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Becoming reconciled to the Scriptures

Ed Wiebe

For some of us, there are certain Scripture passages that irk us. We have a natural resistance to them, probably because they address something in us that we do not want to give up. It may be Scriptures that tell us to forgive or to submit or to love when we do not want to do so.

We also resist the efforts of other people who try to tell us that we should obey those Scriptures. In fact, we lean toward those teachers who allow us to go on evading such passages. Still, deep inside we are bothered by the thought that we are not embracing certain pointed parts of God’s Word.

We need to become reconciled to those passages – reconciled as a man becomes reconciled to an unwelcome change in his work schedule. He is told one day that he will be placed on the “graveyard shift”. He hates it, but to keep his job he goes along with the change. At first, he mumbles to himself, and a few others, every evening. Slowly he learns to accept the change in his schedule, and eventually he comes to quite like the night shift. A year later, when he is offered a chance to return to the day shift, he chooses to stay on “nights” because he has become reconciled to that shift. He has made friends with the night shift; he sees advantages for himself in it. The man, reconciled, no longer resists what earlier was a distasteful thing to him.

Employees, the modern counterpart to ancient slaves, need to become reconciled to passages dealing with the work-a-day world (such as Ephesians 6:5-8 and Colossians 3:22-25).

Christian women need to become reconciled to Scripture passages dealing with submission in marriage (such as Ephesians 5:21-24 and 1 Peter 3:1-6) and submission in the church (such as 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15).

All of us, as citizens, need to become reconciled to passages dealing with our relationship to our government (such as Romans 13).

All of us also need to become reconciled to Scriptures demanding a servant attitude (Philippians 2), forgiveness (Matthew 18), love (1 Corinthians 13), etc.

Becoming reconciled to certain Scriptures may be a difficult process. Our natural repugnance may prompt us to read around particular verses whenever we come to them. We may try to neutralize one passage by using another passage against it, or we may become guilty of reinterpreting some parts of the Bible altogether. But such dishonest dealings will not lead us to reconciliation with any part of the Bible.

For me to become reconciled to a Scripture portion, I must face that passage honestly and have it tell me exactly what it is actually saying. I must not assume that I already know what it says or what it means. I must not shout it down by having a different passage so strongly in mind that I cannot hear this one. I must become willing to submit to that Scripture even if it leads me to where I’ve never been before.

I must stay with the passage under consideration until the Holy Spirit speaks it into my spirit. That is the moment when it becomes God’s good and loving instruction to me personally. That is the moment when I know from my own discovery what it says and I become willing to submit myself to it. At that moment, I stop resisting it. I gladly repent of my former attitude toward it because I now have adopted an altogether different mindset. That Scripture passage is now my friend, and I have no desire to evade it. I am reconciled to it.

Each of us ought to become reconciled to those Scriptures which address us specifically. Women, for instance, should become reconciled to passages addressing women. (It is far better that women do this at their own initiative than that men try to teach them how to put into practice what is addressed to women but not to men.) Similarly, men should become reconciled to passages addressing men. Those who are afflicted with illness should become reconciled to passages dealing with suffering, and those who are in conflict to passages dealing with reconciliation. Those who are divorced should become reconciled to passages dealing with divorce, and those who struggle with sexual temptations to passages dealing with sexuality. God has provided counsel in His Word for people who struggle in various areas of living. It is best that the strugglers themselves grapple with applicable Scriptures until they are reconciled to them.

Peace of mind with respect to any area of life comes when we become reconciled to what God has to say in that area. We are in some respects like the prodigal son in Luke 15, who apparently hated the idea of staying at home. Out there among the pigs, however, when he came to his senses, he became reconciled to being at home. Once reconciled, he gladly went home, faced the consequences of his leaving and apparently took his place in the family again. So it is with us. Once we heartily submit to our Father’s words, we gain peace of mind.

Ed Wiebe has just completed a term of ministry as interim associate pastor at Westwood MB Church in Prince George, B.C.

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Last modified November 16, 2000.

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