Windows and Mirrors

Windows and Mirrors
Author: Andrew Archer, Community Life Pastor
Running the Race - Part 1
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This past Sunday, Pastor Tim began a new series on the book of Titus called “Running the Race.” We are looking at the five key truths found in this letter that Paul wrote to one of his mentees, Titus, and how those truths can help us navigate our spiritual journeys with strength and endurance.

To kick off the series, the first fundamental truth or theme that Pastor Tim shared was God. As you read through the book of Titus and really the entirety of the Bible, both implicitly and explicitly, you can learn who God is, what He’s like, His attributes, and quite frankly, what He is not like. How incredible is that? We have access and the opportunity to get to know the God of the universe!

However, we often miss out on getting to know God as we read our Bibles because we don’t read our Bibles with the intention of getting to know God. See, the Bible functions in two ways: as a mirror and a window. Our problem is that we often approach the Bible with its secondary function, not its primary one.

When I say that the Bible functions as a mirror, I mean that we can look at the text and reflect back to us both what we look like and ought to look like. It reveals what is true about us and also our blemishes. When I say that the Bible functions as a window, I mean we are able to look through the text as if it were a window, to see God clearly for who He is.

I believe that the Bible is meant to function as a mirror secondarily; however, it is the way that we are prone to primarily approach it. We tend to view the Scripture as a self-help book, looking for ways that God can help us chisel our spiritual imperfections. To be clear, this is not all bad and is a necessary function of God’s Word; however, it must be secondary to its other function, a window.

There is no better place to learn who God is in the Scripture than the person of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15 that “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God.” Jesus is God with flesh on; if you want to know God, get to know Jesus.

This week, I encourage you to read your Bible and to grow in your knowledge and love of God! Start in the Gospels and fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.