A doctor of theology and philosophy claimed that the problem of today’s churches and believers lied in the chasm between knowing the truth and practicing it.
With a Ph.D. At Purdue University (USA), Dr. Leonard Sidharta gave an online lecture with the theme of “Teach You How to ‘Eat’ the Bible” on September 23.
As a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers and a special research fellow at the Institute of Christianity and Chinese Culture, Dr. Sidharta said, “The preacher and the listener may have a very good understanding of God’s word, but they fail to give testimony in terms of practicing it. Some pastors and believers are diligent in doing the Lord’s work, but there is no internal connection with Jesus.”
To understand the disunity issue of knowing and doing in the Christian faith, the associate professor at the School of Theology of Singapore Bible College explained how Christians should reach unity through three sects and three steps.
“There are three political sects in any society, and it is similar with the Christian church. The leftists urge Christians to be diligent in serving and love neighbors as themselves, putting the deeds of loving the Lord as the highest priority; the rightists claim that Christians should study the word of God hard as understanding it is the most important; the centrists focus on the significance of the unity of knowing and doing, stressing that there should be a balance between ‘eating the Bible’, digesting the word of God and practicing it,” he added.
Citing Matthew 6:22-27, the professor who served as the coordinator of Chinese ministry at Covenant Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Indiana, USA and taught at theological institutions that equip Chinese seminarians shared three steps to “eat” God’s word: taste, digest, and grow.
The bridge to the unity of knowing and doing was love, thus Christians needed to ask themselves if they loved Jesus, he added. Only when one discovered his or her life stories were bitter and not wonderful could he or she seek Jesus, which prompted him or her to begin to love Jesus. Imitating Jesus is loving him. The Bible told us that although we might be ugly at present, we would be a better self, with more Christ-likeness. That was tasting the word of God.
Digesting the word of God meant that the spiritual bread would conquer and capture us so that we could become the carrier of the word, accompanied by struggles and pains. Paul testified that there was a treasure in jars of clay and outwardly he was wasting away, yet inwardly he was being renewed day by day. It was painful to digest the word of God because the natural reaction of men to it was confrontation, objection, and resistance. We were destined to experience what Jesus Christ had experienced then we could be the small Christ, the crystalloid of God’s word.
Growth was that our lives become better when we tried to interpret the Bible and imitate it. The battle between the flesh and the spirit inside us started when we attempted to obey the word of God.
“Christians should combine Bible reading with prayers. Psalm 1 says that blessed is the man who meditates on God day and night. Then you pray: ‘God, yes, this man is blessed, but I prefer to delight in my phone. God, please give me strength to be hungry for your word.’ Such practice would promote the unity of knowing and doing of our faith,” he concluded.
- Translated by Karen Luo
一名哲学博士声称，现今教会和信徒的问题是知道真理和行出真理存在鸿沟，而解决问题的突破口在于基督徒要学会品尝神的话语，消化神的话语，成长为神话语的载体。
2021年9月23日晚，戴永富博士透过网络在关于主题为“教你如何‘吃’圣经”的讲座中如此分享说。
戴永富博士毕业于美国普渡大学（Purdue University ）哲学博士。
主要研究范围:
哲理神学、护教学、系统神学、分析哲学。
爱好且自学中国古文、历史、文化、哲学。
目前在印尼参与神学教育事工。
印尼华人，祖籍福建福清。
戴博士说：“讲道人和听道人可能对神的话语都是非常了解，但在实践神话语方面得不到他人的见证。
有的牧者和信徒都是在实践神的话语方面非常殷勤做主的工，但是内心却没有与耶稣建立关系。”
对于如何理解信仰中的知行不合一问题，戴永富博士用“左、中、右”三个派别的例子与“品尝、消化、成长”三个步骤来讲解基督徒该如何走向知行合一的平衡点。
“ 任何的社会里都会有左、中、右三个派别，同样在基督教会里也有三类派别。
左派是强调基督徒要殷勤服事，爱人如己，认为爱主的行为最重要；右派则是强调基督徒要多多学习，明白神的话语这个最重要。
而中派则是强调知行合一的重要，强调在“吃”圣经，消化神话语和实践神话语方面要来到平衡。”
马太福音6:22-27 当那日必有许多人对我说，主阿，主阿，我们不是奉你的名传道，奉你的名赶鬼，奉你的名行许多异能吗？
我就明明地告诉他们说，我从来不认识你们，你们这些作恶的人，离开我去吧。
所以凡听见我这话就去行的，好比一个聪明人，把房子盖在磐石上。
雨淋，水冲，风吹，撞着那房子，房子总不倒塌。
因为根基立在磐石上。
凡听见我这话不去行的，好比一个无知的人，把房子盖在沙土上。
雨淋，水冲，风吹，撞着那房子，房子就倒塌了。
并且倒塌得很大。
耶稣说要把房子建造在磐石上。
圣经里面神的话语是有神的使命的，那就是掌控我们的思维和行为，改变我们的全人全身。
每次听神的话语，我们要在神的话语里面改变我们的所有，如果我们抵挡神的话语，不实践神的话语，神的话语没有失败， 神的话语会成为我们的审判。
那基督徒具体该怎么吃神的话语呢？
戴永富博士分享三个步骤：品尝 、咀嚼消化 和成长。
