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Biblical Means in Sanctification for the Purpose of Godliness
“Sanctify them in your truth, your Word is Truth” (Jn 17:17)
Biblical Spirituality, as taught by Dr. Donald Whitney, is a class about discipline. It is not discipline as the world sees it, attempting to gain something temporal (i.e., wealth, health, knowledge) for the pleasure it promises. No, it’s a discipline that has far a greater promise for both this life and the next: godliness. Richard Baxter, renowned Puritan, said, “Godliness consisteth not in the exercise of the intellect alone, nor in mere external worship, but in the devotedness of the whole man unto God.” In this context, we have examined biblical intake as the principal means by which such godliness is fostered, and we continue to consider the diverse ways in which engagement with Scripture may invigorate and sustain spiritual formation.
Step 1. Read (Muse)
As the heading indicates, reading (and hearing) represents the most basic form of biblical intake. Its significance lies less in methodological sophistication than in its inherent value. If the Scriptures provide the “bread of life”—revealing Christ and His truth in all things—then believers are called to engage with them as fully and frequently as possible.
Paul’s exhort’s his disciple Timothy to, “Devote yourself to the public reading of scripture.” Both hearing and reading scripture play a foundational role in the Christian’s life. While this may not constitute a novel insight, its theological weight is undeniable: if all Scripture is indeed God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and if God commands His people to heed His Word, then serious reflection is warranted regarding our personal engagement with it.
How much have you read your bible as of late?
For further reflecting: Amos 8:11-12, 2 Tim 3:16
Step 2. Ruminate (Meditation)
It is often considerd that memorization should precede meditation. Donald Whitney believes that memorization helps invigorate meditation and that both are intertwined. But I’d like to suggest switching memorization with meditation first.
Meditation can be illustrated like this: Imagine a man who sits down at one of the most famous, expensive steakhouses in the world. He orders Caramelized French Onion Soup, dry-aged New York Strip Steak, and for dessert the in-house NY Style Strawberry Cheesecake. If he’s like me he wll savor every bite, and praise will flow out of my mouth about how much he enjoys the food. There is a big difference between eating our food, and savoring our food. That’s biblical meditation
When we meditate, we chew on the Word. We taste and see that the LORD is good. It’s thinking and ruminating about what we are reading so that it doesn’t just enter into our minds, but into our hearts and our affections. The way we do that is to have a methodological approach to our meditation.
This is where I cannot more highly recognize and encourage you to buy Donald Whitney’s book on Spiritual Disciplines. The third chapter in the book is worth the price tag, as it’s full of the various ways many other’s have taught and accomplish biblical meditation. See the link for the book here.
One of his meditation methods includes finding a set number of implications of how a particular verse impacts your life. There are a total of 17 examples that he uses to help.
For further reflection: Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1
Step 3. Remember (Memorization)
Memorization is the the practice of continually taking the scripture verses previously meditated on so that they are readily available when actually needed. This is compared to basketball player who continually shoots free throws from the three point line, preparing himself for game day.
I currently use an app on my phone called “Bible Memory”. It’s free with some advanced features if you decide to pay the $10 (different bible translations, more categorization, etc). This is an excellent way to memorize what you’ve meditated on. If you find yourself becoming distracted by the phone usage, index cards are still out there. Perhaps looking into the Navigators Topical Memory system wouldn’t be a bad choice either!
For further reflection: Colossians 3:16, Ps 119:11
Step 4. Render (Model)
Memorization is the practical recalling of what we have meditated and memorized on previously in such a way that allows us to both know and feel the weight of it’s implications to bear upon our lives in the moment in which the scripture verse requires. Knowing, meditating, feeling, memorizing scripture will not mean anything if it is not moving from theory to practice. Below are some helpful proverbial topics to consider on what it means to apply scriptural exhortations into your life.
Godliness and Wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 2:6-7, 3:5-6, 4:7, 9:10, 16:16, 19:23, 22:4)
Speech and Communication (Proverbs 10:19, 12:18, 13:3, 15:1, 15:4, 16;24, 18:21, 21:23)
Money and Wealth (Proverbs 3:9-10, 10:4, 11:24-25, 13:11, 14:23, 22:7, 28:20, 28:22)
Laziness and Diligence (Proverbs 6:6-11, 10:4, 12:24, 13:4, 20:13, 21:25, 22:13)
Sexual Conduct and Relationships (Proverbs 5:3-14, 6:20-35, 7:6-27, 12:4, 18:22, 19:14, 31:10-31)
Drunkenness and Self-Control (Proverbs 20:1, 23:20-21, 23:29-35, 31:4-5)
Pride and Humility (Proverbs 11:2, 15:33, 16:18, 18:12-22)
So here they are, four simple (not easy) steps to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Which step would you like to work on first? Leave a comment below!
