The following is a portion of a series of reflections on the book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp. You may also want to read the first and third reflection in this series.

“The Bible makes a poor encyclopedia” (27). Tripp’s words summarize the truth of God’s redemptive story: Scripture as a revelation of God’s plan was never intended to “fix” humanity. Instead, Scripture tells the story of God’s redemptive plan and purposes, leading to and pouring out from Jesus Christ. This is the consistent and continual message of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

Based on this supposition, then, any attempt to life a verse or passage from this context and apply it to a specific practical problem is necessarily abusing Scripture. Only within the overarching context of God’s story of redeeming mankind and creation itself can help be found for daily struggles.

The overarching story reflects that our problem as human beings is deeper than the individual sins we commit each day, creating the specific problems that complicate our lives. Our deepest problem is that we seek to find our identity outside the story of redemption. If the entire goal and direction of our lives are wrong, we need much more than practical advice on how to do the right thing in a particular situation. (27)

These are staggering words, at least in part because they are simple. Scripture would say that a problem in marriage; a struggle at work; repeated arguments with children; even depression and other mental imbalances; all these are at their root a lack of finding our identity in Christ. There may be practical considerations–there usually are–but these considerations are meaningless when cast outside of the context of the gospel saving us from sin.

Underlying this entire chapter is a reliance on Scripture. Tripp points out the inconsistency of a sermon being delivered on the back of hours of preparation in Scripture, compared to counseling being delivered on the back of, what? personal experience? positive or hopeful anecdotes? an outline ripped from a bestselling book? Personal interactions and counseling must be based on Scripture, and the whole of Scripture. Redemption must come through the redemption story, not a line of that story without the overall view.