Luke Jeffery, Together magazine editor, reviews Hard Sayings
I have often taught that if you read the Bible without occasionally feeling uncomfortable, you are probably not reading it correctly. It is possible to approach Scripture with a view to simply having our current worldview and theology affirmed; to skip over or explain away passages that don’t fit the picture and to focus on the bits we find encouraging. But to be fully useful as a tool in the Master’s hand, we have to allow him to shape us, stretch us and challenge us through his word – and there is always more to learn. R.C. Sproul’s book Hard Sayings was written for just that purpose – to help us to focus on some of the more difficult and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. He writes, ‘Put a big mark next to those passages in Scripture that offend you, that at first glance you disagree with. Those are the ones you need to put your focus on if you want to grow rapidly. … If you want to grow in grace and sanctification, find those places where you are critical of God. It might just be those places where you need to change your thinking and your life.’
Each chapter in Sproul’s book takes a difficult passage in Scripture and discusses how that passage can be understood and shape our relationship with the Lord. Some of the thorny topics covered include God hardening Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 7), God being described as the creator of disaster (Psalm 45), Amos telling people they should not look forward to the Day of the Lord (Amos 5), God apparently preparing some people for destruction (Romans 7), head coverings for women (1 Corinthians 11) and Jesus descending into hell (1 Peter 3). Sproul also provides some very well thought out commentary on some of the questions regarding the world’s beginning (e.g. how to reconcile the Genesis account with the apparent age of the universe) and the world’s end (e.g. what the rapture will look like and when it will take place).
I have often wondered about the fact that God named his chosen nation ‘Israel’, meaning ‘struggles with God’ – it doesn’t sound particular positive. And yet after giving that name to Jacob in Genesis 32:28, God immediately blesses him. One way to ‘struggle with God’ is through struggling with his word, and I have always found that it ends in blessing. There is also a beauty in the journey of coming into revelation, whether it takes five minutes or a lifetime – we grow and are shaped in the process. So with a book like this, there is a risk that readers will use it as a substitute for the helpful ‘struggling with God’ process – as a shortcut to answers. That said, several anecdotes in the book hint at the value of undertaking this journey for oneself. Sproul writes, ‘Jonathan Edwards struggled as a young theologian with the doctrine … [Eventually,] the Spirit of God so illumined the text that Edwards had a glorious sense of the transcendent majesty of God…’ And there are places where he mentions in passing other difficult passages that he does not cover in his book. So for the spiritually hungry reader, this book should actually whet the appetite to start a journey of discovery and to tackle other ‘hard sayings’ in a desire to grow in wisdom and grace.
Aside from the main topics addressed, it was Sproul’s asides that often floored me. For example, when discussing how Jeremiah preached that God would destroy the apparently indestructible city of Jerusalem, Sproul notes in passing, ‘…it is so easy for the church as an institution to become, instead of the body of Christ, a substitution for Christ. In that sense, the institution becomes antichrist insofar as it is a substitute that stands against the living Christ.’ Wow! And in discussing a scripture that former generations interpreted differently to the modern church, Sproul acknowledges the possible validity of the modern interpretation but, concerning why we have changed our view, he adds, ‘It frightens me that we’re taking our cue not from the Scriptures but from the culture or the fashions where we live.’ I wholeheartedly agree, and I think that’s the point of this book. It is too easy to try to reconcile God’s word with our culture and personal opinions, in order to feel comfortable. But, like going under a surgeon’s knife, we may need to face some pain in order to receive our proper healing.
Together Magazine
Together is the Christian resources magazine for the UK, with stories of what God is doing across the church today, book reviews and publishing industry news. Subscribe now at www.togethermagazine.org.