I have something I need to say.

 

I think it’s important. 

I think it needed to be written. 

I think it’s worth reading. 

 

It speaks to

• Our relationship with God
• Our relationship with fellow believers
• Our relationship with non-believers in the world 

 

 

God, The Bible, Beth Moore, and Twitter 

          

In early January 2019, there was quite a flurry on Twitter about a tweet from Beth Moore. 

        

The Question:

       

Is Spending Time With God the Same as Reading and/or Studying the Bible?

        

Beth Moore tweeted:

      

        

The Response

         

Many seemed to not see any difference between time with God and time with the Bible. 

Apparently, to them, spending time with the Bible was spending time with God because they’re both “the word.”

These critics included those who pointed to John 1:1, for example: 

 

Jackie Schneider‏ @CrzyLvJan 2 Replying to @BethMooreLPM

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 ESV

       

          

What Is “The Word?”

One problem with this argument is that calling the Holy Bible “the Word” is an English colloquialism, especially as used in the USA. 

The Holy Bible is the written “word.”

 

Most New Testament writings, compiled many years after the resurrection, were written in Greek.

¹⁴ You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the sacred (2413) writings (1121) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture (1124) is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.                                                            2 Timothy 3:14-17 NASB

 

Paul, in writing to Timothy, refers to “Sacred Writings” using the Greek hiera (2413) sacred and grammata (1121) writings (2 Timothy 3:15) and graphē (1124) for Scripture. 

 2413 hierós (an adjective) – properly, sacred (because associated with God’s sanctuary, the Temple); consecrated to deity and therefore “holy,” 

 

1121 gramma that which is drawn or written; a letter of the alphabet; collectively: written (revelation); (a) a written document, a letter, an epistle, (b) writings, literature, learning.

 

1124 graphḗ – properly, writing. 1124 (graphḗ) is used 51 times in the NT – always of holy Scripture, i.e. the inspired, inerrant writings of the Bible (the 66 books of Scripture, 39 in Hebrew, 27 in Greek).

 

In addition, Paul in writing to the Romans, uses yet another word for “word,” rhḗma (4487)

 

¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word (4487) of Christ.           
Romans 10:17 NASB

 

4487 rhḗma (from 4483 /rhéō, “to speak”) – a spoken word, made “by the living voice” (J. Thayer). 4487 /rhḗma (“spoken-word”) is commonly used in the NT (and in LXX) for the Lord speaking His dynamic, living word in a believer to inbirth faith(“His inwrought persuasion“).

        

       

Logos

          

The main problem I see is equating the written Holy Bible with the “Word” of John 1:1. 

As seen above Paul uses hiera (2413), grammata (1121), graphē (1124), and rhḗma (4487) to write about the Jewish Scripture. 

However, in 1 John 1:1 – the “Word” is Logou (3056) Word, from 

 

Logos (3056) /lógos (“word”) is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit. A word (as embodying an idea), a statement, a speech, divine utterance, analogy.

3056 lógos (from 3004 /légō, “speaking to a conclusion”) – a word, being the expression of a thought; a saying.  3056/lógos (“word”) is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.

 

Therefore, Logos (“Word”) is NOT the same as the written Bible (“word”).

 

I believe John and Paul are writing about two separate things – the Written Word and the Living Word. 

Therefore, knowing the written word, graphē – the Holy Bible, is different from knowing the Person Who is the Word – Logos, the Triune God: Father, Son, Spirit.

        

          

Misunderstood?

 

          

Does Reading the Scripture Always Include the Holy Spirit?

          

 According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible, and He enlightens us to its wisdom.

¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, ¹³ which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words..                                                                  1 Corinthians 2:12-13 NASB

 

However, is the Holy Spirit always informing the reader of the Bible?

 

 

Consider what Jesus says to the Pharisees.

³⁹ “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; ⁴⁰ and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.                                                   John 5:39-40 NASB

 

Lizzy B‏ @ShinyPwrJan 2  That passage affirms that it is completely possible to read Scripture and not meet with God. Christians today, even with the indwelling of the HS, are perfectly able to refuse to listen to HIM when they read His words just as the Pharisees did. The words are universal

         

          

Knowing God

        

The key, I think, is in the “knowing.”