戴永富博士随后讲解到：
何为品尝？
人有没有爱神的话语，没有爱耶稣，无法来到知行合一。
知行合一的桥梁是爱， 基督徒要问自己我有没有爱耶稣。
你每天最关心的事情是什么，你每天最忧虑关心的是什么，其实很多时候不是上帝，我们每日的焦点可能是我们的职业、财富或是侍奉，可能我们都是拜偶像的人，这样就是建立在沙土上的信仰。
当你发现我的故事不美，我的命很苦，那时候你才寻求耶稣，当你发现自己不好，耶稣很好。
这是你爱耶稣的开始，效法耶稣就是爱祂。
因为我不喜欢我自己的人生，我更想拥有一个美好的人生。
圣经告诉你，你现在不好看， 但是圣经告诉你 未来的你更好看，更像耶稣的，这就是品尝。
何为咀嚼消化？
约翰福音中，耶稣说要吃神的话语，这是指属天的粮食。
粮食的原文是指面包。
人吃面包后，面包被你消化掉，面包成为你身体的一部分。
吃属灵的面包，面包要消化你，神的话语要征服你，攻克你，使你变成神的话语的载体。
消化就是经历挣扎，经历痛苦。
保罗见证了自己的人生事宝贝放在瓦器里，外体虽然毁坏，但内心一天新似一天。
消化神的话语，转变的过程是痛苦的。
为什么痛苦呢？
神的话语在世界是受到什么样的对待。
人对神的话语是对抗 反对，抵挡。
我们传福音，我们难免被人排斥，反对和逼迫。
耶稣基督的经历，你也要经历，你就变成小基督了，你会成为神的话的结晶体。
何为成长？
当你遵守神的话语，你会觉得困倦，觉得懒惰，这是内在的逼迫。
肉体的我和灵性的我的征战。
我们都会经历各式各样的苦难。
当我解释圣经，效法圣经，我的人生变美了，别人会很好奇，为什么你这样美好，这就是成长。
戴永富博士说：“基督徒应该要读经和祷告结合起来。
看诗篇1篇的经文说：昼夜思想神的人有福了，那么你祷告回应：神啊，是的，这样的人是有福了，不过我更思想手机了，上帝求你给我力量，让我渴慕你的话语吧。
这样的操练会让信仰更加知行合一。”
戴永富博士最后强调说：“ 基督徒要为成为神话语的化身祷告，加强对神的爱慕，更加爱主耶稣，成为世上的小基督。
戴永富博士：教你如何“吃”圣经？
A doctor of theology and philosophy claimed that the problem of today’s churches and believers lied in the chasm between knowing the truth and practicing it.
With a Ph.D. At Purdue University (USA), Dr. Leonard Sidharta gave an online lecture with the theme of “Teach You How to ‘Eat’ the Bible” on September 23.
As a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers and a special research fellow at the Institute of Christianity and Chinese Culture, Dr. Sidharta said, “The preacher and the listener may have a very good understanding of God’s word, but they fail to give testimony in terms of practicing it. Some pastors and believers are diligent in doing the Lord’s work, but there is no internal connection with Jesus.”
To understand the disunity issue of knowing and doing in the Christian faith, the associate professor at the School of Theology of Singapore Bible College explained how Christians should reach unity through three sects and three steps.
“There are three political sects in any society, and it is similar with the Christian church. The leftists urge Christians to be diligent in serving and love neighbors as themselves, putting the deeds of loving the Lord as the highest priority; the rightists claim that Christians should study the word of God hard as understanding it is the most important; the centrists focus on the significance of the unity of knowing and doing, stressing that there should be a balance between ‘eating the Bible’, digesting the word of God and practicing it,” he added.
Citing Matthew 6:22-27, the professor who served as the coordinator of Chinese ministry at Covenant Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Indiana, USA and taught at theological institutions that equip Chinese seminarians shared three steps to “eat” God’s word: taste, digest, and grow.
The bridge to the unity of knowing and doing was love, thus Christians needed to ask themselves if they loved Jesus, he added. Only when one discovered his or her life stories were bitter and not wonderful could he or she seek Jesus, which prompted him or her to begin to love Jesus. Imitating Jesus is loving him. The Bible told us that although we might be ugly at present, we would be a better self, with more Christ-likeness. That was tasting the word of God.
Digesting the word of God meant that the spiritual bread would conquer and capture us so that we could become the carrier of the word, accompanied by struggles and pains. Paul testified that there was a treasure in jars of clay and outwardly he was wasting away, yet inwardly he was being renewed day by day. It was painful to digest the word of God because the natural reaction of men to it was confrontation, objection, and resistance. We were destined to experience what Jesus Christ had experienced then we could be the small Christ, the crystalloid of God’s word.
Growth was that our lives become better when we tried to interpret the Bible and imitate it. The battle between the flesh and the spirit inside us started when we attempted to obey the word of God.
“Christians should combine Bible reading with prayers. Psalm 1 says that blessed is the man who meditates on God day and night. Then you pray: ‘God, yes, this man is blessed, but I prefer to delight in my phone. God, please give me strength to be hungry for your word.’ Such practice would promote the unity of knowing and doing of our faith,” he concluded.
- Translated by Karen Luo
Dr. Leonard Sidharta: How to ‘Eat’ the Bible?
