Is God Bigger Than A Book?

The title of this post is loaded and cocked like a high-powered rifle.  Answering "no" runs the risk of limiting God, and affirming it creates the potential of wrongly attributing deeds to God.  God is Almighty and has primarily revealed His character, righteousness, and Gospel through the Word of God.  The times I have heard this statement used, the Bible is the book being referenced.  The Bible is not just "a" book, but His book.  I believe the Bible is exactly what it claims to be:  all scripture is of His divine inspiration, His God-breathed Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  So before we can even fairly tackle the question, we must consider the context of making such a statement.  If we do not first understand the premise, we can arrive at the wrong conclusion.

When someone says "God is bigger than a book," it is the premise of the statement that concerns me more than the statement itself.  Atheists or unbelievers are not the ones saying this, but often it is professing Christians.  What is the motive to say such a thing?  Scripture itself reveals that God is greater than all, so it seems obvious that God must be "bigger" than a book.  But what is the word "bigger" intended to convey when speaking about God?  Has He not placed His word above His name (Ps. 138:2)? What synonym better conveys the true agenda?  By referring to the Bible as "a" book, the statement itself denigrates the sufficiency of the Word and shrinks down the scope and power of the Bible, equating it to just any old book.  This is very problematic, especially today with a growing culture in the church that is moving away from literal trust and adherence to scripture.

John says Jesus did many things which were not written in the Gospel he penned, and what was written was to the end we might believe.  He closed the Gospel of John with these words in John 21:25:  "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen."  If all the deeds Jesus did could not be contained in the world itself, then it seems clear that the scope of what Jesus did is not entirely contained in scripture.  This by itself seems to lend a positive answer to the original question.  But the case isn't closed.  Jesus said there would be many who would come in His name but be deceivers.  They would claim to do the works of God but have no part in Him.  Paul describes the works of Satan in 2 Thess. 2:9 "...with all power and signs and lying wonders."  For this reason we are not to believe every spirit but to test them, for many false prophets have gone into the world (1 John 4:1).

The Holy Spirit gives us discernment through the scriptures to know truth from error.  Because that is one purpose for the scriptures being given it is not "limiting God" to look to the scriptures to find precedent.  Did Jesus do miracles of all kinds?  Yes!  Can Christians do miracles of all kinds today in His name, even healing diseases and afflictions not specifically mentioned in the Bible?  Yes!  The baptism with the Holy Spirit is for today, and I personally have received this baptism from Christ.  Our experiences and feelings will be different from each other because we are all different people.  The Acts of the Apostles reveal the Spirit of God manifested Himself as tongues of fire on the heads of the believers gathered in one accord in the upper room as they prayed:  is it possible the Spirit of God could manifest His presence in the same or different way today?  Sure.  But we must approach such "signs" or events cautiously, our feet firmly founded on the Word of God.  We are not ever told to seek after signs or miracles in scripture, but after Christ.  When the unbelieving Jews asked for a sign Jesus said it was "a wicked and adulterous generation" that sought after a sign when there He stood in their midst (Matt. 16:4).

God does miracles today.  Because of this scripture reveals Satan performs lying wonders as an angel of light with the intent to deceive and destroy.  If miracles or spiritual gifts were not in operation today by the power of the Holy Spirit, every supernatural act by Satan would expose his treachery!  His greatest asset is his subtlety.  His strongest approach is to question the validity of God's Word.  Wolves can pose as sheep and infiltrate the flock of God.  Therefore we must remain vigilant to hold fast to God's Word.  Jesus said His followers would do greater works (in scope) than Him through the Holy Spirit (John 14:12), but God has established boundaries He will not cross.  He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) or contradict Himself, almost like fresh and salty water flowing from the same spring.  The Holy Spirit will always glorify Christ (John 16:14), and Christ always honours the Father (John 8:49).  God's character is the same yesterday, today, and forever because He does not change (Ps. 102:25-27).  In all these aspects God cannot and will not overstep the bounds set clearly by His Word.  In this sense God always operates within the revealed truth of scripture.  There is a consistency in God's Word that can be counted on.  We must be cautious not to fall for Satan's sleight of hand, dazzled and duped.  Men are liars and easily led astray, but God is true and trustworthy.  That being said, God will not be confined by our limited view of Him.  Our unbelief restricts His resurrection power from being displayed.  We should have an expectancy of God to move in power and not to try and dictate how or when He will do wonders.  Truly, the greatest wonder to me is the salvation of a soul and the testimony of a transformed life through the Holy Spirit.  Physical healing is temporary, but the salvation of souls is eternal.

