Chapter 14 Meanings
The Author of Life/Ruler
The author of life is a reference to the Ruler (Jesus). Jesus is called the Author of life in Acts 3:15 and the Ruler of the kings of the earth in Revelation 1:5.
Cottage Pieces
Observing cottage pieces illustrates reading the Bible. Studying a cottage piece and grasping it tightly illustrates taking the truth of Scripture to heart.
The inscriptions on the cottage pieces are the text of Scripture. The inscription on the piece Adam receives in Chapter 14 is the parable of the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44).
Dropping a cottage piece illustrates forgetting or doubting a portion of God’s Word. The truths of Scripture do us no good if they don’t remain in our hearts (James 1:23-25).
Empowerment
Being empowered represents receiving the Holy Spirit. All believers received the Spirit at conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13), and each has received a manifestation of the Spirit (a spiritual gift) to be used for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). It is the Holy Spirit who empowers believers to accomplish God’s purposes (Romans 15:13).
EXCERPT
| “It’s important,” she said, holding it out to him, “that you hold the colors in your mind. If they fade from your memory, study the piece again. That will give you strength to walk.” -p.118 |
QUESTION 1
How does one become strengthened through God’s Word? See Psalm 1:2–3; 1 John 2:14; 1 Peter 2:2.
MY ANSWER
Ps.1 – Through delighting in it and continuously meditating on it.
1 Jn.2:14 – Through having the Word live within you (memorization and meditation)
1 Pe.2 – Through craving the life-giving substance that comes from it
EXCERPT
| “So when I visit the cottage, I’ll become … better?” “Not if you merely visit. Only when you pass through will you be transformed.” -p.116 |
QUESTION 2
What role does the Bible play in a person passing from spiritual death to spiritual life? James 1:21; Romans 10:14.
MY ANSWER
It plays an essential one. It is impossible to be saved without hearing the gospel message (Ro.10). The Word is as essential to spiritual life as a seed is to the existence of a plant (James 1). If there is no seed, there’s nothing to grow into a plant.
QUESTION 3
What is the dividing line between those who merely hear the word and those who are transformed by it? See Luke 8:12; Matthew 7:24–27; James 1:22–25.
MY ANSWER
To be transformed, one must believe the gospel message (Lk.8), and believe it so deeply that it governs the direction of his life (Mt.7 & James 1).
EXCERPT
| “Permeant strength,” Watson added. “The gem you hold in your hand will never wear out, never decay, it will exist in good condition ten thousand years from now. And if you grip it tightly, it can spark new life in you that will endure just as long.” -p.118 |
QUESTION 4
How can we draw comfort from the connection Peter draws between the permanence of the Word and the longevity of the spiritual life that comes from it? See 1 Peter 1:23-25.
MY ANSWER
The fact that our spiritual life came from an imperishable seed means that life is itself imperishable.
EXCERPT
| The piece warmed Adam’s hand, as if it were a living thing. He strengthened his grip. The tighter his grasp, the more healing warmth radiated into his hand and chest, spreading throughout his body. -p.120 |
QUESTION 5
What are some ways the Word of God brings spiritual healing? See Psalm 19:7-8. Is there a specific example you can point to in your life when this has happened?
MY ANSWER
It infuses energy and motivation when we have become spiritually listless, it provides wisdom when we are lost or confused, in replaces spiritual darkness with joy and happiness, and it fortifies life, bringing spiritual health, strength, energy, motivation, and liveliness.
I have experienced these many times. Sometimes in small ways—I’m a little dry spiritually and I spend some time in God’s Word or listen to a good sermon and come away refreshed.
On a much larger scale, a few years ago I went through one of the most painful ordeals of my life and it affected me in ways I had never experienced before. My faith was deeply damaged—to a point that seemed impossible to recover from. I even began putting my affairs in order because it seemed my life was over and I wondered if the Lord was about to take me home.
I began listening to sermons on a daily basis, and it brought spiritual healing that I feared could never happen.
