Volume 3: Scripture

Summary of Volume 3

“But if we all read the biblical text assuming that God is able to speak a coherent word to us through it, then we can discuss the meanings our varied cultures have gleaned from the Scriptures. What I have in mind then is a unified mission in which our varied cultures turn to the text in dialogue with one another to discern the mind of Christ.” - Esau McCaulley, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope

As followers of Jesus, we must structure everything that we do around the word of God. The Bible is central to the way we structure our lives and community. We contextualize our message and ministry by holding ourselves accountable to the word of God in what, how, and why we do what we do.

Topics

• What is the Bible?

  The Bible is one of the most divisive books ever written and read. The Bible has been at the center of wars and revolutions, the heart of oppression and liberation, and used by the politically conservative and progressive, leading people to consider the Bible irrelevant to us because it has been misused. Others feel like the Bible is too confusing to approach; instead, they avoid engaging it all together. However, the Bible is too important to dismiss despite how it has been misused and is more approachable than we think.

  We at Garden Church believe that the Bible is authoritative and necessary for our discipleship. Yet, we must ask, “What exactly is the Bible?”

• The Bible as a Story

  The Bible is a library of different books that tell one unified story. The biblical authors tell the story of God, God’s people, and where God is taking history.

• The Bible as Meditative Literature

  Throughout history, the Bible has been used as a tool for meditation. The outcome for those who choose to meditate on scripture is spelled out in Psalms 1:1-3:

  Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

  Scripture tells us that those who meditate on the law of the Lord or scripture will be like a tree planted by streams of water whose life will produce fruit, whose leaf will not wither, and whatever they do will prosper. Who doesn’t want a life like that?

  There are multiple ways to meditate on scripture, so in this week’s lesson, we will learn and practice several ways to do so.

• The Bible for Today

  Throughout this handbook, we have learned the Bible is an ancient library of books of different genres written in one unified story of God’s vision for this world and how we can partner with him to see Heaven come to Earth. Despite this work, the scriptures can still be dismissed as archaic, not impacting our daily lives. Yet, the Bible is not for us to simply appreciate and understand; it is meant to be applied in our everyday lives.

  How does the Bible matter to us today?