Another quote from "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrandt.
"God is 'the Truth'. The Bible is 'the truth about the Truth'. Theology is 'the truth about the truth about the Truth'. Fundamentalism is 'the truth about the truth about the truth about the Truth'. Christian people live in these many truths about the Truth, and because of them, have not 'the Truth'. Hungry, beaten, and doped, we had forgotten theology and the Bible. We had forgotten the 'truths about the Truth', therefore we lived in 'the Truth'. It is written, 'The Son of man will come in the hour when you do not think and on the day you do not know'. We could not think anymore. In our darkest hours of torture the Son of man came to us, making the prison walls shine like diamonds and filling the cells with light. Somewhere, far away, were the torturers below us in the sphere of the body. But the spirit rejoiced in the Lord. We would not have given up this joy for that of kingly palaces."
While I think that this could easily be taken too far to say that the Bible and theology are bad (and certainly at times throughout history people have gone there, one example is the Quakers) I think that there is still a significant amount of value in these statements. Obviously the Bible and theology are good and necessary, but I have also known individuals who, in their knowledge of the things of God did not know God.
May you desire God more than you desire knowledge and 'truth'. May your heart burn for God as in a dry and thirsty land. May you find yourself filled with God through Scripture, and with the will of God through theology. May you find yourself on a quest to know 'the Truth', to be set free, and to rise above the things of this world and dine with the Savior in Heaven.
http://pondererporter.blogspot.com/2010/04/academia-and-bible.html
ReplyDeleteI liked this.
And I'm too tired to say anything else, profound or average.
Fantastic my friend. I'm going to order every Wurmbrand book I can find. I've heard enough to know that the guy knew what he was talking about, and he embraced the sufferings of Christ as his own, being dedicated to the propagation of the gospel.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of 'knowing about' vs. 'knowing,' it's been the theme of my study and time with God for the past few months. If you get a chance, ask Jeff to borrow his book called 'A Little Exercise for the Young Theologian,' if you haven't already read it. It's phenomenal. At Worldview this summer I'm actually creating a brand new lecture which will probably be entitled 'Know vs. Know' on this very topic. Seems like every book and every verse I have read in the past two months is speaking to the topic of knowing God, and difference between the intense personal fellowship with Him, and the knowledge of the things about Him. Richard Baxter says in 'The Reformed Pastor,' "What a poor business it is to themselves, to spend their time in acquiring some little knowledge of the works of God and know not God himself, not exalt him in their hearts, not be acquainted with that one renewing work that should make them happy! They do but walk in a vain show, and spend their lives like dreaming men, and are strangers to God and the life of saints."
Oh but that this isn't true of us. I pray it for both of us that we be not dedicated to things of God and yet not to God himself.