EXCERPT
| “A gentle breeze brushed Adam’s face like velvet on his skin. A warm mist enveloped him, and his thinking became clearer. He looked again at the inscription. –p.119 |
QUESTION 6
Unbelievers can understand the meaning of the words and sentences in the Bible. What advantage, then, does the Holy Spirit give to the believer in understanding Scripture? See 1 Corinthians 2:14.
MY ANSWER
The passage says unspiritual people cannot “accept” the things that come from the Spirit (the Holeman translation says “welcome”). They can understand what the words mean, but they are incapable of accepting the truth of the words and allowing them to shape their beliefs.
EXCERPT
| “The cottage was designed and built by the author of all life, and those colors are glimmers of his life.” -p.115 |
QUESTION 7
In Acts 17:28-30, what conclusion does Paul draw from the fact that the life and existence of all people come from God?
MY ANSWER
All people everywhere in the world must repent. If everyone received life from God, then everyone is answerable to God.
EXCERPT
| “Look at it again. What was it that made the man give up everything he had?” Adam studied the words. “His … joy?” –p.118 |
QUESTION 8
What emotion drove the man in Matthew 13:44 to give up everything? What caused that emotion? And what is the significance for the Christian life?
MY ANSWER
The emotion was joy. It was caused by his realization that the treasure he was going to acquire was vastly more valuable than all his possessions. The fact that he would come out so far ahead stimulated the joy and made him eager to make the trade.
The significance for us is that the treasure we have in Christ is worth so much more than everything else we have in life, that when faced with the opportunity to give up everything in this world for Christ is such a great deal, it should fill us with joy that drives us to dump the earthly stuff as fast as possible.
EXCERPT
| “Those colors give substance to life. The gray of the lowlands is a sign of deadness. The life of that whole world is draining away. The cottage was designed and built by the author of all life, and those colors are glimmers of his life. His nature is pure goodness and virtue. …. It is the source of all beauty and all joy. Everything that is good emanates from his heart. He created the cottage as a way of transferring traces of his nature to us.” –p.116 |
QUESTION 9
What are some ways a person can receive life from God through his Word? See 1 Peter 2:2-3; Psalm 119:37; Mark 4:14-20.
MY ANSWER
1 Pe.2 – One aspect of life we can receive through the Word is spiritual growth and development. This comes when we taste enough of the sustenance that comes through God’s Word that we begin to crave more.
Ps.119 – Another aspect of life we can receive from the Word is preservation and security. This comes when we turn our eyes away from that which would distort or cloud our understanding, or corrupt our desires so that our hearts become lest receptive to God’s Word.
Mk.4 – The first way life from the Word is prevented in this parable is when the seed doesn’t penetrate because of inability to understand. This is solved through listening to good teachers and personal study.
The second way life is hindered is by shallowness. This is solved by counting the cost and preparing for persecution and suffering.
The third problem comes from the deceitfulness of wealth, the worries of life, and the desire for other things choking the Word out of our hearts. We must fight against love of money and take great care not to sacrifice the important on the altar of the urgent.
QUESTION 10
What are some examples of the character of God that we can receive through his Word? See John 5:24; 1 Peter 1:22-2:2; Psalm 19:7-8, 199:28,92,165.
MY ANSWER
1 Pe.1 – Imperishable life
Ps.19 – Wisdom, joy, and light
Ps.119 – Strength and peace
QUESTION 11
How can we participate more in God’s nature? See 2 Peter 1:4.
MY ANSWER
By trusting God’s great and precious promises.
QUESTION 12
What would you say to someone who argued, “My honesty, integrity, love, patience, etc. was not given to me. I worked hard to develop those virtues”? See Mark 10:18 and 1 Corinthians 4:7.
MY ANSWER
A gift is a gift even if you have to put forth some effort to receive it. And even the ability you have to put forth that effort is from God. If you learned patience by enduring suffering, your ability to endure and your ability to learn from it is a gift from God. If you learned about integrity from rigorous study, your ability to read and comprehend is a gift from God. What do you have that isn’t ultimately a gift from God? Nothing. And since only God is essentially good, then all good things must derive from him.