Understanding the premise of this statement is the key to the conclusion.  I am no one to judge another man's servant, because we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  Allow me to conclude with Psalm 19:7-14:  "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; ⁸ the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; ⁹ the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. ¹² Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. ¹³ Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. ¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Taught to Know War

During family devotions a few nights ago we read a passage which has remained in my mind and on my heart.  Judges 3:1-4 reads, "Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan ² (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), ³ namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses."

The children of Israel were not obedient to drive out the nations in the land of promise.  Therefore God told them He would no longer drive them out, and it was not out of spite or frustration.  God had righteous motives in allowing the enemy nations to remain, and these verses reveal some of God's redemptive purposes.  Verses one and four say God left the nations to "test Israel by them," so it would be evident if His people obeyed His commands or not.  If you read on for a few more verses, you will see they did not.

The part of this passage which has me thinking is verse two.  After the initial war to secure the land, a generation in Israel arose who did not know war.  Another purpose of God for allowing opposing forces in Canaan was "only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war..."  I don't know about you, but I would be glad for my children to never know war as many have known it.  My grandfather, Bernard Francis Grisez, was a Pearl Harbour survivor.  He was a great man.  Despite the struggles of service, I know his experiences had a formative quality in his personality and character for good.  God is wiser than men, and He knows how to make them.

God desired the new generation be taught to know war, to learn to trust God to fight their battles.  He didn't want the children of Israel to be soft, complacent, and be ignorant of enemy threats.  He wanted to develop men into warriors who could teach others to trust God and fight.  He didn't want His people touting their strength at fitness boot camp when they hadn't even been through military basic training!  What good are toned abs if you can't handle a sword, spear, or bow?  There is a big difference between basic training and live combat.  There is something about risking your life that is an impetus to growing faith in God.  Every day God provides tests to prove us to see if we will obey Him or not.

How true this is for us!  The scriptures tell us we are in a spiritual battle for the souls of men and the glory of God.  Remember the words of 2 Timothy 2:1-4:  "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³ You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."  We are called to be strong in the grace of Christ, lead others to Him faithfully, teach them to observe His commands, and endure hardship as a good soldier.  God is our Commander, and we are His subjects.  He allows opposition and battles within and outside so we too might learn how to battle, fight on in faith despite hardship, and learn how to walk victoriously.  We can endure to the end, even as Jesus did.  He endured the cross, knowing the glory and victory of the resurrection was only possible through the cross.  Let us follow His example and fight on for the joy set before us!

Leave Your Waterpot

John 4 tells of a woman in the city of Samaria who went to a well to draw water.  To her amazement, she met a Jewish man at the well who not only acknowledged her presence, but asked for a drink!  This was quite out of the ordinary.  To put her perspective in her own words, "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."  She realised quickly that Jesus was no ordinary man.  He was not even an ordinary prophet.  He said in John 4:13-14, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  As Jesus told her of Living Water only He could provide through the Holy Spirit and eternal life, her heart leaped with the incredible possibility:  was this the promised Messiah?

She went to the well with a plan to draw water, but in her excitement over meeting and speaking with Jesus her plans changed.  John 4:28-29 says, "The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ²⁹ "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"  The woman went for some water, but received living water through faith in Jesus.  Her plans immediately changed.  This is significant, that she left her waterpot behind!

