“Our lives say much more about how we think than our books do. The theories we preach are not always the ones we actually believe. The theories we live are the ones we really believe.”― R.C. Sproul, Lifeviews: Make a Christian Impact on Culture and Society

              With this quote, R.C. tells us that the proof is in the pudding and our daily lives are the pudding which truly reveals what we think and what we believe. Others would point to the books which our society produces and which we read, or at least place on our shelves for future reading. Much fervor is exerted by many in proclaiming grand humanistic themes for life with some actions to support such professions. In reality we know that much hypocrisy hides behind these attempts at portraying oneself as noble.

              One of the books which we can most violate while boldly claiming to follow its tenets is obviously the Bible. While the influence of Christianity is waning, a great number of our nation would still tell their neighbor that the Bible on their shelf is important to them. If so many claim to be guided by the Bible, why is Christianity’s influence waning? From another angle, why do we hear so many versions of what the Bible says if we are all reading the same book?

              For the Word of God contained in the Old and New Testament to influence the society around us, it must first solidly influence the heart and mind within the individual of that society. Though God will reign over all creation despite no one believing His Word, a society’s reflection of God’s revealed truth depends on individuals taking His Word at face value.

              The second question challenges many as those proclaiming conflicting interpretations of the Bible can all claim to hold to the truths of the Bible. At times, there are simple misunderstandings due to our fallen nature affecting our reasoning and our frequent lack of effort expended to refine Biblical truth beyond the superficial reading of a verse or passage. At other times, the distortions are much deeper and broader indicating that someone has inflicted eisegesis out of their own bias rather than seeking to extract truth through exegesis.

              The proper approach of exegesis, by which one studies Scripture effectively to bring out the true meaning of the text is frequently forsaken when one wants to find their own beliefs and biases in a text. Eisegesis begins with someone wanting to prove their own beliefs by manipulating a real text to support such beliefs without shame in having distorted that text. That eisegesis allows them to proclaim adherence to the Bible without actually adhering to the real Bible.

              In the end, one looks down at their own pudding and must eat what their lives produced whether or not one’s proclamations matched their daily life. The books we read and produce, even the Bible cannot save us from ingesting this pudding. If we want to find our spoonfuls of pudding appetizing, we must begin with faith in the Christ of the Bible rather than the Christ of our imaginations. With the renewing power of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone, we must then shape our beliefs and our values according to His Word rather than what we wish His Word says. How we think and feel about everything should be shaped by these beliefs and values. From there, our practices of life individually and collectively will reflect these truths such that we can hope for the face of God to shine upon us with blessing.