...Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ...

Romans 1:1-7

...Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ...  Romans 1:4-6

Today, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I started with a review of Romans 1:1-7.  Without reference to my commentary, and with the assistance of highlighting, my eyes focus on how in v5 Paul writes that we (meaning of course his readers in Rome) have received grace and apostleship "to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations." The grace and apostleship were a means to an end - that we act out the obedience required for faith as this was God's design and of course the ultimate goal is God's glory...as this is why we exist. 

According to the commentary for us to grasp the fullness of the text, we are also to understand:

• the "gospel is God's good news (1:1)"; the Greek word used in the text refers to a common term used in "emperor worship; however, Paul wants to make clear that this is "God's good news for the world concerning his Son, Jesus."
• the gospel was "promised in the Old Testament (1:2)"; we are to understand that there is continuity between the OT and NT and the OT serves as the foundation for the NT; there are not two Gods who authored the Bible but one; Christ of course fulfilled scriptural prophecy in the OT; the Word is Holy and divine. 
• the gospel is "centered on Jesus (1:3-4)"; of course "the gospel is not preached if Christ is not preached." Jesus is described in the flesh, and as dead and resurrected; we also see the Holy Spirit; 
• the gospel is "designed to bring all peoples to the obedience of faith for the sake of Christ's name (1:5)"; "Paul's longing is that the nations may have an obedience that flows from faith.  That is what "the obedience of faith means--a faith that leads to obedience.  Faith is the root; obedience the fruit...[t]he ultimate goal of gospel ministry is then stated: for the sake of his name."
• the gospel is "transforming everyone who believes (1:6-7); "Paul tells the Romans where they fit in.  They are among the Jews and Gentiles who are part of this redemptive plan.  The gospel radically transforms whose who believe."  We are described as "loved by God" and "[t]this is a remarkable statement of transformation in view of the opening three chapters of Romans that describe our sinful nature."

For the original readers of these opening seven verses, and for any reader that has come after, these are indeed exciting verses as all believers are part of God's redemptive plan and that as children of God we are all on a sanctifying journey to be transformed into God's image until that one day when we meet Him face to face. 

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My Prayer: Jesus, You are a great God indeed and I am so very thankful that You have adopted me into Your family and that You are daily sanctifying me, making me more into Your likeness as this is for my satisfaction and Your glory - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of any of this - my sin continues.  Worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

Romans

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1-6

Today, I started a new study based on what my Friday morning men's group will be starting - a study on the book of Romans.  As a companion to this study, based on recommendations from others I respect, I am using a commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook).  This commentary, authored by Tony Merida and edited as well by Merida, David Platt, and Daniel Akin, is part of the Christ-Centered Exposition series available from Christianbook.com. I am careful as I approach this study as John Piper has referred to this book (in terms of his ability to offer a sermon series on the book) as both the "greatest letter ever written" and "daunting" with the daunting aspect being a key reason for the care and caution as I proceed. 

The commentary emphasizes three key themes as background for Romans:

1. it is a "Gospel-saturated letter"
2. it is a "community-building letter"
3. it is a "missional-letter"

On (1) the commentary states that "the gospel frames the letter" and Paul uses Romans to defend "the substance of the gospel, and he also describes how the gospel should shape Christian living and fuel Christian mission." The commentary goes on to state that "[i]n today's pluralistic, relativistic, skeptical world, there is great confusion regarding the nature of God, sin, and salvation. There is also a great need for professing Christians to grow in theological discernment."

On (2) the commentary describes division in Rome among Jewish and Gentile Christians and this "gave Paul an occasion to create a glorious, multi-ethic vision for the people of God." My commentary also states that this division and Paul's occasion to address it should encourage us to "pray for the Lord to help us love our (diverse) brothers and sisters better."

Finally, on (3) the commentary describes how Paul uses Romans to seek "support for his mission to Spain." See also Romans 15:24-29. The commentary indicates that Paul hopes to "unify the Christians in Rome so that they may be a home base for his mission to Spain."

