Written for us AND to us

Listening to: Bach: Well-tempered Clavier

"The Bible is written for us, not to us"

Is that right?

I understand that it is usually meant to encourage us to take understanding the cultural and redemptive-historical context of a passage seriously, and that is a good aim. But is it a good phrase on its own?

Union with Christ through baptism and by faith means that all that happened to Christ happened to us too. We are not to be equated with Christ, but we are "in Christ", which means that we died with him and were raised with him (although both are to be consummated, esp the life).

All that was said to Christ is said to us. When God justified Christ (1 Timothy 3:16) then he justified us (Romans 4:25). When he was declared by God to be his Son (Romans 1:4), the one in whom he delights, we were also at the same time called his sons.

Similarly all of Israel is in him, but he is also in Israel (it is mutual indwelling - ala John 15:4, or think of how in the OT Israel is God's "inheritance" and vice versa). For him that meant he entered into the region of judgement that was Israel and the church (which will be judged first - Romans 2:9; 1 Peter 4:17). So for him to dwell in us cost him dearly.

But this means that the Gentile church is also "in Israel", as Paul says in Romans 11. Therefore Israel's history is our history, and what was said to them is said to us. We are now called "his people"! This is an amazing privilege because it means we join in Israel's story, which although it is a story of disciplining, persecution and sin, is the one true story with a happy ending. Or should I say, a happy new beginning?

Israel heard the word of God and so experienced all they did for us, as Jesus suffered for us. But their experience is also our experience and all that was said to them is said to us as well. Because there is both unity and distinction within the "unions" of the Bible with Christ and his people, the Bible is written both to them and to us and not just one or the other.

This means when we read passages like Zephaniah 3:17 we should read them as promises to us (and to Christ). Similarly, when Israel is rebuked for their idolatry, we should not just talk about the mistakes they made as if we have somehow advanced beyond them. Of course we should explain that they are our promises, and our rebukes only because of our baptism and Christ's death. But we shouldn't reduce the OT to mere examples for us to learn from. It really is God's word to us.