Escaping Spiritual Anemia (Part 2)

In addition to an active relationship with God (Part 1), an “alive” Christian also has Biblical thoughts. He has learned to filter his thoughts according to the Bible to such an extent that it affects the way he lives. Thinking Biblically influences the things a Christian says, the way he does things, the activities he pursues, the things he looks at, the people he spends time with, and so much more. With his thinking grounded in the Bible, his words, actions, and responses will be godly.

Sadly, Christians are too often influenced by the world’s thinking instead. Many, many times I have seen Christians share quotations: a challenging thought, an encouraging saying, or an inspirational statement. I am surprised at how often those quotations come from secular authors, philosophers, motivational speakers, politicians, entertainers, and even leaders of other religions. Those people do sometimes have good and valuable things to say, and one can profit from the statements that are worthy and true. Others of those quotations, however, are frivolous at best; at their worst, they contradict the teaching of the Bible. I often wonder if the person who is sharing the statement considered it first before he passed it on. Christians are so inundated by the world’s philosophy that they often accept statements that sound good and positive even though they go against God’s truth.

In addition to the world’s thinking, Christians too often rely on their own thinking. They talk about their opinions and what they think is right. I sometimes shudder to hear people say, “Well, I think this verse means . . .” Worse yet, they give an opinion without even considering whether there is a verse to back it up, and sometimes in contradiction of a verse that says otherwise. People like to give advice based on their own experience or their personal evaluation of a situation. Christians go to each other for advice, asking questions like, “What do you think would be best?”Again, these types of input are not necessarily wrong, but they can be. When someone relies on human thinking, whether it is his own or that of someone else, he is in danger of doing the wrong thing. It is easy to think something is right simply because it is the desired answer. What individuals often fail to realize is that their own thinking has been influenced by the world; such thinking is not a reliable guide.

Everything in life is controlled by the thoughts. One’s filter for thinking affects how he evaluates the input that he is constantly receiving: what he should accept as true, what he should reject, or even the input that he needs to avoid receiving. The filter for thinking affects what one’s mind is occupied with during the day (and the night), determining whether he dwells on things that are profitable, empty, or even detrimental. The filter for thinking affects how one evaluates things; it is the basis for decision-making in both big and small choices of life. One’s filter for thinking also affects what he gives out. His conversations, discussions, input, and advice have an impact on those around him. In each of these areas, a Christian’s thoughts must be based on the Bible.

As a Christian moves through each day, he must get into the habit of asking, “What does the Bible say about this?” This is true for each of the areas mentioned above: the input one receives, his general thoughts, his evaluations, and his output. Instead of absorbing the world’s philosophy or relying on himself or others, a Christian must look for the Bible’s answers to everything. For any troublesome or confusing topic, he must look to the Word of God for guidance. I have often deliberately done Bible studies on a particular topic because it was something I was wondering about or because I was dissatisfied with the answers others had given. I have found that the Bible always has the answers, and those answers are not always the same as what I had previously thought or been told.

This practice of thinking Biblical thoughts happens from two aspects. It happens on the immediate level, as a Christian faces particular situations throughout his day. Whether it is something that someone says to him, a decision that he must make, or anything else requiring thought, he must ask, “What does the Bible say about this?” Sometimes taking the time to ask the question is sufficient, because the answer may be simple. God’s truth, perhaps even specific verses, may immediately come to mind, and the answer may be very clear. Other situations, however, are a little more challenging. They may require a Christian to search the Bible for answers that he doesn’t already know. When he looks for and finds the answers for each issue, he is learning to think Biblically in the immediate; furthermore, those truths have now been learned for future situations in life.

The second aspect of Biblical thinking is on a more permanent level. This type of thinking is probably a more valuable skill, but it also requires more time to achieve. Rather than seeking Biblical answers in response to specific immediate questions, this aspect involves establishing a firm foundation in the Word so that one is prepared with Biblical thoughts when a situation arises. This Christian automatically knows what to think or what to do, because his entire thought process has been trained to think Biblically. His mind is saturated with the truth of the Bible. In recognizing “alive” Christians, there is a reason that a lot of them are older Christians. They’ve had more time to study God’s Word and to build this foundation. One can neither despair that this level cannot be achieved until he is old, nor can he assume that it will automatically happen as he gets older. Instead this gradual skill in Biblical thinking is something that must be actively pursued starting in the immediate so that forward progress can begin.

In conclusion, an “alive” Christian must have an active relationship with God. He does this as he gets to know God and as he communicates with God. An “alive” Christian also thinks Biblically, saturating himself with truth based on Bible study. It should strike us that these ways to become a vibrant Christian are centered in the Bible. We build a relationship with God as we get to know Him through the Bible. We communicate with God through the Bible. We learn to think Biblically through the Bible. In order to grow and become vibrant, we must have lots of the Bible. Just what we receive in church is not enough; there must be personal time in which God is speaking to us and we are learning on our own. Because the Bible is critically important to our Christian growth, many of my posts will deal with topics related to Bible study. There is no better way to grow.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2 (NASB)