EXCERPT
| “Arguments are most effective when they agree with appetites. Adam wants to taste the banquet, and a man hungry for the Ruler’s food is hard to deceive. But a man who is craving fruit will open his heart to almost any argument that coincides with his desires. Capture a man’s appetite, Lieutenants, and the rest of him comes easy.” -p.121 |
QUESTION 13
We might expect 2 Thessalonians 2:10 to say people perish because they refuse to believe the truth. Instead, it’s because “they refused to love the truth.” What are the implications for the Christian life?
MY ANSWER
The implications are massive. Most of the time we measure how well we are doing in the Christian life by what we do. How different would our assessment be if we looked back on the previous day and measured it by what we loved and didn’t love?
Many of the things we do wrong are merely the results of loving the wrong things in the period leading up to that action. And many of our biggest struggles arise from our failure to love what God loves.
QUESTION 14
Can you think of a time when you were deceived because of a strong desire in your heart?
MY ANSWER
I’m sure there are doctrines I believed because I felt pressure to accept them, though I can’t think of any examples right now. I can think of times when I thought a theological position was absolutely ridiculous, but then when someone I love adopted that position, I became much more open to it. Suddenly the arguments hit me as more tenable. I may not have been deceived, but it did show me that when there is a strong desire for something to be true or false, that desire affects the way the brain processes the evidence.
EXCERPT
| “Anzu spit his words through clenched teeth. ‘Adam has not been empowered and has no idea how to use the weapon he holds. A single blow from me and he will drop it and never take it up again.” -p.120 |
QUESTION 15
What kinds of things does the Holy Spirit empower believers to do? See Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; Philippians 3:3.
MY ANSWER
Ro.8 – To live (spiritually)
Gal.5 – to grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
1 Cor.2 – To understand and accept the things of God and to make spiritual judgments
Php.3 – To offer God acceptable worship
QUESTION 16
All believers have received empowerment from the Holy Spirit. Empowerment to do what? 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9-11; 15:13; 2 Timothy 1:14; Ephesians 3:16-17.
MY ANSWER
1 Cor.12 – To be a part of the body of Christ
Ro.8 – To resist the impulses of the flesh
Ro.15 – To overflow with joy
2 Tim.1 – To guard the good deposit (the teaching we have received), holding fast to it in our hearts
Eph.3 – To have the strength needed to have Christ dwell in our hearts through faith
QUESTION 17
Can you think of an example from Scripture or from your own life when doubting or forgetting a principle from Scripture resulted in sin or failure?
MY ANSWER
Mostly for me it’s been times when the Bible gives strong warnings about staying far from temptation, and I didn’t believe the danger was as dire as Scripture made it sound. I didn’t feel like I was vulnerable, I didn’t take sufficient precaution, and ended up falling into sin.
Q. 17 – I think my answer is similar to yours. The most immediate example that comes to mind is simply failing to stay part of the body.
I think I fail to take seriously the warnings of failing to abide or to persist or endure, and to maintain fellowship. I’m sure current damage is actively being done as I speak. Oh God open my eyes to this!!!
Q. 13 – Wow, this is convicting! Very often I comfort myself because I do or believe the right things.
But often I go to church or Bible study, or even pray, because I “should,” not because I love it.
God, please create, stoke, and maintain LOVE in my heart for all things of you. Amen
Q. 12 – Honestly, my answer would probably be Luke 17:9-10, “Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”
So to your point (I think), all of those gifts were given to him by God in the first place, and he’s fooling himself if he thinks he’s somehow responsible for those traits.
