Over the last few years I have noticed and experienced a large amount of confusion about how Gospel-Centrality and Spiritual Disciplines can co-exist. If the Gospel is how a Christian grows then where do disciplines like daily prayer and bible reading fit in? I want to highlight the misuse of the disciplines using bible reading as an example.
It sounds odd to think that reading the bible could counter-productive in our sanctification. Sadly many of us Christians make the same mistake as a group of people Jesus addresses 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 about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” Jesus tells this group of people that they are not going to find life in the scriptures. Think about that. Re-read the verse and stop at the word life. Jesus is saying reading and searching the scriptures to find life is reading and searching the scriptures the wrong way. Does it not sound like they were reading the bible the right way? Is this how you were taught to read the bible? Is this how you currently read the bible? Well what is wrong with that approach? Jesus says that approach is wrong because it misses what/who the bible is about. Him! Jesus is telling us that reading the bible and missing Him is the wrong way to read the bible.
Reading the bible is not the end or the point. Worshiping Jesus is the end and Jesus is the point. How many times I have wasted in bible study reading just to feel better about reading. In those times, I am reading just like the crowd Jesus addressed. This is the danger of misusing spiritual disciplines. The problem is simply this. Christians and Non Christians make the disciplines then end rather than the means to the end.
Next blog post will be about negative reactions against the disciplines.
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