Sola Affinitas

When I was younger, my father served in the U.S. Navy and I'd receive letters from him while he was out to sea. I remember them vividly. Each one a reminder that I was on my father’s mind; that he missed me and looked forward to seeing me again. Many came with an illustration showing off my father’s creativity, his sense of humor, and how well he knew his son. These letters come to mind as I think about the Bible.

In a similar (but, not the same) way that those letters connected me with my dad, I see the Bible as a vital link between our heavenly Father and his beloved children. The books of the Bible are correspondence. They are letters reminding us that we are on our Father’s mind; that He misses us and looks forward to seeing us again. Each book from Genesis through Revelation bears witness to our Father’s creativity, his sense of humor (and irony), illustrating how well He knows and cares for his daughters and his sons.

Now, as much as I treasured those letters from my dad, they were no substitute for the real thing. They never took me fishing, cheered for my soccer team, or sat through Star Wars four times with me. What those letters did do, was reveal my father’s heart to me. Those letters remind me of important truths. And, they nurtured and strengthened our relationship.

It’s this last one that’s really got me thinking.

Jesus says that the Old Testament (the law and the prophets) is all about relationship (Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus also claims to be the fulfillment of Hebrew Scripture (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:25-27). It would seem that the whole Bible – both Testaments – is about Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, Son of the Living God. And, that Jesus is the expression, the personification – the Incarnation – of God’s desire to live in loving relationship with us, and to have us live in loving relationship with one another.

I am not sure how you'll be struck by the following question: Can we get any closer to Jesus than the Bible? But, to my thinking, this question moves us from doctrinal positions on the authority of Scripture to the biblical focus on relationship. If Jesus Christ (Emmanuel) is God drawing near to us, shouldn't our lives be rooted and grounded in drawing near to Him?

The Good News, I believe, is that the answer to both questions is, “Yes!” Where two or three gather in his name (Matthew 18:20); as we minister to the “least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46); and as often as we come to the Lord’s Table in remembrance of him (Luke 22:14-20).

In the Bible, Jesus tells his followers that he is not only to be found within the pages and margins and binding of Holy Scripture, but also freshly written upon our hearts and on the pages of our life together. May the Living Christ – Author and Finisher of our faith – always find us ready to learn from him on the road, and may he ever be made known to us in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:13-35)!

An Open Book,
~Pastor Brian