christian' (again small 'c' intended) is.

A Christian (there's the capital 'C'!) is one who has, in faith, recognized and repented of sin and surrendered themselves to Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible.  We do not attempt to change our theology based on our experience, but interpret our experience based on God's Revelation.  We do not attempt to change God to suit our desires or lifestyles, but change those to come into line with Who He is and what He has called His people to- even if that means suffering.

I'm taking God at His Word and look for Him to define my dreams and desires no matter what that may look like.

How about you? 

Leave a comment below!

*Mills, Bill. The Day of the Lord!: Preparing to Meet the Bridegroom. Leadership Resources International, 2002. Print page 172