Tomorrow I will being to unpack Romans - starting with Romans 1:1-7.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God indeed and You are worthy of my full attention - indeed aggressive attentiveness!  I have tasted and seen Your glory and it is amazing indeed and You have transformed my heart and life as a result!  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving of these and all of the blessings You pour out for me.  I worry, and I am easily distracted by the world.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[F]or I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose[.]’

[F]or I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose[.]’ Isaiah 46:9-10

This afternoon, I completed John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, moving on beyond the final chapter (27) covered yesterday to the conclusion.  Here, Piper leaves us with a few encouraging statements to recap his book.  His dismisses those across the ages who see the Bible as less than perfect in its structure and presentation.  Piper writes that "God knew exactly what he was doing when he inspired all of these diverse authors and diverse writings that we have in this one inspired book?  That is what I believe." He is prayerful that "many would turn from [this] book to God's book with new zeal and aggressive attentiveness and active reading.  We are to "pursue the natural act of reading the Bible supernaturally."  Finally, Piper invites us to join him as "[i]t is the only way for your life to be of lasting service to the world, and for your work to show forth the glory of God, and for your soul to be fully satisfied forever."  

 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are amazing God and Your Word IS perfect and it is You and You provide it for me to help me see and savor Your Glory and for me to grow in my understanding and love of You - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You provide You Word for me and for You bless me in immeasurable ways! My sin continues...worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge...Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.

Pages: 374-387

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge...Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. Proverbs 22:17, 23:12

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-seven: Querying the Text About Paradoxes, Pleasures, and a Transformed Life.  Here, in this final chapter of the book, Piper gives us final encouragements about natural reading of the Bible; he urges "aggressive attentiveness", to look, look and look and to ask questions and seek answers.  He recommends arcing as a mechanism or device to structure our approach.  He then describes how we are to seek not just the "meaning" of the text in terms of the author's intent, but also the "significance" or application.  Looking for significance or application "often sheds light back on the meaning of the text, not just its significance."  This is described as perhaps "merry-go-roundish" as we need to first seek meaning but the meaning may be further illuminate by seeking significance or application.  Piper also urges us to "ask questions about the kind of emotions the author is trying to awaken....[as] everything is meant to move us.  Being moved is part of what Scripture intends.  Piper looks at Proverbs 22:17-24:22 as an example. 

Finally, as we ask questions and seek both the meaning and application of Scripture, Piper wants us to ask "am I being changed in a way that conforms to what this author intended to communicate?  Perhaps more than all the other questions we must ask as we read, this one will put us on our faces in prayer for the supernatural work of God."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God indeed and I am amazed at Your creation and that You provide it for my enjoyment and You provide Your Word which feeds me in all ways and I have been transformed by it and blessed by it - thank You Jesus!  I am blessed yet undeserving.  My sin continues, including worry, and other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your Word for me today and every day.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Pages: 365-373

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:103-104

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-six: Propositions: Collections of Nuggets or Links in a Chain.  Here, Piper continues to encourage us to build our natural reading habits by pursing "aggressive attentiveness."  He writes that we can find Biblical authors' intent by looking at the words and phrases used in their context.  Here in this chapter, he goes further by saying - using Paul as an example - that the Bible is is not a string of useful nuggets, instead it is a chain.  He introduces the use of "arcing" as a practical method or device where we "identif[y] the clauses of propositions of a text, figuring out how they relate to each other in the emerging argument, and then labeling them with abbreviations under the arcs that we connected with ever-enlarging arcs as we saw how the pieces of the argument fit together."  Piper provides Biblearc.com as a useful resource.  

As I've grown in my walk with Christ, I've leaned on Matthew 5:6 and felt the truth in this promise as continue to as I read John Piper and his thoughts about how to increase the fruit from our Bible study.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God indeed and You HAVE filled and satisfied me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving for how you feed me in ALL ways.  My sin continues - worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything.

