Scripture as a Means of Grace
2 Timothy 3:16-17
When we talk about Communion, Prayer, Worship, small group accountability and fasting as a Means of Grace, it make sense to us because we see how they function in our lives, and in the life of the Church. But John Wesley also believed that the Holy Scriptures were a Means of Grace. How? Wesley believed the Scriptures are an indispensable Means of Grace as they bring us into the Presence of Jesus Christ and the will of God for our lives. The Scriptures also have the power to transform us through the grace of God. In other words, Methodist believe in The Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures both for Salvation in that they "contain all things necessary to salvation." and to guide and strengthen us through the rest of the faith journey. In other words, the Scriptures are indispensable to the journey of faith.
Wesley’s attitude toward Scripture is described in his own words: “I want to know one thing, the way to heaven—how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has…descended to teach the way: for this very end he came from heaven. He (has) hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the Book of God!...Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a person of one book!” Not a person of the Bible and “Eat, Love and Pray.” Not a person of the Bible and “the Purpose Driven Life.” But a person of one and only one book, this book, for it is the book of Truth and contains everything we need to live.
This book not only helps us to know what to believe, but also forms and shapes the life we are to live. Scripture is, the heart of Christian faith. This is the authentic word of God. God's will and way for living is found within the pages of this book and this book alone. This is a gift from the living God for the building up of God's people. Within its pages God and God's heart is made available freely to everyone. As the Word is read and studied, it forms the character, the person and the life of Jesus in us. Thus, God's grace comes to us through a simple reading of the Scriptures and through Bible Study. This is why Wesley said that Scripture is an absolute requisite on the journey of faith. Through the searching of Scripture, the transforming power of God and His sanctifying grace enters our lives and changes us to become like Jesus and empowers us to live as He did. So to approach the Bible as a means of grace is to read it with the expectation and hope that through the Holy Spirit, its words will guide, energize and transform us. It is to listen actively for the voice of God and His will for our lives.
John Wesley called all Methodists to search the scriptures daily. Unfortunately, followers of Jesus today are becoming Biblically illiterate. Recent studies by The Barna Group and the Gallup Organization conclude that any reasonable understanding of biblical facts and truths is seriously lacking among Christians today. George Barna writes, “American Christians are biblically illiterate. Although most of them contend that the Bible contains truth and is worth knowing, and most of them argue that they know all of the relevant truths and principles, our research shows otherwise. And the trend line is frightening: the younger a person is, the less they understand about the Christian faith.” So for many of you, it’s not about just claiming that the Bible has truth worth reading and knowing, you have to make a commitment and set aside the time to read the Bible and make it the Book of life for you. Let us once and for all dispense with the notion that significant and lasting spiritual transformation is likely without the steady learning of God’s Word. If your only intake of God’s Word is during the sermon every week, you’re probably on a starvation diet. That’s like you only eating once a week and expecting to get through the rest of week fine. That’s definitely a starvation diet. I think most of you on that diet can probably look into your lives and see for yourselves that you’re just getting by, but change isn’t really coming and you’re probably suffering consequences for the things that are dogging you.
When you do read the Bible, there are 3 Barriers to receiving God’s grace through Scripture. First, we equate reading with listening! Reading is just getting through the information without ever really paying attention to it and wrestling with it. Listening is interacting with the text in what it is saying or calling you to believe or do personally. Second, we read only to gain information, not to develop relationship! Eugene Peterson says, “If we read the Scriptures impersonally with an information-gathering mind, we misread them.” This is God’s love letter written for you. It’s about developing and growing your relationship with him. Third, we read for personal benefit. Tim Keller says we read the Bible to find personal, individualistic applications like when we need guidance in a decision or comfort during difficult times. Not that those are bad. But when it’s the only thing we do, we make the Bible about us rather than about God. The Bible isn’t about us getting what we need from the Bible but rather us getting into the mind and heart of God that we might join Him in His work in the transformation of the world and the redemption of humanity.
In his sermon, “The Means of Grace,” John Wesley called Methodists to “search the Scriptures” that God might convey His grace to us. Searching the Scripture was seen as a work of piety, that is, an act of seeking to draw close to God and become holy. If one looks at his diaries and the number of entries he made regarding searching the Scriptures, it is obvious that he spent time daily meditating, often using words such as “zealous,” “fervent,” or “attentive” to describe his time in the Word. Wesley enouraged all Methodists to search the Scriptures daily. Wesley believed searching the Scriptures through the guidance of the Holy Spirit consisted of 4 things: reading, meditating, hearing, and then practicing or living out the Word of God. Some may recognize in Wesley what is more commonly known as “lectio divina,” which is of course, a means of meditating on Scripture, consisting of reading, meditating, praying, and contemplation.