I have no idea how many times, dear Christian, I have lugged that heavy, sloshing waterpot of my own plans along when God had a greater and higher purpose for me.  I went to the petrol station to purchase fuel for my car and I left with a full tank - but didn't take the time to start a conversation with the intent to introduce someone to Jesus.  It was me who remained empty when I could have been filled with the Spirit.  I stayed up late watching a program on TV to the end, but fell asleep mid-sentence whilst in prayer.  I was occupied, but not satisfied.  We make many plans for ourselves, but do we allow God to interrupt them with something beautiful and awe inspiring through the leading of the Spirit?  We need to learn to leave our waterpots when God has given us something far more satisfying through His service.  Jesus had food to eat His disciples did not know, and Jesus provides life, strength, and purpose the world cannot know!

Answering the Call God's Way

Today is my first day back in OZ after a relaxing holiday in New Zealand.  It was a wonderful blessing and I was thankful for the opportunity to see the sights and spend time with family.  Life had become very busy and so many things were vying for attention, like pesky flies swarming persistently at your face.  In addition to seeing beautiful countryside and enjoying family time it was a good opportunity to step back and evaluate the way I spend time.  With God's help, I shall jump back into the fray circumspectly and seeking His leading in my life.

A fitting passage was one our family read last night.  It is one thing to know you are called by God and even what you are supposed to do.  But it matters little to have knowledge of what you are to do should you neglect to seek God in how to do it.  Judges 1:1-3 is a great illustration of this, something more common than we might think.  The children of Israel did not always inquire of the LORD before doing what was right in their own eyes.  To their credit, in this opening passage of Judges they did seek God.  Though they started well, they veered from God's course.  Judges 1:1-3 reads, "Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?" ² And the LORD said, "Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand." ³ So Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory." And Simeon went with him."

God called the men of Judah to go up and fight against the Canaanites.  Although God had promised to deliver the Canaanites into the hand of the tribe of Judah, for some reason they decided to ask the tribe of Simeon to help out with a promise of reciprocation:  you help us, and we will help you!  The tribe of Judah heard the call, but decided reinforcements were a good idea.  The lure of convenience and strength in numbers was too strong a temptation for Judah rather than trusting God to fight their battles.  Simeon's country was surrounded by territory given by God to the tribe of Judah.  Thus Simeon was lured into fighting a battle that was not theirs, and Judah did not obtain the deliverance promised by God because they decided to take matters into their own hands and do things their own way.

Understand that God remained faithful to the children of Judah and helped them to defeat their enemies.  Even though Simeon lent assistance they prevailed over their enemies - but not completely.  Some of the land they did secure were later strongholds for Philistines and other enemies of Israel.  Judges 1:17-19 says, "And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. ¹⁸ Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. ¹⁹ So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron."  God's hand was not shortened that it could not save.  He overthrew the Egyptians and their chariots in the midst of the Red Sea, yet Judah was not able to drive out the inhabitants of the lowland.  Were those iron chariots stronger than God?  No.  But Judah did not wholly trust God, substituting the combined strength of Simeon for deliverance only from God.

What a good reminder this was, to not only answer God's call but to do so with God's guidance every step along the way.  Nothing about the call of Christ is convenient.  It is all faith, obedience, and sacrifice.  We need God to perform miracle after miracle to deliver us and establish us in Him.  The lame man at the pool at Bethesda was looking for the moving of the water, lamenting the lack of a man to help him quickly dip into the water when Jesus - the One who gives Living Water - spoke with Him face to face.  Can we be so blind?  Batting away the flies distracts us and is exhausting, yet God is able to drop them in an instant.  Only in Him will we find rest.  Let us respond to God's call God's way.  It is He who will triumph over all enemies!

Hold Fast To the End

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he said it was not a tedious task to remind and exhort them to rejoice in the LORD.  If it was not tedious or irksome (Phil. 3:1) for him to write as led by the Holy Spirit, it should certainly not be tedious to read and study the same Word so we too might hear God speak.  Because I believe the Bible is proven to be literal God-breathed truth, it is rich and exciting in itself.  I wonder when people are driven to conjecture to somehow make the Bible more interesting, as if it was a dull and boring book devoid of power.  The Bible alone contains the words of life, and there is nothing dull about that!

Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4 with commands, warnings, and exhortations.  He wrote in 2 Timothy 4:1-5, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ² preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."  A day will come when Jesus will judge the living and the dead.  Paul charged Timothy to remain faithful to preach the Word of God - not opinions, conjecture, or stories.  A time would come (and now is) when even professing Christians will refuse biblical truth and be led astray from Christ according to the desires of their deceived hearts.  Regardless of their protests or opposition from the world and the prince of it, Timothy was to keep to the truth of the Bible.  This is a good exhortation for all Christians alike.

I found useful an article titled "A Heart That Burns" by Chuck Smith in the April 2014 edition of Decision magazine.  By God's grace, I know something of what Chuck speaks when he writes:

I get so excited just reading the Word of God.  There are times when I can hardly contain myself, as God's Spirit begins to open up the Scriptures to me.  I can't describe to you just how exciting it is to be taught by the Spirit the truth of God's Word and suddenly have understanding given to you, the Scriptures opened up to you.  There are some people who get excited when people speak in tongues or when people utter prophecies.  I get excited over the Word of God.  Some people get excited over visions or dreams.  I get excited over the Word of God.  "He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45).  That's a glorious gift, when God opens your understanding that you might understand.  And that happens when you're born again. (Smith, pg. 40)

As we progress in our Christian walk, we never lose our need for the fundamental truths of God's Word.  It seems many people in the church seek after experiences and emotional stirring rather than seeking Christ.  They become dissatisfied with their walk with Christ because they have stopped looking to Him to be their all in all.  He was never their God, so a worthless idol easily fills His rightful place.  They are caught up in flavour rather than substance.  When the foundation of Christ and obedience to His Word is abandoned for the slippery sand of personal experience or sinful desire, destruction is the result.  God is not a means but the End.  Jesus said He is the Alpha and the Omega, and His judgments are the only ones that count.  Let us hold fast to sound doctrine as we love one another as Jesus loves us.

Redemptive Value and Divine Exchange

There are rich of blessings for all who avail themselves of God's divine exchanges.  These exchanges must be done intentionally in faith according to God's Word.  I have continued to consider something spoken about in the sermon yesterday at Calvary Chapel Sydney, the fact God has placed redemptive value upon our sorrow, mourning, pain, and depression.  When we commit them to God in faith, He gives us a wonderful blessing in exchange.

God never promised to keep Christians from pain and sorrow in this life on earth.  In fact, Jesus promised in this world we will have tribulation.  We will all face consequences from sin in this world, and our experiences can be bitter indeed.  Though God does not insulate us from sorrow and pain, we are invited to be those who are casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us.  He has not promised to still every storm, but He offers us peace, comfort, and solace in the storm.  Our role is to admit our pain and weakness in humility, and entrust our life, well-being, and our future to Him.

Because recycling yards were conveniently located in my suburb when I lived in San Diego, I would save aluminium cans, plastic containers, and copper scraps to exchange for cash.  The redemption value was clearly marked on the sides of soda cans and bottles.  I would collect these containers until I had a couple bags full of crushed cans and then bring them to the recycling yard to redeem them.  As long as they sat in the corner of my garage they had not been redeemed.  There was cash value in those cans only realised after I loaded them into my truck, drove to the recycling center, separated them, and rolled the carts to the scale for weighing.  At that moment I gave them to the attendant, they were no longer mine.  It was a bit of work, but walking away with money instead of those stinky, sticky cans was well worth it!

Consider the divine exchange God has promised us through the Messiah Jesus Christ in Isaiah 61:1-3:  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."  Before we are born again, the Bible says we are spiritually dead in sins.  We are bound in iniquity, awaiting judgment and everlasting punishment.  If we confess our sins in humble repentance, trusting in Jesus, we are born again through Jesus.  Our deadness is exchanged for eternal life, and confinement in sin and death is exchanged for freedom and eternal glory.  But that is not the end of the exchanges God offers!