 

Greek has several words for “know”:

1492 eídō (oida) – properly, to see with physical eyes (cf. Ro 1:11), as it naturally bridges to the metaphorical sense: perceiving (“mentally seeing“). This is akin to the expressions: “I see what You mean”; “I see what you are saying.”

 

1922 epígnōsis (from 1909/epí, “on, fitting” which intensifies 1108/gnṓsis, “knowledge gained through first-hand relationship”) – properly, “contact-knowledge” that is appropriate (“apt, fitting”) to first-hand, experiential knowing. 

 

1108 gnṓsis (a feminine noun derived from 1097 /ginṓskō, “experientially know”) – functional(“working”) knowledge gleaned from first-hand (personal) experience, connecting theory to application; “application-knowledge,” gained in (by) a direct relationship.  See 1097 (ginōskō).

 

1097 ginṓskō – properly, to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance).  1097 /ginṓskō(“experientially know”) is used for example in Lk 1:34, “And Mary [a virgin] said to the angel, ‘How will this be since I do not know (1097 /ginṓskō = sexual intimacy) a man?'”

 

 Yes, the Bible is the revelation of God, given by God. 

• Yes, the written Bible is the medium God uses to communicate with His people. 
• Yes, through the Bible we can learn about God: His character, His attributes, His love, His mercy, His purity. 
• Yes, and His judgment. And His will. And His Way (or no way). 

 

We can read, study, learn, meditate, memorize all of the “words” of the written Bible.

We can know all about all the people and events in the Bible.

We can know all that is written about the Father, Son, and Spirit. 

 

But knowing about is not enough. 

Knowing about is not the same as knowing through personal experience. 

Knowing about is not faith.

 

Monica Langenberg‏ @HomeProzz9h9 hours ago    Replying to @BethMooreLPM    Yes! Quote from A.W. Tozer from the book, The Pursuit of God, The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into him, that they may delight in His Presence” – I highly recommend this book!!

 

See also my essay: 

God Knows You! Do You Want To Know Him?

       

         

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Making It Personal

        

Tell me, do you want to pick a mail order bride out of a catalog and marry her, sight unseen?

Hey, you’ve got all the information you need to know all about her in the catalog, don’t you? 

Isn’t that enough?

 

Or, wouldn’t you rather meet her, talk with her, spend time with her, really getting to know her (not just know about her)?

 

Trish‏ @trishbishopJan 7   Replying to @BethMooreLPM  Yes spending time in the word is crucial BUT when my husband spend a lot of time on the phone looking at heavy equipment I’m like hello, I’m here 2. Same with God yes we study but stop and just spend time with Him. He needs more of our time.

 

Yes, it’s important to spend time in the Word (the Holy Bible, Scripture, God’s Word).

 

The Bible was given as a revelation and an invitation.

• The revelation is of a Creator Who wants to be known by His creation.
• The invitation is to a relationship with the Creator. 
• The relationship is what is important. 
• The transformation from and through that relationship is our very purpose for living. 

 

But, I think the knowing about is not as important as the knowing, through personal experience, through relationship. 

 

• Knowing about tells you that the promise given in the Bible is true. 
• Knowing is the personal experience that comes from seeing that the promise is not merely true for others, but is true for me. 

 

• Knowing God hears our prayers and answers is knowing about God. 
• Knowing God hears my prayers and answers my prayers is knowing God. 

        

        

What if we had no Bible?

        

What if we had only creation to reveal God to us?

And what if we came to know God through His creation?

 

¹⁹ because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.                                                     Romans 1:19-20 NASB

 

Would we be better off knowing God without a book, or knowing about God through a book?

If the world is to know God by seeing His creation, how much more can we know Him through His revelation?

 

What do you think?

 

Do you spend more time with God?

Or with the Bible?

 

How can time with God include the Bible?

How can time in the Bible include God?

 

Is Relationship better than Reading?

Or is Reading enough for you?

 

On a personal note, when I spend time on studying the Bible, researching the circumstances of those days and words and their meanings, writing about what I’ve learned, I can begin to feel dry, isolated, empty.

Then I realize again: the written word is not enough.

• I need the Living Word.
• I need to spend time with my Abba.
• I need to talk to my big brother and Lord.
• I need to sit quietly, listening for the wisdom and guidance of the Spirit in me.
• I need to know God and belong to God. I need to know and be known. 