Pages: 351-363

Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything. 2 Timothy 2:7

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-five: Asking Questions about Words and Phrases. Here, Piper seeks to give us practical tips about how to read the Bible naturally.  Before he jumps to this topic, Piper recommends using a Bible translation that seeks to "preserve the forms of structures of the [original] Greek and Hebrew [texts]."  He refers to this as "formal equivalence" and as such he recommends either the ESV or NASB translation with ESV being his personal preference. Piper then jumps into how we should read by "looking for the truth that the author intends to communicate by this selection of words in their arrangement...Words don't have intrinsic meaning.  They get their meaning from usage." A key practical approach is to use a concordance and to "consider...other uses [of the selected words], as they occur, in concentric circles starting with the paragraph or chapter you are studying.  Then consider uses of the word in the same Biblical book.  Then consider uses in other books by the same author." We then should widen the circle to the New or Old Testament then to the entire Bible. Finally, Piper recommends sentence diagramming (see also John Piper on "arcing")as a means to put "every part of a sentence into its author-intended relationship to the others." 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gave me Your Word to feed, sustain, and to sanctify me - thank You Jesus!  What an incredible gift - like the gift of salvation I am undeserving.  My sin continues...worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your messages for me today and every day.

Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything.

Pages: 339-349

Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything. 2 Timothy 2:7

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-four: Active Reading Means Asking Questions.  Here, Piper continues to unpack his recommendations on natural reading - and how we can read actively and attentively by looking deeply at Scripture.  In this chapter, he focuses on asking questions as we read and by aggressively seeking answers to these question. He writes that we are to "habitually spot things that at first don't make complete sense, feel a disturbance in our minds, and then dig our way down to the beauty of truth."  He pleads that "with the profoundest respect for God's word, and with great confidence in its unity, we spot these puzzles and spare no effort to dig down till we find the unity [(that brings parts of the Bible together)]."

We are warned that "there is a direct correlation between what we understand of God and how intensely we admire him.  You can only muster only so much admiration for someone you don't know.  God is not honored by such admiration." 

He wraps up the chapter by stating that we are to "aggressively ask questions to yourself and to the text.  Little by little, thread by thread, you begin to see the intricately woven fabric of God's revelation.  Over time you will be changed."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and Your Word is treasure indeed, sweeter than honey and more valuable than silver and gold.  I am sustained by Your Word and I see Your glory in Your Word.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your Word or anything You provide for me, particularly salvation - I have sinned gravely and I continue to sin.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

They love the Lord’s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night...I think about your orders and study your ways...How I love your teachings! I think about them all day long.

Pages: 325-337

They love the Lord’s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night...I think about your orders and study your ways...How I love your teachings! I think about them all day long. Psalm 1:2, 119:15, 97

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-three: The Power of Patience and Aggressive Attentiveness.  Here, Piper starts to unpack a recommendation that in our goal of reading the Bible naturally, we "form the habit, and develop the patience, to look longer and more carefully than you ever have."  He urges us to read actively vs passively as we become engaged and more alert. He shares colorful stories of how scholars urged him to "look, look, look" at the subject of his study.  He states that "[t]he barrier to seeing the riches of the Scriptures is not owing to the act that more people don't know Greek and Hebrew, but that more people don't have the patience to look, look, look."  This is described as a costly effort but one that yields immense results. Piper quotes a Harvard art history professor - Jennifer Roberts - who recommends that we "develop the patience to 'decelerate' and 'immerse' [ourselves] in attention...[as] patience becomes an active and positive cognitive state...now it is a form of control over the tempo of contemporary life that otherwise controls us. Patience no longer connotes disempowerment-perhaps now patience is power."

More on this topic as Piper continues to unpack this topic in the next chapter tomorrow...

Comment and discuss this topic here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your teachings, Your orders, Your ways, Your Word - all worthy of my full attention, and constant meditation - I seek Your glory in Your word and I seek to both see and savor it - to be glorified by it and of course to worship and please You with my life.  I know I exist to glorify You and I know You love me and saved me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and to be saved - it is only through Your grace. My sin continues.  I too often seek my own comfort yet You call me out of my comfort.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for myself today and every day.

Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us. And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom but with words taught us by the Spirit. And so we explain spiritual truths to spiritual people.

