The God of the modern evangelical rarely astonishes anybody. He manages to stay pretty much with the constitution. Never break our by-laws. He’s a very well-behaved God and very denominational and very much like one of us…we ask Him to help us when we’re in trouble and look to Him to watch over us when we’re asleep. The God of the modern evangelical isn’t a God I could have much respect for (AW Tozer).
We’ve been studying the Gospel of John with our community group. It’s not a deep dive but a 12-week study, so some weeks, we explore just a few verses, and then there’s a week like this one, where we read six chapters: John 5 – 10! And that’s a lot!
But these six chapters had a particular theme in common. In them, Jesus reveals who He is.
Jesus is the “bread of life” who satisfies our hunger. He invites us to come to Him, drink deeply, and receive a river of living water! Those descriptions remind me of the Beatitude, where Jesus says that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. In Jesus, we find spiritual satisfaction.
Jesus says He is the “Light of the World,” destroying the darkness. And He’s our “Good Shepherd,” who leads us in green pastures, by still waters, providing for our every need.
Jesus shocked the Pharisees with His announcements! His claims of divinity, radical teachings, and miracles challenged their authority, theology, and understanding of the Law. He upended their world!
“All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
When we study the Word, we should experience shock and awe. As we read the Word, God, through His Spirit, confronts our thoughts and actions with His truth.
May our comfortable world be upended … our theology, understanding, and hearts be challenged anew!
Posted on Substack as well.
