Struggling with Scriptures – The Sequel

Understanding Scripture is difficult. Applying Scripture is even more difficult. I am reading this book – Applying the Bible, by Jack Kuhatschek and have been pondering over how the Bible can be made more alive in my life. One chapter sends a chill down my spine:


During the late sixties and early seventies, I was a student at the University of Texas. It was an exciting time to be on campus. Vietnam War protestors held huge rallies and marches. Long haired hippies gathered for rock concerts and love-ins. With over forty thousand students on campus, something was always happening.
One day a group called the “Children of God” came to town. They pulled up in front of campus in a large bus covered with religious slogans, such as “Jesus Loves You” and “Drop Out for Jesus”. Immediately they began passing out tracts, preaching judgment and salvation, and talking with anyone who would listen.
Our InterVarsity chapter didn’t know quite what to make of them. Their zeal was contagious – and a bit frightening. They accused us of believing a watered-down version of Christianity. They claimed we were guilty of spiritual adultery, of embracing the harlot – Babylon the Great – because we had not dropped out of society.
To make matter worse, they supported their charges with Bible verses. They took us to passage after passage that seemed to support their position.
I remember one passage clearly – the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19. In that passage, a man came to Jesus and asked, “What good things must I do to get eternal life?”
“If you want to enter life,” Jesus answered, “obey the commandments.”
“All these I have kept,” the man replied, “What do I still lack?”
“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus answered, “go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The Children of God had taken Jesus literally. They had sold or given away all that they had in order to follow Jesus. Why hadn’t we? They demanded. Were we unwilling to obey Jesus’ command?
For many of us, the whole encounter was very painful. Most of us were young Christians who tried to be sensitive to the Lord’s leading. Although we couldn’t refute their charges, we felt immediately that they were wrong. But our common sense couldn’t protect us completely from the fear that perhaps we were being disobedient to God.
In fact, a few days later we discovered that two very young Christians from InterVarsity chapter had decided to join the Children of God. Without a word to us, they drove off in the bus to the group’s commune in South Texas. We never heard from them again.
Biblical commands are sometimes difficult to apply. Some people may say, “God said it. I believe it. And that settles it!” But it isn’t always that simple.


I too had a similar experience and feeling during my early days of conversion. On most Sunday afternoon, I would follow my church on street evangelism. We moved around the HDB blocks knocking on doors, distributing tracts and engaging in spiritual conversation to whoever would want to listen. I remember this incident when I managed to get a listening ear. He was keenly learning from the Bible and had invited me back the following Sunday. On the following week there was an older lady with him. I soon found out that the lady was his teacher and she was a Jehovah Witness. Her knowledge on the Bible was undisputable. Every verse about Christ as the Son of God and salvation is by faith through grace alone that I brought out was calmly countered by her. I remember clearly one verse that she used to refute me about the second coming of Christ, when the earth will be destroyed and there will be a new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1). She replied that the earth will always remain, quoting from Ecclesiastes 1:4 (NIV) “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.” Intuitively, I knew she was wrong, but being young in faith, I could not how to answer her and many of her claims.
After I left the discussion defeated, I vowed that I will forever learn and study the Bible. I am still working and struggling at it.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psa 1:2)

Mark Lim

3 October