Why God Being More Important Than You Brings More Joy
How The Westminster Shorter Catechism Changes Your Life
Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:13
Q3: What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man.
You can learn a lot about a book by who is mentioned most. Undoubtedly, the main character is God! If the Bible is first and foremost about God and if the Bible shows us what it means to glorify and enjoy God forever then this means that Christianity is most enjoyed when it is seen to be more about God than about us. To be sure, Christianity is about us. But, it is not first and foremost about us. It is about God! One of the biggest ways God will grow you in the Christian life is in showing you just how “big” He is. John the Baptist understood this when he said of Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). When Jesus is bigger than you in your life then your joy will increase.
The Bible must always be read covenantally. The Bible is not like any other book you can just pick up and read. When you read the Bible, you are reading words that grip you and demand a response from you. The question is: Are you in the covenant of works or the covenant of grace?
A covenant is a binding relationship between two parties with stipulations and promises. All people are born into the covenant of works as descendants of Adam. This means you must work to earn God’s blessing. The horribly bad news is that you can’t earn it because of your inherited sinful nature and your personal sin. In this covenant, God’s Word crushes you. It says, “Do this and you will live.” Here is where Jesus comes in. Jesus, as the better Adam (Rom. 5:12-21), does what Adam failed to do! He fulfills the covenant of works! You are saved by works; Just not any of your own works! Because Jesus’ works are perfectly righteous, by faith we can receive His righteousness.
What does this mean? It means that now we can read the Bible in light of the covenant of grace! Now, I see what Jesus has done for me so that I might live. When I see what to believe concerning God then I can rightly fulfill the duty God requires of me. But, be careful! Don’t function like you are still under the covenant of works. You are in Christ.
When you function like you are in the covenant of works you tend to make the Bible all about you. You neglect, ignore, reject God and function like He is your servant. In the covenant of grace, we see that God being the main character is infinitely good for us! The good news of the gospel as declared in Scripture is that the God of the Bible has given Himself to us! That’s what you see when you read. Your duty in the Christian life is to take God at His Word. Don’t just believe in God; Believe God!