 

Kim Kintner‏ @Kim_KintnerJan 3    Replying to @BethMooreLPM @wendybpope    Yes! Even for myself, I have found myself “studying” God’s word before and when it starts to feel dry, it’s because I’m leaning too much on scholar and not enough on Him. I can TELL the difference in my soul! I am excited to study His word & BE with Him .

          

            

Relationship

         

It’s all about the being, not the doing.

 

We need to be in relationships.

We do not do relationships.

(If you do relationships, I don’t want to be in one with you!)

       

       

Living Life With God

        

Daniel Lee Toole‏ @dltoole06 Jan 3 Replying to @BethMooreLPM How does one spend time with God apart from hearing his word spoken to us in scripture?

 

As Derek Flood reported in the Huffington Post:

Genuine personal relationship with God must flow over into all of our relationships — caring for the least, loving our enemies, and showing the fruit of that genuine personal connection. How could it not? If we really are in a living relationship with Jesus, then won’t we come to see people the way he does, and care about the things he cares about?

 

 

If our time spent in the Bible is guided by the Holy Spirit, then, yes, spending time in the Bible is spending time with God.

 

But that is not the only way to spend time with the Godhead.

Spending time includes:

• Prayer (especially listening prayer – seeking “the still, small voice”)
• Worship (especially by yourself)
• Thanksgiving and gratitude (counting your blessings works!)
• Expressing faith through trust (without fear)
• Obedience (ouch! That one always pricks me).

 

From Got Questions?

This personal relationship with God is not as hard to find as we might think, and there is no mysterious formula for getting it. As soon as we become children of God, we receive the Holy Spirit, who will begin to work on our hearts. We should pray without ceasing, read the Bible, and join a Bible-believing church; all these things will help us to grow spiritually. Trusting in God to get us through each day and believing that He is our sustainer is the way to have a relationship with Him. Although we may not see changes immediately, we will begin to see them over time, and all the truths become clear.

      

        

Spiritual Disciplines

         

Another time-tested way to strengthen relationship is through Spiritual Disciplines.

 There are many lists of Spiritual Disciplines, some having a few, others having many.

 Reading the Bible is one of the Spiritual Disciplines. Others include fellowship with believers, prayer, fasting, worship, service.

Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster, describes twelve disciplines, divided into The Inward Disciplines, The Outward Disciplines, and The Corporate Disciplines.

        

           

Is This the Love of Christ As Demonstrated By His Disciples?

        

There’s always someone who disagrees. But some people disagree very disagreeably.

Ugly, even.

The I can’t-believe-it-even-though-I-see-it thing that I learned, the most disheartening thing I learned through the Twitter storm, is this:

People who call themselves “Christians” (as judged by their fruit) can be MEAN!  

 

 

These “Christians” used Scripture (the Sword of the Spirit) offensively (in both meanings).

Here, Scripture was not used against the enemy.

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.                                                            Ephesians 6:12 NASB

 

No, Scripture was used against fellow believers, fellow sisters and brothers in Christ!

And especially against Ms. Moore, personally. 

 

Dave1975‏ @Dave19757Jan 3    Thanks again, Beth, for your terrible teaching that can be incorporated into the worldview of lost people. You just made it that much harder to reach the lost! Not cool.

Sarah‏ @sarahherron022Jan 3  She’s always been deceived Hell will be her reward if she doesn’t start speaking the truth of scripture without her own man made ideas thrown in

 

As Jared C. Wilson says in his book, The Imperfect Disciple: Grace For People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together, page 162 of 326, kindle edition:

“For a follower of Jesus to be unkind to others is to depict Jesus as unkind.”

        

        

Is Attacking A Fellow Christian the Way God Would Have Us Use Scripture?

             

Scripture is a tool we are to use, always in love.

 ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.                                                           2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB

 

Roxanne Castonguay‏ @RKCastonguayJan 3    Are you conscious that many people are pushing back on what @BethMooreLPM said because they want to use scripture as a weapon to beat down others and ignore the spirit of God’s word 

which teaches us to love GOD with all of our heart, mind, and soul and should compel us to love others as He loves us?

 

Besides being a horrible model of Christian behavior between believers, these attacks are horrible models of Christian behavior to the world.

 

I didn’t first see these tweets on Twitter. I learned about them from blogs that linked me to news reports.

