By the Book

In the middle ages, the big name in the Roman Catholic Church was Thomas Aquinas. A brilliant theologian, Aquinas coined the phrase "homo unius libri" -- a man of one book. There could be only one book -- one Book -- to which to devote one's life: the Holy Bible. Now, given, the expansive scholarship of the man, I highly doubt he meant to completely abandon all other books; rather, he intended to order his life around one book and one book alone, the word of God.

All Christians in particular -- and all people in general -- should aspire to be people of one book. We're already known in history as "the people of the book," and we should recognize our need for the Bible. While we can't elevate it to an object of worship, we should worship the one it points us to: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We read this book because of whose book it is. We conform our lives to the principles and ethics set out by the Bible because they have come straight from God to us. The Word of God, Jesus Christ, has provided for us the word of God, the Holy Bible.

So how should a Christian live? By the Book. In all cases of morality and spirituality, we follow the Book. When something happens in life we're not sure how to respond to, we go back to the Book. Why? Because the word of God provided by the Word of God points us to God. It's the Gospel, the good news. In it is life, hope, peace, joy, patience, truth. It applies to every situation in life, even if it never explicitly mentions them. (I believe biblical principles govern how I use my cell phone and computer, for example, even though these items are never mentioned in the biblical text.)

Live by the Book.