Pages: 313-323

Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us. And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom but with words taught us by the Spirit. And so we explain spiritual truths to spiritual people. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-two: The Ordinary Aim of Reading: God's Intention through Man's Intention. Here, Piper seeks to reinforce what he started in the previous chapters here and here where he explores the ordinary aim of reading and states that we are to focus on what the Biblical authors intended at the time. In this chapter, he focuses on two questions.  One, "[h]ow does the human author's intention related to God's intention as the one who inspired the text?" His answer is that God's intentions are communicated through human intention - scripture "comes in the language of particular human authors in particular times and places" and "God availed himself of the language, style, vocabulary, and peculiar usages of individual biblical writers." In other words, "to grasp what these human authors intended to communicate in their particular historical situation is also to grasp God's own intention for that situation."  Piper also looks at a second question which is "[c]an an author mean more than his is conscious of?" Piper wants us to understand that God "can and does have more in mind to communicate...Yet no author, except God, sees all the necessary implications of what he writes...But that does not disconnect the intentions of God from the vocabulary and habits of writing used by the human authors.  We have no other sure and certain access to the mind of God through the way authors use language to communicate their intentions."

Piper ends by stating that "we must not ignore the urgency of pursuing the human authors intention with all our might." 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has provided Your Word and the Holy Spirit so that I can see, savior and be transformed by Your glory - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You provide these and all the gifts You provide - particularly salvation.  My sin continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.

Pages: 303-312

Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty-one - The Ordinary Aim of Reading: Five Reasons to Define Meaning as What the Author Intended to Communicate.  Here, Piper seeks to build on the previous chapter by providing five reasons "for advocating for" reading to understand what the author intended to communicate. 

 First, "the Bible assumes it" - Piper provides a few examples, including 1 Corinthians 5:9-11, John 21:20-23, and 11:11-14 to help us see that "Jesus really does intend for us to pay close attention to his words in order to hear what he really intends to communicate."  He goes on to say that "[t]here is little good that will come if we bring a definition of meaning to the Scriptures that they themselves do not assume."

Second, we should pursue "this definition of meaning because it helps us treat others the way we would like to be treated."  Put another way, we should "[r]ead an author of any important communication the way you would like to be read if you wrote an important communication."  Piper goes on to say that "when we write important things, we want our readers to make every effort to see and honor our intentions as we wrote." Of course the implication is that the Bible an important communication and we should treat it accordingly!

Third, we read this way because we humble, assuming we seek to grow closer in our understanding of God.

Fourth, we read this way "our way of reading corresponds to the way the universe really is."  Piper shares that "there is a life-shaping objective reality outside of us that we cannot control and that we need to know and adapt to...God is absolute reality."  He goes on to say that "[h]uman authors have imparted their God-given intention to words.  Those words exist, and those meanings exist. They are objective realities outside of us.  It is our glory to seek them and find them-by reading."

Fifth, and finally, we read this way because it has authority over us.  The meaning cannot change.  The applications may change based on the individual reading Scripture and their circumstances, but the meaning is fixed. Piper writes that the Bibles teachings and their "unchangeability that lets their divine authority endure from age to age."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed great, as is Your Word and the Holy Spirit and I see Your glory in both and I am both amazed and blessed - thank You.  I am blessed and undeserving of the blessings You pour for me.  I am selfish and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The Lord is good and right; he points sinners to the right way. He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways.

Pages: 295-300

The Lord is good and right; he points sinners to the right way. He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways. Psalm 25:8-9

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter twenty - The Ordinary Aim of Reading: The Meaning of Meaning. Here, Piper seeks to help us start understanding "basic, general habits of good [Bible] reading."  He encourages us to avoid looking at types of writing as a guideline for interpretation or understanding.  He really wants us to understand and interpret Scriptures with a "mind-set that usually sees the most in a text, and sees it with the most transformative authenticity and confidence, is the mind-set that lets the text itself dictate as much as possible while we scrutinize the text with all our might." He is hopeful that through his own experience he can pass on "habits of mind and heart that I think are stunningly fruitful."

