Local Church Discussions - View Single Post

HERn · 03-24-2015, 04:22 AM

I have been reading this thread with some interest. I came upon the following quote from the English Study Bible (ESV) and thought I would offer it here as a comment on how we can experience (the author of the quote uses "communion with God") God without going astray into religious experience.

"To be sure, God is active everywhere in the world today, and we experience his precious power wherever we trust him and do his will. But we will go astray if we make this daily experience of God the basis of our communion with him. We know God for who he is, and meet him as he is, when we meet him through his Word— the Bible. We see this principle at work, for example, in 1 Samuel 3:21 : “The L ORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the L ORD .” The Lord himself is revealed by his word , that is, by what he says to us, whether audibly or in written form. Therefore, when we seek to enjoy communion with the Lord— and not to be led astray by the ambiguities of religious experience— we read the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s words and God’s deeds reveal God himself for our knowledge and our enjoyment. Of course, it is possible to read the Bible without enjoying communion with God. We must seek to understand the Bible’s meaning, and we must pause to contemplate what we understand and, by the Spirit, to feel and express the appropriate response of the heart."

03-24-2015, 04:22 AM	#33
HERn Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 969	Re: The Experience of Christ I have been reading this thread with some interest. I came upon the following quote from the English Study Bible (ESV) and thought I would offer it here as a comment on how we can experience (the author of the quote uses "communion with God") God without going astray into religious experience. "To be sure, God is active everywhere in the world today, and we experience his precious power wherever we trust him and do his will. But we will go astray if we make this daily experience of God the basis of our communion with him. We know God for who he is, and meet him as he is, when we meet him through his Word— the Bible. We see this principle at work, for example, in 1 Samuel 3:21 : “The L ORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the L ORD .” The Lord himself is revealed by his word , that is, by what he says to us, whether audibly or in written form. Therefore, when we seek to enjoy communion with the Lord— and not to be led astray by the ambiguities of religious experience— we read the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s words and God’s deeds reveal God himself for our knowledge and our enjoyment. Of course, it is possible to read the Bible without enjoying communion with God. We must seek to understand the Bible’s meaning, and we must pause to contemplate what we understand and, by the Spirit, to feel and express the appropriate response of the heart."