12圣经,尤其是新约,没有教导我们用凡俗、世俗的方式读圣经。反之,以弗所六章十七至十八节告诉我们,要借着各样的祷告和祈求,接受神的话。我们需要借着祷告接受神的话,因为按照提后三章十六节,圣经乃是神的呼出。这指明圣经是神所呼出的。神已将祂自己呼出在圣经里,因此我们读圣经,该是我们接受神的气。神将祂自己呼出时,乃是呼出祂自己。我们读圣经或接受圣经时,就是吸入神。所以读圣经与神的呼出和我们的吸入二者有关。
12The Bible, especially the New Testament, does not teach us to read the Scriptures in a common, secular way. Rather, Ephesians 6:17 and 18 tell us to receive the word of God by means of all prayer and petition. The reason we need to receive the word of God by prayer is that, according to 2 Timothy 3:16, the Scriptures are God-breathed. This indicates that the Scriptures are the breathing out of God. God has breathed Himself out in the Scriptures, and thus our reading of the Scriptures should be our receiving of God’s breath. When God breathes Himself out, He exhales Himself. When we read the Scriptures, or when we receive the Scriptures, we inhale God. Reading the Bible therefore involves both God’s exhaling and our inhaling.