A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY by Given O. Blakely ______________________________________________ PERSPECTIVES WHEN STUDYING GOD'S WORD #4 Studying the Word with Jesus, or the Gospel, in your mind The Bible, or Word of God, is the rational expression of the mind and purpose of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the embodiment of that expression. The ultimate exhibition of the Living God is Jesus Christ Himself. By this I mean Jesus is the fullest revelation of God. In Him dwelt "all the fulness of the Godhead" bodily (Col 2:9). Because of this situation, Jesus is called "The Word," or expression of God. The closest of all associations is that of a word to the reality it portrays. That association is made permanent when discerned, impacting upon our thought. For instance, the word "apple" summons certain thoughts to our minds. Images of the fruit, together with considerations of taste, color, etc., are tied to that word. It is much the same with the Lord Jesus. When He is properly perceived, thoughts of God are engaged by our minds. His love and mercy are contemplated, as well as His tenderness and longsuffering. In addition to these things, Jesus is the ultimate expression of God. There we behold His love, power, and grace. They are all personified in Christ Jesus, making them accessible to humanity! The Scriptures (as the expression of God's mind and purpose) and the Lord Jesus (His ultimate Expression) are perfectly harmonious. This is a truth most glorious! I want you to see that Jesus can be seen in every section of God's Word. He is there in type, prophecy, and promise. Let us explore this aspect of our subject--reading the Bible with Jesus in mind. The Word made flesh The idea of an enfleshed word is foreign to human thinking. Yet, this is precisely what is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture puts it this way; "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14). The glory, or magnificence, of God is seen in Jesus. There we see the real nature of God. Until Jesus came, the world--even the Jewish world--was abysmally ignorant of the Living God. But when Jesus "dwelt among us," we saw what God was really like. The record of the Gospels reveals how God responds to sinners, to needy, to arrogant, and to the helpless. Grace and truth were poured into Jesus, the incarnate, or enfleshed, Word. I will tell you that grace and truth toward men cannot be united outside of the Lord Jesus Christ! Without Him grace and truth are at enmity so far as humanity is concerned. The truth prohibits the reception of grace. However, praise the Lord, they are united in the Son. Therein is the Scripture fulfilled, "Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psa 85:10). You will find a perfect correlation of Scripture with the Lord Jesus. What you perceive in His Person will also be found in the thoughts and concepts of Scripture. Read the Bible with Jesus in mind. Scripture testifies of Christ Here is a revolutionary thought: the Scriptures really speak about Christ. He is their dominating Theme! This was not known by the Jewish leaders of Christ's day. Sadly, it is not known by many religious leaders of our day. Christ said this to His critics, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life" (John 5:39). The Scriptures are not an end of themselves. They point to Christ, and without Him, they are a dead letter. We are not to be guilty of Bibliolatry, or the worship of the Bible. Often we have been perceived as Bible worshipers instead of Bible proclaimers. Some of this is unjustified, and yet we are not altogether innocent in the matter. If Christ is not the dominant theme of our preaching and teaching, we are not proclaiming the Word correctly. Scriptures bear witness to, or testify, of Christ. Those that do not come to Christ to appropriate the salvation of God have not heard or read Scripture correctly! If the Word of God bears witness to Jesus, it imperative that we read it with Him in mind. It is possible to emulate Phillip's preaching to the Ethiopian eunuch. When confronted with that political dignitary reading the Bible, Phillip "beginning from this Scripture . . . preached Jesus to him" (Acts 8:35). Read the Bible with Jesus in mind. He is there, it is our duty and privilege to behold Him there! (More on this subject tomorrow) In joyful expectation of glory, Given O. Blakely