Word and Spirit

As I have been thinking about the issue of social action and the trouble many of us had regarding how that integrates with our faith, it seems to me that this is another example of the general lack of integration in our lives.

This is actually a big subject. Perhaps I will work though it bit by bit over the next little while.

I remember many years ago I was having breakfast with a friend. It was in that conversation that I first heard someone refer to "Word" congregations and "Spirit" congregations. He was saying that for the most part a congregation was usually one or the other. Either they emphasized the Scriptures or experience in the Holy Spirit. At the time I hadn't had that much exposure to a broad range of congregations, but biblically this sounded strange to me. If we are true believers, then don't we (1) have the Bible as our point of reference and standard for faith and life, and (2) have the reality of the living God in our lives through the Ruach Hakodesh (English: Holy Spirit).

It would take some time before I would learn for myself that this distinction did (and still does) exist. Some recognize it and seek to integrate the two, but my impression is that most believers do fall into one of these two groupings. Either our faith is objectively oriented, meaning our faith is based on the unchanging facts of what God has done in history and how I feel about it makes no difference, or our sense of God's reality is derived on some sort of spiritual experience or experiences. Without those experiences God seems distant.

I think the Bible affirms both of these. In fact the reality of God is known by these two things working together in our lives. God is God whether we experience him or not, but the Bible also reveals that he is actively involved in the lives of his people. If the truth about God is true then his reality will be evident in our lives.

Word and Spirit is but one of the many aspects of life that many of us have had difficulty integrating. Over the next while I hope to be able to discuss several other areas, and hopefully also look at why we have trouble living truly integrated lives.