Our hearts of stone can be exchanged for one of tender flesh.  Our blind eyes are exchanged for spiritual perception.  There is great redemptive value in mourning, depression, even our ashes.  Imagine that!  When your best efforts are turned to ash, we can take our failures to God and He will redeem them with unfading beauty.  Are you sorrowful or in mourning?  In exchange God offers comfort and consolation.  Is your heart heavy and laid low through depression?  God will provide in exchange the oil of joy and the garment of praise.  God will not force these exchanges upon us.  We must admit our need, confess our unbelief and lack of faith, and exercise faith in bringing each of our cares, worries, and sorrows to Christ.  When we are willing to part with those things forever and entrust them into His capable, loving hands, then we will receive the consolation.

Don't store up sorrows, pains, worries, guilt, and sadness when God has assigned great redemptive value to each one.  Bring them to the cross, casting your cares upon Jesus.  Once made, you will never regret this divine exchange.  No one has ever thought, "Oh, what I would give to have those cans back again!  To possess those old crusty, smelly milk cartons would be far better than what I received for them.  I used to have quite a collection built up, complete with ant trails."  As long as we live on earth, these exchanges will need to be done as we embrace our sanctification.  Cans pile up, milk continues to be consumed.  The dark corners of our garages and hiding places in rubbish bins start to accumulate.  It is time to cash in on the redemptive value of your cares for God's glory.  Let us avail ourselves of God's divine exchanges, for their value is greater than gold!  

Meeting God's Conditions

Jesus called the temple a "house of prayer" (Matt. 21:13, quoting from Is. 56:7), and when God spoke to Solomon He referred to it as a "house of sacrifice." (2 Chron. 7:12)  Since the institution of the new covenant in Christ's blood, Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).  This is suggestive of things that ought to mark our lives, even as they did the life of Christ on earth:  prayer and sacrifice.  God does not dwell in temples made with hands, but indwells those redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ.  Consider the implications of believers being the temple of the Holy Spirit as God spoke to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:13-16:  "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, ¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."  Amazing truth, this!

The fulfillment of God's promises often are contingent upon our obedience.  He does not give carte blanche blessings, for His conditions must first be met.  Anyone who has a grave illness, experienced the heartbreak of broken relationship, even a nation which has experienced plague or been ravaged by war, healing and restoration is God's desire.  God has the power to heal people, broken relationships, destroyed cities, and defeated nations.  The healing will come after we - those who are called by God's name, Jew and Gentile who are in Christ by grace through faith - meet His conditions.  It may start with one person, but it will take a people united to bring about this healing God desires for His glory and our good.

There are four conditions given in this passage.  God entreats His people to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and repent (turn from their wicked ways).  It is possible we can do one without the other.  It is possible to pray without humility, or repent without seeking God's face.  But I say if we neglect any of these four requirements, we cannot bring any of them to full completion.  We can humble ourselves and pray for healing and forget to seek God's face.  What point is there to seek God's face without humility or praying without repentance?  We can make the healing our end when it is simply a means of God revealing His power to the world!  I have been asking myself:  are there any conditions I have not been intentional to fulfill?  We all want the positive final result, but do our souls draw back to fully accomplish any of these conditions?  We must walk in faith, believing that God will not leave undone one word of His promise.

Do you know that as a Christian God's eyes are open and His ears attentive to your prayers?  He has chosen you, with your cooperation will sanctify you, and He has claimed you as His own forever!  It is God who works in us both to will and do for His good pleasure.  Our world is sick and dying due to sin, but take heart in Christ, dear Christian!  Hebrews 10:35-39 says, "Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: ³⁷ "For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. ³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." ³⁹ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul."

Let us embrace the will of God for our lives by humbling ourselves, praying, and seeking His face in repentance.  The day is coming when our Saviour will return and make all right.  Until then, let's be about His business, providing a temple dedicated to prayer and sacrifice for His glory.