Both the Scriptures and the Power of God

Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? (Mark 12:24)

I've been coming across a lot of Both-Ands recently. Here's another great pairing. 

1. The danger of knowing the power of God but not the Scriptures. There are branches of the Church which have a strong and living trust in the strong and living God. They truly believe that our God is the creator of the heavens and the earth, for whom nothing is impossible, who can raise the dead and heal every disease and still any storm and part any sea. They know this God not simply from systematic theology but in personal relational knowing - in their experience. They pray with fervency and they see answers and they praise God. Make no mistake, that is a very good, God-honouring posture. The problem is when it is not combined with a knowing of the Scriptures then it is untethered and potentially very dangerous. It is the Scriptures which tell us the passions of God (what pleases him), the character of God (the manner in which he uses his power), the will of God (the ends to which he uses his power), and, most importantly, it tells us the Bible story - the beginning middle and end of God's plan: creation to new creation, first Exodus to second Exodus. So for example, when it comes to raising the dead it teaches us that a) God is the one who brings light out of darkness, life out of death, day out of night (he is certainly able); b) that death is an alien intruder, enemy and the curse resulting from the Fall; c) that the prophets see a last day when death will be no more and all will rise; d) that Christ raising Lazarus and a few others was a foretaste of the future, a sign that he could reverse the Fall and that in him was the resurrection of the dead; e) that Christ came primarily to destroy the monster of death by diving into its belly and blowing it up from the inside; f) that Christ's resurrection is the firstfruit of the great end time resurrection from the dead; g) that in this age the great need is to be united to the risen one; Christians will die but we can call it sleep because they are safe in Christ and when he returns they will rise with him to indestructible resurrection life. That sort of narrative understanding gives a definite shape to our expectations and longings and prayers.
2. The danger of knowing the Scriptures but not the power of God. There are other branches of the Church which have a strong understanding and love of the Scriptures. They know the storyline of the Bible and how all the books of the Bible fit into it. They marvel at the way the Scriptures are both human and divine, narrative and poetry, how millions of beautiful interconnections and echoes tie the Scriptures together as one Word of the Father about his Son, inscribed by the Spirit through many authors and styles. Make no mistake, that is a thoroughly good and important thing. The problem is when it is not combined with a living relational knowing of the living Almighty God. There is a great danger for those of us who get excited by noticing a chiasm or allusion, that an intellectual excitement substitutes for an awe at the speaking, saving Creator God. There is a great danger that we could faithfully break down a passage or give the main themes of a New Testament letter but forget that we are handling the very words of God, fail to tremble with fear before the One who spoke out of fire so that people were terrified and cried out for him to stop. There is a great danger that we could give a biblical theology of death and yet not face up to the reality of our own death and the reality of people dying all around us and the greatest reality of the One who holds the keys of death and hell and who is returning any time now and really will raise people out of the ground. Do I believe that really will happen?! And as I wait for that Day do I believe that there is a Spirit of God, a Spirit of power and love and self-control? Do I believe that Christ is unstoppably building his Church; that he will do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine? Or have I become cynical and small in my prayers?
3. The tragedy of knowing neither the Scriptures not the power of God. That is the sad state the Sadducees were in. Religion had become merely a game for them, a power play. They didn't know their Bibles (I am told it has become common to find many turning up at theological colleges to train for pastoral ministry have not read their Bibles all through) and they didn't know the power of God (like a minister friend of mine who doesn't believe in heaven or hell or the deity of Christ). That would be precisely my position if it wasn't for the massive grace of God. Thank you God for taking a filthy stupid rebel like me and opening my eyes to your Word and your power; but I still see dimly; please help my unbelief, open my eyes wider; show me more of your Word and more of your reality and presence and resurrection power; forgive my culpable ignorance and faithless cynicism; give me a bigger vision of Jesus in your Word; each morning may I know better both the Scriptures and the power of God. Amen.