Thursday, 10 April

He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations. Psalm 105:8

But the word of the Lord endures forever.  That word is the good news that was announced to you. 1 Peter 1:25

Christians often seem a bit muddled by what we mean when we talk about the “Word of God”.  Since the growth of Evangelicalism in the 18th Century it’s been equated with the Bible.  The Bible, to be sure, contains the Word of God it was written by fallible humans like you and me.  God’s Word, is contained in the Bible and our task as Christians is to discern which is God’s Word and which is the cultural assumptions and words of humans.  It can be difficult and it’s why we often disagree about what the Bible teaches.  Those passages about women being subservient to men were once seen as being the Word of God but are now more generally seen as the cultural assumptions of the male writers.  The debates about divorce and, much earlier, about the lending of money with interest arose out of a similar process of discernment.  Today’s debates in the Church often centre on what the Bible is thought to teach.  We need the courage to discern and see the Word of God shining out from the words of humans. 

Lord, help us to understand Your Will,

Help me to read the Bible and be led by your Spirit as we interpret it,

That your love and grace will shine out from your Church.

Amen. 

Andy Braunston

Metropolitan Church