English PDF - The Bible Advocate Online

Required Reading
Christian faith has always been a biblical faith. The role of
scripture in shaping the faith is one of the most enduring characteristics
of Christianity. Calling Christians a people of the Book
or followers of the Word is perfectly appropriate; the Bible is the
source of our belief. Scripture is where we meet God. From the
theological statements of church leaders to the daily and weekly
practices of believers worldwide, the Bible remains central to our
Christian identity and to our relationship with God.
But the book isn’t everything.
— Jon L. Berquist, Incarnation
Fleshly incarnation: “Therefore
whoever hears these sayings
of Mine, and does them,
I will liken him to a wise man
who built his house on the rock”
(7:24).
Here once more the people
of God experienced the fiery
breath of God, the revelation of
the Word raining down upon
them from the mountaintop — an
event experienced up close and
personal. And just as Israel was
called to obey the Ten Words
spoken, so Jesus called His disciples
to not just hear His words
but also do them.
Inscribing the event. And
once more God preserved the
moment and the message, not
on tables of stone this time but
on papyrus so later generations
can read and pass the revelation
on. The Holy Spirit moved Matthew
to the task. Just as Moses
chipped the Word into words on
stone, so Matthew scratched the
Word into words on another material
in order that Jesus’ sermon
might reach our ears.
Although the church often
fares no better than Israel in incarnating
the Word, God’s triune
promise of revelation, inscription,
and incarnation remains. We
have a better way than Israel of
old. Where she, and we, have
failed to faithfully complete the
journey from revelation to incarnation
and so stand condemned
due to the sting of sin, Jesus
Christ has accomplished that
movement perfectly.
In the gospel we discover that
Jesus is not just another prophet
like Moses and not just one more
restoration ministry among others.
Jesus was a prophet and had
a ministry. But more than that,
He is the Only Begotten of the
Father — the Word made flesh,
full of grace and truth (John 1:1,
14).
Church: destiny of
flame and flesh
In Jesus we meet in person
the Word that stands behind and
beyond the Scripture that we
honor. He is Alpha and Omega,
the flame that reveals and the
flesh that incarnates all the Bible
records. In Him we have a better
hope to make this journey from
revelation to incarnation as well.
By Jesus and through His Spirit
we are, in fact, participants in this
process by new covenant.
“Ye are our epistle written in
our hearts, known and read of
all men,” Paul says to the Corinthians
(2 Corinthians 3:2, KJV).
They are a walking, talking word
of God to the world. He draws
upon the prophet Jeremiah’s
voice to describe this miracle:
Forasmuch as ye are
manifestly declared to be the
epistle of Christ ministered by
us, written not with ink, but
with the Spirit of the living
God; not in tables of stone,
but in fleshy tables of the
heart (v. 3, KJV).
Paul was confident that the
church will indeed incarnate the
revelation of God, because it is
not our work but God’s work in
us: “Not that we are sufficient of
ourselves to think of anything as
being from ourselves, but our sufficiency
is from God” (v. 5, KJV).
The Bible tells an amazing story,
but the Bible is not the story
itself; it is rather a bearer of that
story to the world. It is not with
paper and ink, ultimately, that
God transmits His revelation to
the world; it is through you and
me. The story is best told when it
is lived.
There is a book about revelation,
and then there is the
revealing itself. There is a book
that tells of incarnation, and then
there is the incarnating. The Bible
is such a book, and we are the
people of the Book — called to
be the Book. BA
After serving as
lay pastor in Jasper,
AR, for years,
Jason Overman
received his ministerial
license in
early 2011.
6 • Bible Advocate® - www.BAonline.org