MAKE IT REAL

I recently read a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a famous German theologian from the first half of the 20th century. Bonhoeffer was imprisoned, and then killed near the end of the war for being part of a conspiracy to assassinate Adolph Hitler.The fact that a prominent Christian could choose to be part of an assassination plot is a problem for lots of people, but I'm not going to struggle with that issue today. There's something else I want to write about.

Something really caught my attention while reading this book. Bonhoeffer was a brilliant theological student. He completed his first PHD at the age of 21 and as a very young man kept company with men who were considered to be some of the greatest theological experts of the day. Over his lifetime Dietrich Bonhoeffer developed a rather conservative theological view based on a solid acceptance of the Bible as the word of God, and the need for a personal relationship with Jesus. However, it seems this was an uncommon point of view among the most prominent theologians of the day.

Pre-war Germany was a "Christian state". For the most part, if you were German you were "Christian". It was not unusual in that culture for people with an academic bent to choose theological studies, much the same way that others might choose to study philosophy, or Greek literature. For many young men and women, the Bible was simply a field of study, and they were prone to treat scripture as an interesting historical document rather than God's message to humanity. 

Many of the most prominent teachers of theology had a strongly liberal point of view. They dismissed the deity of Christ and even questioned the existence of God.They were experts in their knowledge of what the Bible said, but what the Bible taught had never become part of their personal experience. Among the great theologians of the day it seems that most never even went to church unless asked to preach at a special event.

My first thought is how odd that a person would choose to devote their entire lives to studying the Bible when they didn't even believe it. I suppose it's not unlike someone who spends their life becoming expert in Greek mythology. Interesting purely from an academic point of view, but life changing? Clearly not.

The other, and more important thing to occur to me is that knowing the Bible inside and out, being expert in what the word of God says, is clearly not nearly enough when it comes to truly being a Christian. Christianity is not about knowledge, it's about relationship. It's not knowing about God, it's really knowing Him and His Son Jesus Christ in a personal way.

I've shared this concept before, coming at it from a different direction, but it is so important. Knowing the Bible does not make me a Christian any more than studying about dogs makes me a Golden Retriever. The Pharisees of Jesus' day were experts in the Old Testament, in fact were required to memorize huge portions of it, yet the reality of what those scriptures were teaching had never sunk in. God's words had never changed them in the way He intended.

There are so many ways to go through the motions of Christianity without it really becoming part of our personal reality. Reading the Bible isn't enough. Living a pretty good life is not enough. Being kind and generous is not enough. Going to church is not enough. Even being a minister or church leader is not enough. These things may give a semblance of Christianity, and they may well convince others of something that really isn't there. But real Christianity is about accepting the word of God, coming to genuine faith in Jesus, and allowing scripture and the Holy Spirit to change us into the people God wants us to be.

When you think about it, it's amazing how many people have gone only as far as knowing stuff about God, or looking religious, without allowing God to transform their lives. The Bible is far more than a field of academic study. It is the living word of God.  Hebrews 4:12 says this.

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

The Bible is so much more than a piece of classic literature. Consider this. What if our Creator wanted to communicate with us? What if He wanted to tell us how we can be in relationship with Him, and give us instructions for life? Wouldn't we want to devote ourselves to not just understanding the words, but doing what they said?

Well, we have those words right in front of us. Are you past the point where knowing the Bible is more than head knowledge, and where Christianity is more than a label? Is every part of your life guided by your faith in Jesus Christ and what God has to tell us through His word? You can be there.