Luke 1:1-4
Encountering the Word of God: Scripture as Formation, Not Just Information – Luke 1:1-4
Luke 1:1-4 (NIVUK)
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Commentary
And then secondly, the purpose of this isn’t simply to learn abstract intellectual facts, but it is to know God. So the word truth that is used in verse two is none other than that famous word logos as in the beginning of John’s gospel.
In the beginning was the word, the logos. And scripture, the reason for all of this is not simply for you to know things, but to know a person, to know the word of God, who is Jesus. And of course, that logos has cosmic implications because the logos is the reason behind the universe, the meaning behind life.
And this text is there to help you to know that. Know him for yourself. Because you know by the work of the Holy Spirit, something revelatory happens when we read these texts because God speaks through it. That’s been the experience of God’s people over the centuries, and in fact, there’s an amazing quote by none other than Albert Einstein, who is not a Christian.
But he says this, I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene, of Jesus. No one can read the gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus, his personality pulsates in every word. Isn’t that an amazing quote by Einstein? And if that’s true of Albert Einstein, how much more should that be true of us?
This text is a gift for you. That you might encounter that luminous figure of the Nazarene. The job of this written word is for you to know the word of God. The word made flesh who is Jesus. It’s not simply information, but it is formational. It’s intended to challenge us, to confront us, to change us through an encounter with Christ.