And then I would say, not only has God given you those things, but that’s simply the basest of expectations. You don’t get credit for simply doing what you’re required and commanded to do anyway. And in fact, if you’re not giving God credit, but claiming it for yourself, then you actually *haven’t* even met the standard (1 Cor 10:31, 1 Pet 4:11, Is 48:11)
Q. 11 – If we believe, adhere to, and really live by God’s promises, we will actually partake in the divine nature by really experiencing God’s attributes. The result will be peace, love, wisdom, courage, comfort, strength, kindness, compassion, etc. etc. etc.
Q. 9 – God’s word gives us life if we long for it, if our heart focuses on it instead of turning toward worthless things, and if we hear it, accept it, and bear much fruit.
Regarding the parable of the sower, honestly I’m afraid I may be in the thorns category. I’m not nearly bearing as much fruit as I used to. Jesus is very broad in the things that choke out the word: cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches, and desires for “other things.” Depending how I look at it, I could fall into all three of those categories.
The scariest thing for me is that he says the word “proves” unfruitful, which I take to mean: eventually the fruit dies away. This category is closest to the good soil, so I think of the thorns and the good soil as appearing basically identical for a time, perhaps even a long time. The only way to tell the difference is by who endures. Which one ultimately proves unfruitful is the only way to tell the thorns from the good soil.
One thing I notice is that the only category that “accepts” the word is the good soil. When describing the other categories, Jesus only mentions that they “hear” it. So it seems that “accepting” it is the key to being good soil.
And how do we know if we’ve accepted it? Jesus also doesn’t mention bearing fruit except in the good soil (Luke’s version says the fruit from the thorns does “not mature”). The other categories hear it, receive it, but I guess don’t really bear any fruit.
Luke’s version also mentions the good soil “hold the word fast” and “bear fruit with patience,” which also make it seem like Jesus as the long view in mind.
I believe I’ve definitely “accepted” God’s word. I believe it, I love it, I run to it, and it’s the arbiter of literally every single decision I ever make. But also, there is no question my fruit is not as abundant as it once was.
I always want to take Jesus’ warnings seriously, and never just write them off as not applying to me, so please pray that my heart is ever turning into good and better soil!
Q. 8 – JOY!! Because he knew he was getting something even better! He new he found the secret to the deal of the century! It was a no-brainer for him to trade everything he had in order to get something that is of infinitely greater value! He knew he was gaining, not losing, so he had joy not sorrow.
As Christians, if we’re able to always keep this proper perspective, we too should be FILLED with joy! I know sometimes for me the reality of this “good trade” seems dim or far away so it doesn’t fill my heart with joy like it should.
Q. 8 – I’m not sure. In these verses Paul says that because we’re his offspring and have our being in Him, we shouldn’t think of him as stone or as just some image. He then concludes that because of all this, we need to repent. This is interesting and I’m not sure I fully understand the connection.
I guess it’s that because God Himself IS life itself (John 5:26), including our life, our living an unrepentant life isn’t just disobedience to some rule. It’s cosmic treason because, while unrepentant, we are spiritually dead which means that we are therefore *unconnected* to the life source. So the only way to get this life, is through repentance.
So again, at its core, repentance isn’t about being sorry for breaking some rule. It’s recognizing that without it, we are cut off from *life itself* and then desperately seeking that life.
But again, I’m not sure I’m thinking about that right, and I didn’t really explain what I’m trying to say very well either
Oops that was Question 7
Q. 6 – I think if you’ve teach before that the Holy Spirit allows us to see the words of Scripture as beautiful, and important enough to live our life by.
Unbelievers can of course still read the words, process information, make inferences, draw conclusions, etc.
But Scripture will never have the impact on their heart. As a result, the way they process that information, or the conclusions they draw will never be informed by the beauty and power and wisdom inherent in Scripture that is only unlocked by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, even if they “understand” all the truths in the Bible, they won’t live their life it.
*I think I’ve heard you teach before…
Q. 5 – The word brings spiritual healing by: reviving the soul, imparting wisdom, rejoicing the heart, and enlightening the eyes.
Has the God’s word ever brought me healing? YES! The most specific example I can think of off the top of my head has to do with forgiveness.
