So far we've seen bad reasons to read the Bible, and we've seen that when we read the Bible we can meet with God. Today, from one of my favourite passages of scripture, we're going to see that reading the Bible helps us to grow in holiness.
What comes to mind when you think about holiness? A boring set of rules to follow? Or an unobtainable idea? Or something designed to stop you having fun? None of these ideas come anywhere near what the Bible teaches us holiness is. Holiness is inward change, brought about by exposure to God in Christ, that impacts the way we live. Holiness is a heart issue, because our problems are heart issues. Our problem is not that we do wrong, our problem is that we love wrong. 2 Corinthians 3:7-4:6 helps us to see why reading the Bible changes our hearts, and produces holiness.
Lets look at it slowly. In verses 7-11 we see that Moses was changed on the outside by what Paul calls the 'ministry of death.' He was physically changed so that the Israelites could not look at his face, it had to covered with a veil. You can understand Paul's question in verse 8. If that which is passing away, that which bought death contained so much glory that it changed Moses like this, how much life-changing glory will be in the ministry that brings life? It will be like holding a candle up to the sun at midday, it will be like there was no glory in the old ministry at all. We should expect exposure to this ministry, exposure to the Bible to change us.
In verses 12-18 we're told that just as Moses was hidden behind a veil, so Jesus is hidden behind a veil for some when they read the Bible. Hard minds and veiled eyes are a result of refusing to turn to Jesus as Lord, because only then is the veil removed. And when the veil is removed...what freedom! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. When the Lord is working in hearts and minds, in affections and understanding, there is freedom! Freedom from sin, from pride, lust, envy and the million paper cuts that threaten to kill us.
This freedom becomes ours as we are transformed by looking at the Lord. As we behold the Lord in the Scriptures we will be changed. I'm encouraged by the way Paul says our change is 'by degree.' Sometimes it won't feel like much heart change is going on, sometimes it will, but it always is. We can't help but be changed as we behold the glory of the Lord!
But why does this change us? A quick jump to 4:4-6 helps us begin to understand. These were some foundational verses to me as a young Christian, in fact, they still are. What is the fundamental problem that unbelievers have when they read the Bible? They've been blinded so that they can't see, or to use language from 3:17-18, behold, the light that shines from the Gospel. They can't see that which will change them. What is this holiness producing light? The same light that shone into darkness as God spoke creation into being. The light that we behold, the light of the glory of the Gospel of Christ, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ is the light we behold as we see Jesus in scripture. This is the light that changes us.This is the light that produces holiness.
Meeting with God through reading the Bible produces holiness. As we see more light, we begin to love aright, and as we love aright, we live aright. We still do what we want to do, but what we want to do has been changed by the glory we've seen in the Bible.
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