Chapter 5

This Is How We Know

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- Romans 12:2 

     If only we could think like God. Imagine if every one of your thoughts was holy, every motive pure, and every idea good. If you could think like that then your thoughts would only result in a perfectly holy life as well. In other words, you wouldn’t sin if you thought like God. If we want to be righteous like Him then we must be willing to change how we think. 

     When the Holy Spirit works in our life it results in a desire to pursue God’s way of thinking. The primary tool that the Holy Spirit uses to help us think differently is the Bible. The Bible was designed by God to revise the way we think. The information in the Bible is what God has revealed about Himself to the world, and that’s why the Bible is referred to as the word of God. It’s God’s way of informing us on how to think… about everything.

     The Bible is crucial for believers because being a Christian has everything to do with what you know. What you know will determine how you live.  You can’t expect anyone to love and worship God if they don’t know anything about Him. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul rhetorically asked, “…how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” (Romans 10:14). Paul makes the point that you can’t worship God or know His will without first having been told about him. Christians believe that the Bible is the source of information that God has given us to discern His ways and understand His will in this world. 

     One of the most amazing realities of the Bible is that it not only teaches us about God, but it also teaches us… about us. Hebrews 4:12 famously says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” In other words, God knows us better than ourselves. He uses the Bible to teach us about who we are and why we exist. The Bible empowers us to discern life and live rightly. When Christians want to understand God’s will for their life they read the Bible.  

     Here’s the thing when it comes to discerning all of life through the Bible. It takes time, patience, and consistency. Getting in a rush to understand God’s word will lead to mistakes and is often just a sign of pride. In an effort to know everything we often take shortcuts. Quickly jumping to blogs or blurbs of information can be helpful but they’re not inspired by God like the Bible. Their is a strong temptation in us to be a know-it-all so never forget why you’re on a pursuit of truth in the first place. Christians don’t seek the knowledge of God just for the sake of regurgitating the right answers. Reading the Bible is a life long journey that Christians travel in order to be changed one step at a time. Right answers will always feel cheap when you’ve not spent the time it takes to truly develop and commit to them. The truth that’s in the Bible can take root in your life and shape how you live, but only if you pay the cost of time.

     I’ll warn you though, there are portions of the Bible that are incredibly difficult to read, let alone comprehend in a way that’s relevant to life today. The composition of the Bible is so diverse but that’s what makes it so amazing. God used roughly 40 different authors, from various places in the world, over the course of about 1500 years to write His words. However, if you take your time, you’ll see that it all works together to tell one big story of redemption. 

     This story of redemption is what is known as the Gospel. The Gospel is woven throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Each of its 66 books works like individual instruments in an orchestra. One by one these books provide a unique experience or perspective that works together like a symphony full of repetitive melodies and transformative harmonies. A deeper understanding of the Gospel comes only with a careful examination of the Bible in its entirety.

     One last thing, over the course of your life you’re going to hear thousands of people with thousands of different thoughts about God. Many of them will use the Bible to say all sorts of conflicting things about who God is and how you should live. Be careful who you learn from. Use the Bible to judge everything that’s said about God. Christians make a huge mistake when they base what they believe about God just off of what they heard someone say or what they imagine God to be like in their head. Christians who don’t use their Bibles are divisive to the church and harmful to themselves because, apart from Scripture, sin will fill us with so many wrong ideas. The reason they become destructive is that they’re not using what God has lovingly designed to unite and protect His children, the Bible. 

Discussion questions for BOTH to answer. 

1. What did you underline or highlight? What stuck out to you?
2. What does it take to change your mind about something?
3. What stops you from changing your mind?
4. How could it be divisive or harmful for christians to develop beliefs apart from the Bible?
5. Why do you think it takes so much time to understand the Bible?