His focus in this chapter is for us to understand natural (or ordinary) reading or the act of reading that we do versus the supernatural reading that occurs through the Holy Spirit that helps us. Piper writes that the "ordinary aim of reading is to grasp the meaning of the text."  He then goes on to help us understand that as we seek the meaning of the text, we are seeking "what the author intended to communicate" including emotions and what the author wanted us to experience - the author's intention or "transfer of thoughts from one mind to another."

Piper pauses further unpacking of this matter for the next and subsequent chapters. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God - the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  You are my Lord and Savior.  Without You I am nothing and condemned to death - thank You Lord for saving me...and for giving me the Holy Spirit to help me and Your Word.  I am not deserving of such love.  My sins continue...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The Lord is good and right; he points sinners to the right way. He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways.

Pages: 285-292

The Lord is good and right; he points sinners to the right way. He shows those who are humble how to do right, and he teaches them his ways. Psalm 25:8-9

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter nineteen - Reading the Bible by Faith in His Promise to Instruct Us. Here, Piper seeks to build on the previous chapter where he focused on the 3rd letter of APTAT to trust or believe that God will help and guide us in our understanding of the Bible. His guidance from the last chapter was to "attach to specific promises of God, rather than dangling vaguely in the air of God's goodness."  This morning's chapter provides specificity around which promises we can use. 

Piper starts with Romans 8:32, where Piper says that "[t]here is no greater foundation (God's sacrifice of his Son in our place) and no greater structure built on that foundation-the promise that God will give his children all things."  He stresses that this promise "does not include every comfortable thing in life." Instead, Piper writes that God gives us what we need: "God will give us what we need in order to do his will and reach the goal of likeness to Jesus."  He points to Philippians 4:12-13 and 19 to further demonstrate a focus on needs vs desires or wants.  

He then comes back to the "crucial" point that "we fasten our faith to two or three clear expressions of this all-embracing promise in Scripture...[and that] hazy hope provides weak motivation." We are encouraged to memorize specific verses for us to attach our faith.  Piper provides the following examples:

• 2 Chronicles 16:19
• Isaiah 41:10
• Psalm 23:6, 84:11, 34:9-10, 25:2, 8-9, 12, 32:8, 73:24
  
• Matthew 6:33
• 1 Corinthians 3:21-23
• 2 Corinthians 1:20
• Proverbs 2:6-7, 3:5-6
• Luke 12:11-12  
  

Of course there are examples the apply based on specific needs including finances, pride, sexual temptation, etc. 

Piper also wants us to understand that while greater understanding may be provided to teachers (and greater accountability - see James 3:1-2), His guidance may be over time and through circumstances.  However, we should be certain that "God will help us see in the Bible all we need to see in order to arrive safely in his presence at the end of our lives, or at the day of his coming."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed great and worthy of my constant praise and worship.  Thank You for Your Word, Your Son, and the Holy Spirit - all of which You provided to me through grace alone...thank You.  I am wholly undeserving.  My sin continues...daily.  Divided heart, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

Pages: 277-283

So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? Galatians 3:5

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter eighteen - Reading the Bible by Faith in the Promises of God.  Here, Piper seeks to unpack the 3rd letter of our "practical and biblical guide" - APTAT - and this 3rd letter "t" represents trust. Piper points to Hebrews 11 for scriptural evidence of how God wants us to walk and live - to do everything - by faith.  Piper writes that "the necessity of doing everything by faith - including reading the Bible - is that this is the only way God will receive the glory he should have from us in every action."  He goes on to say that "[t]rusting God for his help in what we do draws attention to his power and trustworthiness...[it] turns every act into a God-exalting virtue." Piper goes further and provides Galatians 3:5 to show us that "law keeping is not the channel through which the Spirit flows as he does he powerful work.  Rather the channel through which the Spirit flows is faith.  When we trust the promises of God, the Spirit moves to do his powerful work."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are trustworthy and faithful as all of Your promises come true - I can and do believe in the promises You make.  I have seen the work of Your hand in my life and have faith - thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving of Your faithfulness as my own faith and trust in You sometimes falters - please forgive for this and for my many sins which continue...daily...including worry, etc.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sins towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

