Ep. 205 From Chaos to Order: the Powerful Word of God

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Shows Main Idea – The Bible is a potent transformative book. Not only is it a mirror that shows you your life, but it takes any person from their chaotic state, reorients them by the gospel and brings order into their lives.

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• The Perfect Self-Help Book That Will Change Your Life
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• All Other Psychologies Bow At the Foot of the Bible

Show Notes

When God spoke, the world came into existence. You see this in the first two chapters of Genesis where the Lord was in creative mode. When He stopped talking, our earth was rotating in perfect order. Job well done.

Then God spoke again (breathed out), as we see in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. This time, He gave us all the words that we needed to live a life of godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Not only can we live in a well-ordered, inhabitable world, but we can experience the “ordering” of God in our souls. He brings peace.

The word picture for peace (shalom) is a put-together and stable rock wall. A person with a lack of shalom is a broken-down wall. God puts us back together again; He does this by His transformative Word.

Our problem is that we do not know how to use the Bible in such a way that it transforms us into sane people. Two demographics struggle this way: unbelievers and Christians.

• Unbelievers cannot change because the change-process is spiritually understood (1 Corinthians 2:14) and granted by God (2 Timothy 2:24-25).
• Some believers do not know how to make their Bible studies practical. They can attend a zillion Bible studies and continue to live in “thought captivity” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) or horrible relationships. (It does require two people in a relationship to change, but frequently if one person does not change, the other individual is lost on how to apply practical peace from the Bible to their lives.)

Mending the Soul

There are at least three passages linked in the New Testament that speak to what the Bible can do for the chaotic soul. See Galatians 6:1; Mark 1:19; Hebrews 11:3.

• Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted (Galatians 6:1).
• And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets (Mark 1:19).
• By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible (Hebrews 11:3).

The “caught” person cannot extricate himself from the trap. It is the call of every Christian to be on the lookout for those captured by sin. Of course, that is all of us: nobody is living the perfect life. The most vital thing for all of us to do is to stop pretending that we’ve figured out how to overcome all our sins, never to commit them again.

If you sympathetically see your brother or sister caught in a trap (Matthew 18:33), you will have a broken heart, and you will discern if you can be on God’s Restoration Team. All Christians should be actively thinking about others, with the hope of serving them in their sanctification.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).

Helpful Resource: Change Me – The Ultimate Life-Change Handbook

Call to Action

An excellent template for what God’s Word can do is in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Paul gives us four sequential words, each one building on the next, that leads to being complete and equipped for every good work. I also leave you with some excellent questions to assess yourself to see how the Word of God is transforming you.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Teaching

• Are you teachable? Are you easy to teach?
• Is it easy for people to care for you because of your hunger for teaching?
• Do you seek to be taught by those who are competent enough to instruct you?
• Are you a question-asker?
• Does your guardedness about your reputation hinder others from speaking into your life?
• Are you over-sensitive? Does your insecurity hinder people from speaking into your life?

Rebuking

• Can you be rebuked? Can you receive the corrective observations of others?
• When others reprove you, how do you initially respond?
• When reproved, are you more focused on the person who said it and how they said it or how you can humbly respond?
• Do you pursue the reproving care of your friends?
• Are you tempted to sulk or go into self-pity mode when someone reproves you?
• Do you express gratitude to those who love you enough to reprove you?

Correction

• Are you more likely to focus on the reproof or the correction? The former is to be proud, while the latter is to be humble.
• Are you more preoccupied with how to change or are you apt to argue with the one who brought the reproof?
• Do you believe you need others to help you walk through your immaturity issues?
• Do you enlist the help of your friends so you can change?
• Do you believe others need you so you can help them walk through their immaturity issues?
• Would you say your commitment to change is more significant than your commitment to your reputation?

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Rick Thomas

Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.

In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master’s University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).