The Super Question

       

      

       In writing to the believers at Rome, the Apostle Paul asks a simple question, consisting of but four words. Despite the concise simplicity, it sparkles with practicality and power. It is a question every believer should regularly ask themselves. For all the bygone centuries, it is no less relevant in our day than it was when first posed by Paul. In fact, it can be reasonably argued that the enormous challenges of modern times necessitate the asking of this question with greater frequency than any other point in human history. 

» Romans 4:3 (emphasis mine)
3 For WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
       

       "What saith the scripture?" This is not the only time Paul asks this immensely important question. We see it again in his letter to the churches of Galatia.

» Galatians 4:30 (emphasis mine)
30 Nevertheless WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
       

       What a super question! In a world starving for answers, there is no greater inquiry that a human being can make. This question should be ever on the lips of every Christian. It should be our automatic response - our spiritual reflex - to any and all situations, no matter how dire it looks on the surface. It will lead us to the answers we seek.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

» John 5:39
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
       

       What saith the scripture concerning your situation? If you don't immediately know the answer to this all-important question, then it's time to do as Jesus said in the above verse. ''Search the scriptures'' until you find God's answer to your quandary or question. There are plenty of reference tools available to help you in this quest, especially in our modern digital age. Personally, I make good use of an old-fashioned biblical concordance. I like doing individual word studies. Whatever resource you choose, the important thing is to trust the Holy Spirit to lead you to your Super Scripture(s). When you come upon it, your spirit will let you know. In many cases your Super Scripture will be the one that most directly addresses the demands of your particular need. 

       Let's assume you do immediately know what God's Word says about your issue. I encourage you to look it up, read it again and meditate upon it anyway. The Bible is no ordinary book. It's not meant to be read once and then laid aside. There are multiple layers and dimensions to it. Even if you think you know a particular scripture, God can show you something completely new and fresh when you read it again - even if this is the umpteenth time your eyes have fallen upon it. This multi-layered aspect of the Holy Scriptures is truly one of the great miracles of Life.

» Acts 17:11 (emphasis mine)
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES DAILY, whether those things were so.
       

       ''They...searched the scriptures daily...'' The two-man missionary team of Paul and Silas arrive in the darkness of night at the small Macedonian city of Berea. They had been run out of town in Thessalonica for preaching Christ. The situation became so dangerous that the Church sent Paul and Silas away.
       Arriving in Berea, the men of God walk into the Jewish synagogue and minister the Gospel. This takes place over a period of days. The recipients of their message do not blindly accept what is preached. Instead, they do a ''super search'' of God's Word. They search the scriptures every day to see if Paul and Silas' words line up with God's. The result? ''Therefore many of them believed...'' (verse 12)
       The only way to separate Truth from error is to know what is in the Bible. There is oftentimes a sizable chasm between what people think or say is in there and what is actually in there. It's vital to know the difference. Spiritually speaking, we will never rise higher than our knowledge of the Word. It's the Truth we know - not the thoughts we assume - that will make us free (see John 8:31-32). Let us check everything we hear by the Word of God - whether the information is coming from a preacher, the news media or our own thoughts. Only by doing this will we be able to know ''whether those things [are] so.''
       Life is daily. Have you noticed? Problems are daily. The devil is daily; he doesn't take any days off. For these reasons it is essential that we feed upon the ''daily bread'' of God's Word (see Matthew 4:4; 6:11). It is our spiritual sustenance. God doesn't miss a day, either! He ''daily loadeth us with benefits'' (Psalm 68:19). The miracle of manna was a daily miracle - an ongoing blessing (Exodus 16:1-36). It's through our daily searching of Scripture that we will be able to appropriate the super power contained therein.

THE SCRIPTURE SPEAKS

       There are so many kinds of voices in the world (1 Corinthians 14:10). Too often this motley chorus of communication takes on a negative and dark nature. It invades our lives from a variety of sources. And it doesn't always manifest in actual sound waves. Social media can be overwhelmingly ''noisy'' by means of mere text typed on a phone.