The flesh rages against forgiveness! Everything in us, and everything the world tells us, is that forgiveness is the path to more pain. Sure, our flesh and world recognize that hanging on to bitterness, anger, and hatred is painful, but *letting go* of those things brings a *different* kind of pain, one that in many ways we feel will be worse!
I feel that if I surrender my right to nurse betrayal or bitterness or anger, I’ll be left vulnerable because I’m giving up my protection, like they act as bandages or something, protecting my wounded heart from exposure.
But obviously God’s word tells us of a different way. He says that if we trust *His* plan instead of our own, that we will be *healed!*
Proverbs 3:5-6 are Mount Rushmore Bible verses, everybody knows them: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
But it’s actually verses 7-8 that “brings these verses home.” What happens when we trust God’s way instead of our own? “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. *It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.* ”
God says right here it *actually* heals us! That wound we want to protect actually gets *healed* instead! That’s way better!
So when I hear over and over and over and over in Scripture to forgive, unconditionally, I know I can do so “safely” because God Himself *promises* that it will bring healing, not more pain.
Q. 4 – This is very timely. Some friends of our had their 13 year old son pass away this morning from brain cancer. Talk about things that should not be! I hate the fallenness of this world!
Yet we are comforted. He was a follower of Jesus.
The moment he believed, he passed from death to life (John 5:24), even if he was still contained in his earthly body in this world for a little while longer.
The incorruptibleness of this new life, of God’s word, contrasted against the frailty of our mortal body… Thanks be to Jesus. He is so gracious and tender. May the peace of God, and his comfort and strength have its effect in his parents. May they turn to your word as never before and have an true encounter with the great I Am. Amen.
Q. 3 – The dividing line to me appears to be what counts as “doing” God’s word. I think this is captured best in Luke’s version of the man who built his house on the rock.
Luke 6: “he is like a man building a house, who *dug deep* and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”
Therefore, the key differences between the two men is that the one who “does” what Jesus says is the man who “dug deep.”
Both men hear Jesus’ words. And both men build a house!
Therefore, it’s possible to build a “Christian” house without ever really do what Jesus commands. A house like this, based on appearance only – *will* fall as soon as the right storm comes along.
Accordingly, the one whose house will stand is not the one who simply hears the Word of God. It’s not even the one who builds the house. They both hear the word and they both build houses. The one whose house will stand is the one who *dug deep* and laid the foundation on the *rock!*
Presumably, both men started their build on similar ground. So it’s not like they started in different place. One didn’t find a nice solid rocky foundation and then built, whereas the other found a sandy area and built there. No, they were both on sandy areas. The righteous man simply chose to, from right where he was, dig deep, sift through the sand, remove that which was not profitable, and keep at it until found that which was solid.
Therefore, when we that the righteous man is the one who hears God’s words and “does them,” the “doing them” is not building the house but digging deep! Digging and digging and digging and not stopping until we encounter the *ROCK* at the bottom!
Q. 2 – It seems the part the Bible plays in transforming someone from death to life, is in that person recognizing its power and submitting themselves to it. “Receive with meekness the implanted word.”
Meekness to me suggests humility, gentleness, not haughtiness, which means the person recognizes that the Bible is superior to them, and they submit their life to it. Only when this happens will there be real transformation.
Q. 1 – Wow, when I think of all the times God’s word has strengthened me, tears literally come to my eyes.
There are countless times when I was flailing, or struggling, or just otherwise lost and not responding to a situation Biblically. Then, if I was able to think of a verse and apply the principle, my thinking was transformed and I had great peace.
The image in Psalm 1 is so powerful – that of a tree planted by a flowing river – always strong, always healthy because it’s always fed with fresh, clean water.
Q. 13 – Wow, this is convicting! Very often I comfort myself because I do or believe the right things.
But often I go to church or Bible study, or even pray, because I “should,” not because I love it.
God, please create, stoke, and maintain LOVE in my heart for all things of you. Amen