Pages: 263-275 and Psalm 63

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live,   and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:1-8

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter seventeen - The Indispensable Place of Prayer in Reading the Bible Supernaturally: To See, Savor, and Love with a United Heart. Here, Piper builds on the previous chapter on prayer and its critical role in reading the Bible.  He starts by reinforcing a few key points, including how "prayer does not take the place of careful interpretation (aka natural reading).  Prayer serves careful interpretation. He also points out that "God sometimes withholds the fullness of his illumination for wise and holy reasons[.]"  Piper gives us a few examples of strategies for getting insight from the Bible, including prayer to:

• "guide you to notice parts of the text that are especially illuminating
• to lead you to other passages in the Bible that would shed light on the one you are reading
• to lead you to other books or sermons or lectures that would be useful in shedding light on some problem you have run into
• for experiences, or a reminder of experiences you've had, that would make what you are reading more real
• for friends who could study the Bible with you and help you see things you haven't seen
• against any sinful habits or inclinations that might blind you to a part of Scripture you find uncomfortable
• that as you write the text down in your journal, you would notice things you missed in simple reading"
  

 A core message from this chapter is how we should unite our heart with God - using the acronym from the previous chapter: IOUS - Intent, Open, Unite, Satisfy. Piper writes that all Christians face the battle of a divided heart: "[u]ntil we die, or until Jesus comes again, the battle rages.  We Christians must daily reassert our allegiance to Jesus as supreme." We must also find satisfaction in reading the Bible and pray for this.  Piper uses Psalm 63 as the "model for us" to move from "seeking to seeing to savoring." Piper then adds a new letter "L" for lead to the IOUS acronym for us to pray that we be led by the Holy Spirit to a "beautiful transformation from selfish behavior to radical, risk-taking, loving behavior. Psalm 23:3, 119:35, 25:5, 5:8 and Matthew 6:13 are all provided as examples of how we are to pray for this transformation. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed an amazing God who loves me and who gives me Your Word and it satisfies like nothing in creation can - thank You Jesus for Your Word and for the Holy Spirit revealing to me Your glory and it is great indeed!  Thank You Jesus! I am undeserving for how the Word and the Holy Spirit work in my life - I am blessed immeasurably.  Yet again I am undeserving because of my sin - it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Pages: 251-260 and Psalm 119

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Psalm 119:18

This morning, I continued with John Piper's Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture, continuing with Part 3 The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally, chapter sixteen - The Indispensable Place of Prayer in Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Wakening Our Desire for the Word.  Here, Piper seeks to help us understand that the "ongoing miracle of divine teaching, in and through God's written word, is a gift in answer to prayer." Piper wants us to have both prayer and study - he uses Psalm 119 as he points out in this Psalm the the psalmist "prays five times that God would give him understanding:"

• Psalm 119:27
• Psalm 119:34
• Psalm 119:73
• Psalm 119:125
• Psalm 119:169
  

Building on the acronym shared in the previous chapter, Piper shares that prayer "grows out of the admission of our helplessness at the most fundamental level."  He offers us another acronym to help us pray prior to Bible reading: 

• I(ncline): incline our heart
  
• O(pen): open my eyes
  
• U(nite): teach me your ways so that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name
  
• S(atisfy): satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love

Piper urges us to consider prayer as crucial to our Bible reading as it "contains an absolute surrender of yourself to God."  He goes on to say that "[l]oss of interest in the word of God is loss of interest in God."  Piper himself writes how "hundreds of times I have hit a wall in my effort to understand a text.  Often I have had a sense of desperation because I must preach on this text in two days....[he] plead[s] with the Lord to lead [him] into the truth...."

Very good teaching indeed.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and Your Word IS sweet and more valuable than gold - thank You Jesus for giving me desire for You and Your Word.  Please sustain and intensify this desire for You and Your Word. Thank You for how You bless me and sanctify me with Your Word.  I am undeserving.  I worry and I am selfish.  Please forgive me for these and other sins.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.