book of love

Here's one fine piece from our own brother Ken Hsu some time ago:

We often heard or used the phrases "authority of the scripture" or "based on the scripture." So, what exactly is this "authority" we talked about? Most of us have preconceived ideas on what authority is. As such, we start with authority and then we try to fit Scripture into that mold.

Take driving, for example. We have a rule book that "authoritatively" tells us what we can do and what we cannot do in any given situation. At any moment, we can thumb through this rule book and find answers to our questions regarding driving on the road. Take the charter for any organization, and we find, again, rules on what to do and what not to do for membership in the organization.

Is this our Bible? Do we read Scriptures to get out of it a list of rules to follow? Do we read Scriptures looking for answers the way we look for traffic law questions? How does the Scriptures "authoritatively" guide and lead us?

Think of this analogy (from N.T. Wright). Let's say we have, in our hand, a play from Shakespeare. The play consists of 5 acts. However, we only have the first 4 acts. The fifth act has been lost. Then, after watching the first 4 acts, the audience clamor for the fifth and final act. What to do? We gather up scholars who are familiar with Shakespeare's work and who are familiar with that period of time in our history. Together with the actors, we come up with a story for act 5 that is consistent with the stories from the first 4 acts and bring the play to its closure.

In a similar way the Scriptures tell us a story, a story of a loving God reaching out to His wayward children, to redeem them, and to bring them back to His glory. Does the Scriptures tell us the entire story? Not yet! We have a glimpse from the book of Revelation how it's all going to end. However, we are "continuing" the story right now. We are bridging the gap between now and the end day when God renews His creation.

How are we to bridge the gap and continue the story? In a consistent manner with what the Scriptures have "authoritatively" told us how God had dealt with His people in Scripture's stories. Going back to the analogy of a play. The first few acts in the Scriptures consist of God, prophets/judges, Christ, and apostles. Now it's church's turn to be on the stage. How are we, the body of Christ -- church, to continue the storyline of the play?

First we recognize our mandate from God. He is sending us out into the world to proclaim the Good News. The word "apostle" comes from the Greek word "apostellein" and means one sent with a message. This is where the authority lies. The authority of the Scriptures comes from God. Our authority comes from God. God is ultimately the authority on everything we do as He sends us out and we are His messengers.

What did God send us out with? A rule book to follow? Pharisees tried that approach and failed. A question and answer book? A quick glance of our Bible tells us that's not it either. What then? Sotries. God sends us out with stories and parables.

Rules and doctrines are used to control people. They put people in a box from which they cannot grow. In the end, the box becomes their coffin. Stories, on the other hand, speak to people's worldview. In hearing the stories, the hearers get to situate themselves in the framework and settings of the stories, from which they can come to a new paradigm to set their worldview with God's view.

That's what Scriptures should do for us, to turn our worldview into "God-view." Let us live out the stories, let us continue the stories that God had started long ago, that many saints throughout the centuries had faithfuly continued, and let us read our Scriptures with that in mind. They are not just ancient stories written in ancient languages that are remote to us. They are stories, God's stories, from which we come to understand how God wants us to face this fallen world, from which we are to continue to act in a consistent manner to complete the story, God's story!! A-men.

Peace,

Ken