• Christian Headlines: Beth Moore Under Fire, Says, ‘Spending Time with God and Spending Time with the Bible Are Not the Same Thing’
• The Christian Post: Beth Moore sparks fiery debate after saying spending time reading Bible doesn’t equal spending time with God
• The Christian Post Voices: The Beth Moore tempest
• CBN News (Christian Broadcasting Company): Beth Moore Sparks Online Firestorm Tweeting ‘Spending Time Reading Bible Doesn’t Equal Spending Time with God’ (version one) (version two)

 

These types of internal conflicts are exactly what the devil wants the world to see, Christian hypocrisy at its finest.  

 

Allie Travis‏ @alisonjtravisJan 4    Replying to @BethMooreLPM   Ya’ll…this is what the devil wants – deviciveness [sic] between us. Whether you agree or not, respect her interpretation and spread love not hate.

 

If there is one word that will sum up the life, being, mission, and purpose of the Triune God it is LOVE. 

²⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”                                                           John 13:25 NASB

 

¹⁷This I command you, that you love one another.                                                      John 15:17 NASB

 

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,                                                        Luke 6:27 NASB

        

      

It’s Not Either/Or – It’s Both/ And, and More

        

There are some things in the Christian faith that just can’t be pinned down in the finite human mind.

There are other things that require believers to hold two dissimilar concepts in their mind at the same time.

 

Mostly it’s not a question of Either/Or.

It’s an answer of Both/And.

 

Do we need Faith or Works?

Or do we need BOTH Faith AND Works?

 

See my multi-part series on Faith and Works. Part 1: By Faith or by Works? That is the Question 

 

Do we need individual prayer or corporate prayer?

Or do we need BOTH praying alone AND praying together?

 

Do we need individual worship or corporate worship?

Or do we need BOTH worshipping on our own AND worshipping as the Body of Christ?

 

Princess G‏ @priceless12017Jan 3   Replying to @BethMooreLPM    Building relationship with God is one thing and very important this happens through reading the Word; that is not enough and that is where fellowship with the Holy Spirit comes in. We need to be strengthened by His Word but He wants to intimately be with us. Dwelling with us

       

      

So, How’s That Working For You?

        

You know.

Reading and/or Relationship?

 

Are you being transformed from and through relationship with God?

Are you living out your purpose for your life?

 

Or are you reading religiously, studying diligently, memorizing and quoting Scripture, stuffing your head with facts about God and His teachings, without knowing Him? Without even knowing you are made to know Him?

 

Gail Aberman‏ @GailAbermanJan 4   Replying to @BethMooreLPM   There is difference between head knowledge ( intellectual) and heart knowledge. People can read and memorize the whole Bible and even quote it. They need to be born-again and filled with the Spirit( the Teacher) to really understand and grow in faith.

 

Yes, I know.

Head knowledge is so much easier, so much more concrete. You know it or you don’t. You remember it or you don’t. And everyone can see how much you know.

 

Heart knowledge. That’s the kicker.

 

But the truism is true. (That’s why it’s a true-ism.)

“The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.”

 

Heart knowledge comes from relationship.

 

God’s heart is for us to have a heart like His.

In the same way David was a man after God’s own heart, we too, are to be after God’s own heart. 

⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”                                                1 Samuel 16:7 NASB

 

God has removed our stony heart and given us a new heart.

²⁶ “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.                                                          Ezekiel 36:26-27 NASB

 

We too are to love the world as God does.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.                                                  John 3:16 NASB

 

As the Father gave His Son, in order to provide a way to reconcile the world with Himself, so we too, are to give our life to God in service to reconcile the world to YeHoVaH.

¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. ¹⁸ Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.                                                     2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NASB

 

We are to love as He loved.

 ¹⁶ We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.                                                       1 John 3:16 NASB

 

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.                                                         1 John 4:20-21 NASB

 

What love are you showing to fellow believers?    

What love are you showing to the watching world?

 

We are made in the image of God. 

²⁷ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.                                                  Genesis 1:27 NASB

       

       

What image of God are you showing the world?

 

Blessings,

 

 

TLThomas

 

It’s ok to doubt if you check it out!   

Be a Berean

¹⁰The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.                   Acts 17:10, 11 ESV

 

See also:

God Knows You! Do You Want To Know Him?

Faith and Works. Part 1: By Faith or by Works? That is the Question)

 

Please join me in this journey of discovery.

• Leave a comment, or ask me a question.
• Share this blog with others, whether they are doubting, or not.
• Take what I say and CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF! 

      

© TLThomas 2019