Church and the Bible

Churches should be all about the Bible. Unfortunately some churches treat God’s Word like it is an afterthought; some read a token passage, and some never reference it at all. While it should go without saying, a church that is not built on the Bible is no church at all. Ligon Duncan, Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, wrote an article called “Foundations for Biblically Directed Worship” in which he said the motto of the church should be, “Read the Bible, preach the Bible, pray the Bible, sing the Bible, and see the Bible.”  

Many of those elements are obvious; the Bible should be preached from the pulpit and taught in classrooms, it should be read aloud in various formats, and prayers should be biblically based. The Bible is sung when the message of the music teaches biblical truth and lifts up the name of Jesus. It doesn’t matter if the song was written three months ago or three centuries ago; it doesn’t matter if the song has drums or a banjo; if the song honors Christ, it can be used to praise the Lord. How is the Bible seen? Duncan went on to explain that the gospel is made visible through the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and biblical baptism.

When the communion cracker and the fruit of the vine are properly observed, everyone present can see a picture of the broken body and poured out blood of Christ. When a new believer is baptized, everyone present can see what it looks like to die to sin and rise up to walk in a new kind of life.

Every element of the church service should in some way present the Bible; anything that is not Bible-centered should be removed from the order of service. You may not be the pastor, but you have a duty to make sure the church you attend is built on the firm foundation of Scripture. The Bible should be read, preached, prayed, sung, and seen.