I have to admit that I’ve never been able to bring myself to purchase one of the ‘Idiot’s Guide to…’ books. Bringing that book up to the cash register would just be too much like a confession of stupidity to me. Nevertheless, I’ve often longed for an Idiot’s guide to my personal walk with Jesus-an owner’s manual with a ton of detail as to how I should live out each minute of a sanctified life. Wouldn’t it be nice? Though there is an Idiot’s Guide to Christianity out there, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have the answers I’m looking for. In fact, those details don’t even appear in the Bible itself.
A Personal Example
About five years ago, I had the pleasure of introducing a young college girl to Scripture and to Jesus for the first time. We were away from each other for a while and so I handed her my Bible when we departed and encouraged her to read on to know more about Jesus. Months passed and when we were together again, she explained that-feeling a bit lost in the big Book- she’d found the concordance. She was pumped. She said she could look up any topic that she needed an answer for and she could find it. Clothing, school, children, work, marriage, even food.
She wanted to know the ins and outs of this Christian faith and in some ways she was treating Scripture like an Owner’s Manual. But, the verses were often not as clear as she’d hoped and she was left with lots of questions for most of the subjects. ‘It says this, but I don’t necessarily know what I should do in my particular situation.’
The Example of Child-rearing
I felt the same desire for more clarity with the issue of raising children. I kept wanting Scripture to provide perfectly clear instructions. This was made clear to me in a marriage book I read a while back. After laying out numerous chapters about the roles of wives and husbands based in Ephesians, the author spends a few short words on the issue of child-rearing. He points out the lack of detail supplied in Scripture regarding specifics on raising children in a Godly way.
I agreed. Referring to the four short verses in Ephesians 6, the author says,’How could anyone in that age of rampant ungodliness raise children properly with so little guidance?…With all the cultural perils facing our children, does the Bible sufficiently equip parents?‘
The Context is Important
He goes on to explain the Bible really doesn’t have to say so much about child-rearing because it’s already provided a great deal of direction for the CONTEXT in which child-rearing should happen. The book of Ephesians provides the context.
- There’s great detail about our relationship with Jesus and what our new selves should look like.
- There’s a good bit of detail about the way the church should function and work together.
- There’s detail about the way marriage should look.
- At the end of the book, there’s even detail about spiritual forces that we’ll be up against.
In my life, I want to skip through all the bigger details. The details of what Jesus has done, how He’s blessed His church, and how I’m saved by grace through faith seem OLD HAT. What I need is clear detail on my particular situation (in this instance-how do I deal with my disobedient child?) But I often can’t find it in Scripture-at least not with the detail I desire.
But Why?
I’m sure I don’t understand all the reasons that this is the case. But, here are a few that I’ve discovered as I felt the need for an Owner’s Manual and came up wanting.
- We wouldn’t need a Savior. Detailed instructions make us self sufficient and prideful. They can produce legalism and judgment and don’t make way for grace. Just look at what happen to the Pharisees in Jesus’ time.
- We wouldn’t need each other. When we can’t look up our particular need in the index and can’t find an exact prescription for the fix, we are forced to go to our Savior and then to one another for help. This is beautifully seen in Ephesians as details for church and marriage were provided before instructions on raising children. Need help with raising your children? Find it in the church that you’ve committed to and the spouse that you’re loving/respecting.
To Sum It All Up
God didn’t give us prescriptions or idiot’s guides. He did give us the Bible. But, we are often found wanting more detail as we try to work through what the Bible is actually saying and what it means for our lives here and now. And so, He also gave us Himself and He placed us in a community of people like us who are also seeking to follow Him.
Working out the details of life through these means can be challenging, messy and humiliating. But, it is the WAY. When we push for a detailed owner’s manual, we are short changing ourselves and missing out on the amazing experience of drawing near to our Savior and the rich experience of knowing others more deeply.
What do you think? What experiences have shown you these truths? Or, are there particular areas in Scripture that you feel are more clear?
Related posts:
- As For Me and My House… During my silence here on Burning Bushes, I was doing...
- No Need to Visit the Compost Pile In these days where everyone’s seeing green (and I don’t...
- LinkO-the Peace that’s Out of this World Version Well, this week my world has felt a little upside...
- Just Five More Minutes I can’t tell you how often I try to tell...
- LinkO-The Tax Season Version Well, it’s Tax Season (yikes!) and so money is on...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve noticed in my own life that when it comes to “wanting a manual” usually it’s because I want things to be uncomplicated. My dad can be a big formula person, “do A and B and you will get C”, but life just doesn’t work that way, let alone people. In growing up with that I realized that when you think you have a formula, you’re much more likely to treat people like a problem, then what they are… people! Humanity is messy, dirty, bloody and it hurts… but that’s the grace, that God, the only one who is completely Holy, completely Pure, came down into this messy, dirty, bloody, sinfilled world to show us Love. When we’re willing to toss the Owner’s Manual out the window, and instead look to learn how to Love as Christ Loved, that’s when we’re free to expereince true joy in this world, even in the midst of pain. Love isn’t about fixing someone or their circumstances, it’s just about loving them as Christ loved us.
Thank you for your thought-provoking post.
Wow-well said. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. I love the link from the lack of formula/owner’s manual to the presence of a real person-Jesus. What a better thing to have-a personal friend and guide rather than a list of instructions.