A Teachable Spirit

My buddy Justin Taylor wrote an article for the latest Tabletalk magazine called, "A Teachable Spirit". He describes it a bit over at his blog. You might want to check it out. Just keep in mind that Justin learned everything he knows from me.

He has come a long way since our college days (we were roomates) where he was known for eating pizza and drinking Mountain Dew for every meal (he tried to convince me that it gave him all four food groups), dressing up like as a blue Smurf for the huge college ministry Thursday night event, getting endless parking tickets (he couldn't seem to get that odd/even days thing straight), and having me help him figure out how to read a map of Iowa.

JT:

The June 2009 Tabletalk contains an article they asked me to write on how we should think about the relationship between reading and understanding Scripture along with using supplemental study aids. Here's the opening:

Only one book is absolutely essential to save us, to equip us to obey God’s will, and to glorify Him in whatever we do. Only one book gives us undiluted truth — the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Only one book serves as our ultimate and final authority in all that it affirms. That book, of course, is the Bible, God’s Holy Word. No wonder John Wesley once exclaimed, “Let me be homo unius libri” — a man of one book!

And yet the irony is that if we use only this book, we may in fact be in disobedience to it. We should count good teaching about the Bible — whether through commentaries, books, sermons, study Bibles, and so on — to be a gift from God for the good of His church (see Eph. 4:11; James 1:17). So what may look pious on the outside (“Just me and my Bible!”) can actually mask pride on the inside.

Acts 8 describes a story that might help us think through this.

The rest can be read here.

And here's a little pitch for the magazine itself:

If you have not subscribed yet, you should. It's only $23 for a year, and $20 to renew. You save even more if you get a 2- or 3-year subscription (as little as $1.36 per issue). Special discounts for churches or businesses are available for those who want multiple copies of each issue. Start receiving Tabletalk by calling one of Ligonier Ministries' resource consultants at 800-435-4343 (8am-8pm ET, Mon-Fri) or subscribe online.