How to Have a Word-Saturated Home, Part 2.

Growing deeper in understanding our faith naturally leads to living it out in a meaningful way.

Having a Bible-saturated home is a process. Most importantly, you must know the God of the Bible in Jesus Christ, who is the eternal Word of God. Once you are in Christ, the Holy Spirit becomes your personal divine tutor in the Word of God. Last week, we ended by looking at Timothy's upbringing in 2 Timothy 3:14-17. This familiar passage relays to us the most simple yet most profound reality of the Christian life: after we know Christ through His Gospel, we are able to learn God's truth so that we can live God's truth.

Teaching

Both Old and New Testaments teach us divine doctrine. The Bible provides for us the comprehensive and complete body of truth necessary for life and godliness. A primary function of the local church is to learn this body of truth deeply. This starts with personal attention to God's Word. Nothing should ever usurp that priority in our lives. A church should then provide a mentor to help you learn the Word together. Further study is available through corporate teaching in multiple avenues.

Reproof

The word "reprove" means that someone has done wrong, "with the implication that there is adequate proof for such wrongdoing." God's Word points out our errors.

Correction

This term means that God's Word is able "to cause something to be or become correct again." The Bible has both convicting and healing ability on its own. It does not have to be made relevant.

Training

This word compels us to understand "instruction with the intent of forming proper habits of behavior." The same root as training up a child. Christ's perfect life is our model.

Part of that is the ability to discern between good and evil. Deeply knowing God includes deeply knowing His Word and gradually living life as Christ lived His life.

Purpose

Why do we grow deeper? 2 Timothy 3:17 says this makes us equipped for good works. The word "adequate" is exciting but sobering, and must be explained carefully lest it discourage well-intentioned believers. This is a rarely-used word that means to be proficient. We are compelled by grace to become really good at living the body of faith that we adhere to. This ability is born from God's Word.

A Word-saturated home requires our consistent and deeper investigation of God's word personally, domestically, and ecclesiastically. It requires that we meaningfully saturate our homes with the word of God.

Meaningfully

This will likely be a challenge, especially to those who have been in the faith the longest. Many local churches are not passionate about individuals helping each other to live life in the Word of God. Many Christians are good at being busy instead.

"Involve me and I learn," says a popular education philosophy. Jesus said something similar in Mark 3:14. We can't have the content of the character of Jesus Christ, fully understood, until we're willing to walk it ourselves, then walk it with somebody else. What we know is to be modeled in life so it can be truly learned. Christianity was never merely learning by filling in the blanks, taking notes, or learning good hermeneutics in a classroom. Truth has to be enfleshed in our lives just as Jesus was enfleshed.

This is first and foremost done in the home. This is just as significant a biblical truth as consistently and deeply speaking and knowing the truth of God's Word. It is impossible for spiritual truth to be fully comprehended and lived by souls in our home if it is not first modeled by someone in that home, then an invitation given to the souls in that home to walk the truth of Scripture together.

This process is unpopular because it is slow, hard, and not immediately successful. However, The word "formed" in Galatians 4:19 is exciting. It's the idea of a liquid being poured into a mold and taking that form as it solidifies. In other words, "you become like Christ was or is."

Method

How is God's Word to be modeled in the natural rhythms of our biblical existence? Our efforts will be imperfect, but we aim to model truth consistently with love, patience, and compassion. Real learning happens in personal relationship.

• Let the Bible do the preaching.
• Share what God's Word has taught you, how it has broken you and corrected you.
• Share God's Word transparently in times of temptation and when facing opposition. "Sin always looks better through the windshield than in the rearview mirror."
• The Bible has an answer for times of fear.

"We are far too comfortable being Christian-ish. We embrace the language, symbols, and trappings of faith, but we flee when the substance and tenants of the faith threaten our comforts or ambitions. Seeking the path of least resistance is not winsome. It's unfaithful."

Application Points

• In order to understand the Word of God, you must know Christ. We invite you to trust Him today.
• Allow God's Word to correct you in your personal reading.
• The Word of God must be the centerpiece of all our relationships. God uses mentors and parents to teach, reprove, and correct using His Word. There's no better way to teach your children than to tell them how you've failed and how God's Word was used to break and heal you. Lead the members of your home into a more thorough understanding of thorough doctrine so they know how to discern between good and evil and can become really good at living it out.
• There is an ecstasy to knowing and embracing holiness. How are you becoming like God in the way you live?
• Are you consistently speaking the scripture in your personal environments? Are you deeply growing in your understanding of the Word of God personally and together with somebody else, and in the various ways that this local church provides? Is your Christianity merely relegated to speaking and learning the Bible? Consider what God's Word mandates. Who are you modeling the content of your faith to and with? What does it mean to model the Word of God for souls in your home and model the Word of God with people in our church family?

Tools for Further Study

Cross References to Explore

• Galatians 6:1-2 – How to apply the reproof of God's Word to another believer.
• Hebrews 4:12 – The Scripture's nature.
• 1 Peter 1:13-17 – New life in Christ starts a journey towards being holy.
• Hebrews 5:12-14 – The need to grow deeper in understanding of our faith.
• Colossians 3:21, Ephesians 6:4 – Don't exasperate and exhaust your children. Let God's Word do the preaching.
• Matthew 4:4, James 1:25, John 17:17, Psalm 19:17-24, Psalm 78:1-8 – The value of God's Word for living.