Grace and Peace to you!
Another year of confirmation classes are underway! Our confirmation studies are setup in three sections. One year we will focus on the Old Testament. The year after that we will focus on the New Testament – emphasis on the life of Christ. The third year of this cycle looks at the early church, Martin Luther, and the catechism.
In any given year, there will be some over-lapping as each of these three are so very interconnected. As such, in the course of our studies in confirmation sessions, we will have more than once looked into and discussed the Ten Commandments, what and how we believe in God, how we can best live together with others, the confession of Christian faith (the Creeds), the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism and Holy Communion.
Central to all of these is the use of the Bible. First, the Bible is the very Word of God. Paul states, “All scripture is God-breathed…” The word for breath is “pneuma,” which means spirit of God. Paul is saying the Bible is not a human book. It comes from God. Now there are two schools of thought regarding Scripture: the literal and the inspired. The literal says that this is the Word of God and God dictated every single word to the writers of the Bible. Inspiration says the Bible was written by those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Word of God.
The Old Testament is full of statements claiming to be the Word of God. "Thus says the Lord" occurs 418 times in the Old Testament. "God said" occurs 46 times. And numerous times it says God spoke through prophets and even through common people. So, God is the source and ultimate author of Scripture and because of that, it carries the full authority of our God.
Second, the Word is God showing us about himself as we believe that scriptures are God’s story about God and the people of God. In the Word, God tells his nature, his heart and his character to us.
From the beginning of time, people have basically been asking, “Who is God?” Moses, in his very first encounter with God in Exodus 3, asked, “Who are you?” And God gives Moses a very oblique answer, “I AM.” Unlike English, the original language that records this for us does not limit itself to past tense, nor present tense, and not just future tense. God is saying, “I have always been and will always be.” What we translate into English as “I am” means, “I am who I am” or even better, “I will be who I will be.” In other words, God is saying “Moses, you can’t fit me into a box to understand who I am. I’m beyond explanation and I’m not confined to your time and space, or to your definition of God. I AM.”
But not just in the Word, God has been revealed even more to us through Jesus. The Gospel of John puts it this way: “the Word became Flesh and dwelled among us.” Moses didn’t get to see God’s face, but when we look at Jesus, we see who God is. Through Jesus, we learn that God is merciful. Through Jesus’ teaching we learn when we are lost, God is the one who pursues us and welcomes us back home with great joy. Through Jesus, we learn that God loves everyone equally. And through Jesus’ death on the cross, we learn that God is not willing that any should perish, but everyone have life and have it abundantly. All this is recorded for us in the Bible.
The Bible is God’s gift to us. We have a God who is intimately involved in and concerned about our life. Because of God’s love for us, that God wants the best for us, our God has provided for us with the Bible. What is present in those words from a song many learned in Sunday School is so true, "Jesus loves, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
In Christ!
Pastor Bakker
16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NRSV)
Another year of confirmation classes are underway! Our confirmation studies are setup in three sections. One year we will focus on the Old Testament. The year after that we will focus on the New Testament – emphasis on the life of Christ. The third year of this cycle looks at the early church, Martin Luther, and the catechism.
In any given year, there will be some over-lapping as each of these three are so very interconnected. As such, in the course of our studies in confirmation sessions, we will have more than once looked into and discussed the Ten Commandments, what and how we believe in God, how we can best live together with others, the confession of Christian faith (the Creeds), the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism and Holy Communion.
Central to all of these is the use of the Bible. First, the Bible is the very Word of God. Paul states, “All scripture is God-breathed…” The word for breath is “pneuma,” which means spirit of God. Paul is saying the Bible is not a human book. It comes from God. Now there are two schools of thought regarding Scripture: the literal and the inspired. The literal says that this is the Word of God and God dictated every single word to the writers of the Bible. Inspiration says the Bible was written by those who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Word of God.
The Old Testament is full of statements claiming to be the Word of God. "Thus says the Lord" occurs 418 times in the Old Testament. "God said" occurs 46 times. And numerous times it says God spoke through prophets and even through common people. So, God is the source and ultimate author of Scripture and because of that, it carries the full authority of our God.
Second, the Word is God showing us about himself as we believe that scriptures are God’s story about God and the people of God. In the Word, God tells his nature, his heart and his character to us.
From the beginning of time, people have basically been asking, “Who is God?” Moses, in his very first encounter with God in Exodus 3, asked, “Who are you?” And God gives Moses a very oblique answer, “I AM.” Unlike English, the original language that records this for us does not limit itself to past tense, nor present tense, and not just future tense. God is saying, “I have always been and will always be.” What we translate into English as “I am” means, “I am who I am” or even better, “I will be who I will be.” In other words, God is saying “Moses, you can’t fit me into a box to understand who I am. I’m beyond explanation and I’m not confined to your time and space, or to your definition of God. I AM.”
But not just in the Word, God has been revealed even more to us through Jesus. The Gospel of John puts it this way: “the Word became Flesh and dwelled among us.” Moses didn’t get to see God’s face, but when we look at Jesus, we see who God is. Through Jesus, we learn that God is merciful. Through Jesus’ teaching we learn when we are lost, God is the one who pursues us and welcomes us back home with great joy. Through Jesus, we learn that God loves everyone equally. And through Jesus’ death on the cross, we learn that God is not willing that any should perish, but everyone have life and have it abundantly. All this is recorded for us in the Bible.
The Bible is God’s gift to us. We have a God who is intimately involved in and concerned about our life. Because of God’s love for us, that God wants the best for us, our God has provided for us with the Bible. What is present in those words from a song many learned in Sunday School is so true, "Jesus loves, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
In Christ!
Pastor Bakker
16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NRSV)