In the Preface to his Explanatory Notes on the Old Testament, Wesley shared five keys to reading Scripture effectively. First, schedule the time. Set apart a little time, ievery morning and evening for that purpose. Schedule it first so that everything is scheduled around it. Choose a book of the Bible and read through it systematically. Wesley encouraged Methodists to read a chapter out of the Old, and one out of the New, Testament; if you cannot do this, to take a single chapter or a part of one but read through systematically. Third, read to know God’s will. “Read this with a single eye, to know the whole will of God, and a fixed resolution to do it.” Did you get that? It’s not just about learning and knowing Scripture, you need to read it with the intent to live. Fourth, seek God’s will in light of all Scripture. “In order to know his will, you should have a constant eye to the analogy of faith, the connection and harmony there is between those grand, fundamental doctrines, original sin, justification by faith, the new birth, inward and outward holiness.” In other words, don’t just read the Scriptures but see how they fit into the grand story of God and the beliefs of our faith. Fifth, prayer. Serious and earnest prayer should be constantly used before we consult the oracles (word) of God; seeing "Scripture can only be understood through the same Spirit whereby it was given." Our reading should likewise be closed with prayer, that what we read may be written on our hearts. So how do we search the Scriptures through Wesley’s Four step process.
First is reading. This is where you choose a section of scripture (often lectio divina is used to work through entire Bible books or sections) and you give it a cursory reading. This is where you take a bite. You carefully read the passage through a few times. Any passage of Scripture can be used for this way for prayer but the passage should not be too long. When we read the Scriptures we should allow ourselves to listen for the still, small voice of God which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an “atunement” to the presence of God in the Scriptures. In order to hear someone speaking softly, we must learn to be silent. Psalm 46:10 encourages us to be still, and know that He is God. If we are constantly speaking or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. Thus, we first quiet down in order to hear God's word to us. We read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day.
Second is meditating on the Scriptures. If reading is where you take a bite out of the Word, this is where you begin chewing on it. Meditation is a function of the mind and the heart. It is what we think about over and over again and it is something we each do every day. Whether we realize it or not, we all spend a large portion of our time in some form of meditation. The thing is, what we meditate on may or may not be worth while. That’s why we call it worry. In fact, what we habitually think about is frequently unhealthy for our growth as Christians. That’s why we need to medtitate on God’s word. Once we have found a word or a passage in the Scriptures that speaks to us in a personal way, we must take it in and “ruminate” on it. The analogy is of a cow quietly chewing its cud over and over again. This was used in antiquity as a symbol of the Christian pondering the Word of God. We must take in the word and while gently repeating it to ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes, our memories, and our desires. Through meditation, we allow God's word to become His word for us, a word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels.
Third is to hearing which is where prayer enters the practice of searching the Scriptures. Prayer is both dialogue with God as loving conversation and as consecration which is our act of offering ourselves to God. In this consecration-prayer we allow the wordthat we have taken in and on which w e are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. Thus, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God and experience His grace in our lives. Prayer enables us to interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. And give to him what you have discovered during your experience of meditation. This is a time to pray over the word, phrase or verse God has highlighted for you and to listen for it’s purpose in your life. Give to God what you have found within your heart in relation to the Scripture and allow God to use it.
This is where Wesley ends his guidance on searching the Scriptures. The ancient practice of Lectio Divina adds a fourth step which is called contemplation. You know, you bite into a piece of pizza, then you begin chewing it, and as you are chewing it, you experience its full flavor as the different toppings, the crust, the sauce, and the cheese mix together in your mouth. You just enjoy it and savor its goodness. That’s what happens here.This is where wE simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming grace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded that there are moments in loving relationships when words are unnecessary. It is the same in our relationship with God. Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the One Who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition - contemplatio, contemplation. Once again we practice silence, letting go of our own words; this time simply enjoying the experience of being in the presence of God and receiving His grace anew for our lives. This is just a way of experiencing silent thanksgiving.
The fifth step in searching the Scripture is to do the word. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Methodism is not just about being, it is about doing. And if we only read the Word, meditated on it and listened to it, then it is all for naught if we don’t put it into practice. Wesley always called Methodist to obey and doing what was discovered in the Word of God. He was consistently using James 1:22 to make the connection between being “hearers of the word” and being “doers of the word” also. In doing so Wesley also calls us into “doing” what we have discovered through reading, meditation, and hearing. “Doing” the Scripture is an extension of community and incarnating the Word which has been made flesh in Jesus Christ. Acts of piety always lead to acts of mercy in the Wesleyan way. Reading the scripture always leads to “doing” the Scripture.
