Review Essay, Keeping the Balance
At this point, Cupples reminds us that there is one overwhelming factor which determines whether or not God will be pleased by our studies, and whether or not they will benefit us. That factor is a genuine hunger for God. Without it, “all our study will just accumulate knowledge that will stagnate and lead to pride and deadness of soul”. How theological students can “maintain passion and vitality in their spiritual life” is the next question to which Cupples turns.
Maintaining the spiritual life “The more important devotional exercise for every Christian, including students of theology, is daily time spent alone with God in meditation on Scripture and in prayer”. Theologians mustn’t think they are above the ordinary means of making spiritual progress or keeping the fire burning. In fact, Cupples believes a “quiet time” is more important for theologians than anyone else, since their studies can breed spiritual weariness. Although this practice may not be explicitly taught in scripture, “it is a well-tried and tested tradition” and several arguments can be advanced in support of it. Firstly, there are examples in the Bible of people praying daily or withdrawing in solitude for intimate time with God. Secondly, Cupples believes there is a principle that “by the consecration of one special part, it becomes possible to consecrate the whole”. If we give God “the firstfruits of our time”, we will then “be able to reclaim the whole day for him”. Thirdly, it is general knowledge that “no relationship develops without planned meetings and activities”. Keeping a “daily appointment with God” is not “legalistic bondage”, but “voluntary discipline”. We need conscious fellowship with God, offering Him our thanksgiving and worship, and pausing in the day for confession, consecration and meditation. The Christian life is “more than a system”, it is a living relationship and a “personal knowledge of God” that “must be kept fresh” by a “a definite time of directness and openness with God”.
Of course, reading the Bible will be an important part of this quiet time. Cupples offers five points he believes students of theology need to remember in this matter: Firstly, they should pray for a spirit of expectancy. The constant handling of the scriptures can desensitise us to the great truths within them. “We need to ask God earnestly that his Spirit will make the Scriptures live to us, that we will hear the voice of God as we read in spite of all our weakness”. God is not limited by our frailty. Secondly, they must remember that the same principles of interpretation apply at all times. “Devotional reading is not an excuse for reading into the Bible whatever we like”. Thirdly, they should read large portions of the Bible. In our studies we can get bogged down in details over particular passages. Reading larger portions, however, can help us re-establish “our sense of the unity of the biblical message”, keep “the great fundamental truths” in mind, and help us “put other matters in perspective”, whilst we “find ourselves gripped again by the grand sweep of the history and message of redemption”. Fourthly, they should read passages not being studied in class. This is simply because it can be harder to come to a book with enthusiasm in our private devotions when we’ve been flogging it to death for weeks in class! Finally, they must learn the practice of meditation. It takes time to digest things spiritually.
Category: In Depth, Spring 2006
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