I have an insatiable thirst to learn, grow, and know God. I am so thankful for men who have been given to us by the Lord as gifts to help us to know God and His word better. Men who as J.I. Packer says in his book Knowing God; cause us "To think great thoughts about God." I love to read books first and mainly by older men—John Piper, J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, and John MacArthur—men with long battled years who have learned not only from the Bible and from books, but from life. I also love to read men from my century who have passed on like Martin Lloyd Jones, C.S Lewis, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
I also spend much of my time reading the writings of men who are from long centuries past. I have been so impacted by Jonathan Edwards, Augustine, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, and many of the Puritans. I try to read every day out of at least one book from another century. I just finished the 17th century Puritan, Richard Sibbs, wonderful and comforting book A Bruised Reed.
If there is a tendency today, it is to be so consumed with the present, the new, and the future. For many the past is of little relevance and is to be ignored. "Newer is better" is the mantra of today. Another thing in regard to reading is the idea that you don't need to read books in order to learn, all you need is to learn from the bible and the spirit. In it's extreme form, the idea is that you don't need anyone to teach you but the Holy Spirit.
Of course God desires us to read the bible and thank God for the illumination of the Holy Spirit who enables us to see, hear, understand, and apply the scriptures in our daily lives. But the bible clearly refutes that idea by teaching us about the gift of teachers that God gives to the church. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I find it odd that one who thinks so highly what the Holy Spirit teaches him, would think so little about what the Holy Spirit teaches others." His point is that if the Holy Spirit works in us, then how much more work has He been doing in the lives of countless others who are living and who have gone before us for 2000 years!
C.S. Lewis spoke of chronological snobbery. This is the idea that something that is old is inferior and something new is valuable. In fact, nothing is inferior for being old and nothing is valuable for being modern. This frees us from the tyranny of novelty and opens us up for the wisdom of the ages. He said:
"I have lived over sixty years with myself and my century yet I am not so enamored by either as to not desire a glimpse of another world."
Stephen Nichols writes, "Without meaningful connections to the past, the soul does not grow deep, but constricts, growing more and more shallow." We need the wisdom of the ages to combat the folly of the present. Yesterdays stupid ideas are often times rehashed in new forms and clothes but they are still stupid. Even more so are yesterdays heresies. When great changes happen, it's not from new ideas.
The Protestant Reformation came about because for over a thousand years the Roman Church had wandered away from its biblical roots of Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone; Sola Fide, faith alone; Sola Gratia, grace alone; Solus Christus, Christ alone; and Soli Dei Gloria, for the glory of God alone. So we can sum up the essence of the Protestant Reformation by the simple truth that the church didn't come up with new ideas, but instead went back to the first century scriptures, back to its foundation and roots. The church made a great leap forward precisely by going backward!
The motto of the Puritans was Semper Refomanda, which meant always reforming. They wanted to see the Reformation go beyond what had taken place in the rest of Europe in the Protestant church in England. They felt that the church must always be reforming itself every time and in every area that it moves away from the ancient scripture.
There has been such benefit and impact that has come to my life through reading dead guys. John Piper shows how in history an old book, written in times before, can have an incalculable ripple effect upon others:
"A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others."
Oh Christian, read! I commend not only faithful Bible study, but also regular reading of great books, books that distill the wisdom of the greatest students of the word over the past 2000 years. Read good books! Read good modern books that bring old truths into a fresh, contemporary light. Read what will open the Holy Scriptures to you more and more. Read and live in the company of the greatest minds and hearts for the rest of your life.
Loving reading and learning from wiser, smarter, and more Godly men than me,
Pastor Bill
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