Whereas Jesus is God’s Self-Revelation

(2)WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message states that Scripture, “is God’s revelation of Himself to man. . . . All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.” (Article 1); and

Southern Baptists are “people of the Book.” 

We love God’s Word. 

We teach our children to know and love God’s Word. 

Because we know that the Scripture tells us who God is, of His love for us, and how to live in response to that love. 

Like the old hymn says, we love to tell The Story of Jesus and His love. 

One of the first Vacation Bible Schools I can remember had daily memory verses from the Gospel of John- In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God; The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us; The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. I have always loved John’s Gospel since then, because John makes it clear that the most beautiful and best thing about the Bible is that it shows us who Jesus is. 

I remember sitting in a blue carpeted sanctuary with blue light streaming in through the stained glass windows and listening in awe and wonder as the narrator read “Jesus in Every Book” during a choir performance. The Word revealed in words, but made Flesh to dwell among us.

Growing up Southern Baptist taught me that to love Jesus is to love the Scripture, because the Scripture is where we find Him. 

We find him in the Garden, promising that the head of the Serpent will be crushed. 

We find Him in the bramble on the mountain with Abraham and Isaac.

We find Him making a way through the shedding of blood for for deliverance from slavery and death in Egpyt.

We find Him going before, to fight battles we cannot win in our place.

We find Him giving help and home to the desperate.

We find delivering from the flames or teeth that would devour. 

We find Him pouring out His Spirit in power and mercy. 

We find Him lifting up the broken and making them whole. 

We find Him calling to repentance and redemption.

We find Him promising that He will not leave us alone.

We find Him in the communion of those we call brothers and sisters because of Him.

We find Him coming in quiet and humility to the most forgotten and overlooked.

We find Him turning what we thought was hopelessness into new life.

And we find Him redeeming, restoring and remaking all things right. 

This is The Story the Scripture tells on every page, in so many ways, through so many people. And this is the Story that everyone who bears the Testimony of Jesus tells.

God revealed to us.

God with us.

God redeeming us.

God sending us out to tell The Story of Jesus and His love.

*Contributed by Emily Snook