» Ephesians 4:31 (emphasis mine)
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and CLAMOUR, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice...
       

       What is this ''clamour'' of which the Apostle Paul warned? It's not a commonly used word in the modern age, yet it keeps familiar company. The scripture cited above lists this sin among bitterness, wrath, anger, evil speaking and malice. Believers are charged to put it away. It is linked to foolishness in Proverbs 9:13. It means an outcry, a loud sound or great commotion - a fitting description of the echo chamber of earthly experience.
       Through the tumult it can be difficult to hear from God. We pray for divine guidance but ''the cares of this world'' and ''the affairs of this life'' interfere with the spiritual reception we so desperately need (see Mark 4:19; 2 Timothy 2:4). In times such as these it is supremely helpful (and necessary) to ask ourselves some version of the question which headlines this chapter.
       What saith the scripture? What does the Bible say about this? What scripture can I stand on? What is my Super Scripture in this situation? What has God already said to me in His Word?

» Matthew 22:29
29 ...Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
       

       It is a mistake to expect divine guidance apart from the written Word of God. This doesn't mean that our heavenly Father won't speak to our spirit or even in some other fashion. But it does mean that His Word must come first and must be the ultimate authority in our lives. Any additional source of spiritual direction will always line up with the Bible. If it doesn't, we must discard it immediately, lest we fall into deception. We do err when we don't know the scriptures because they contain the voice and wisdom of God for the issues of our lives.
       The Bible, in more than a few places, contains the phrase ''the scripture saith" or, as we would put it today, ''the scripture says." This observation is more than an interesting tidbit of biblical trivia. It is noteworthy because it lets us know that God's Word is indeed what the name implies - it is the Almighty Creator speaking to us. Therefore, it behooves us to find out what it says. The Super Scriptures are speaking. Are we listening?

» SUPER SUMMARY 

1.) The Bible is a super book.
2.) Marvelous power awaits within the spiritual light of God's Word.
3.) The fantasized abilities of fictional characters cannot compare to the miracle-force of the Holy Scriptures.
4.) God forbid that we let the accumulated dust of an unused Bible keep us from the greatest power in the Universe.
5.) Super problems require super solutions. This is the reason we need the super power of God's Word.
6.) To be super is to be above and beyond.
7.) The power of God is super because it is above and beyond - ''exceeding abundantly above'' - even our ability to ask, think or imagine. And, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, that transcendent power is working in you right now.
8.) God does things in a super way - in a way that is above and beyond natural limits and human expectations.
9.) If any human would qualify to be a bona fide ''super man,'' surely it would be Jesus Christ.
10.) The Tempter could not withstand the divinely dynamic force of the Scriptures firing from the Lord's lips. This same super power is available to us.
11.) Even as God breathed into Adam the breath of life, so He has breathed Life into the Holy Scriptures.
12.) Every nook and cranny of the Bible is packed with the awesome power of the Almighty. This fact alone makes it a super book - the Super Book, in fact.
13.) At the same time, there are certain scriptures which have a greater effect on us than others.
14.) Many times God will ''quicken'' a specific scripture to us for the purpose of meeting the demands of a situation.
15.) There are certain scriptures which offer greater relevance to us in particular places and times in our lives than others. These become our Super Scriptures.
16.) What saith the scripture? In a world starving for answers, there is no greater inquiry that a human being can make.
17.) Search the scriptures until you find God's answer to your quandary or question.
18.) The Bible is no ordinary book. It's not meant to be read once and then laid aside.
19.) Let us check everything we hear by the Word of God.
20.) It's through our daily searching of Scripture that we will be able to appropriate the super power contained therein.
21.) We do err when we don't know the scriptures because they contain the voice and wisdom of God for the issues of our lives.
22.) God's Word is indeed what the name implies - it is the Almighty Creator speaking to us. Therefore, it behooves us to find out what it says.

© Matt Decker

» This post is excerpted from my book  SUPER SCRIPTURES ON EARTH