Should We Have a Quiet Time?
Here's another interesting perspective from Chalcedon Vice-President, Martin Selbrede as he addresses a fellow believer on the subject of the "quiet time."
After our discussion last night, I thought I'd look up some representative claims regarding a personal quiet time and see if anybody -- anywhere -- supported the notion with anything other than what I said they were using (to wit, making a weak, out-of-context inference from a verse concerning Jesus praying away from the crowds that pressed on Him). None of the sources provide a single command in Scripture concerning the doctrine of a personal quiet time. The Great Commission says we are to teach the nations "all things whatsoever I have commanded." Where God did not command, we have no imperative to teach (especially to teach something as a binding obligation!). Teaching the necessity for a personal quiet time is to teaching something that God has not commanded (since no command in Scripture concerning it exists -- anywhere).
Anyway, this is what the "lay of the land" looks like. Nobody has found a command to support what they still feel is commanded. Very strange that a fairly new tradition has gotten this entrenched so quickly, with so little scriptural support (actually no support if we use the Bible's own standard for what obligates God's creatures). The doctrine fails the "good and necessary" test for inferences mandated by the Westminster Confession as well.
Some quotes from major sources on the topic:
"Your personal "quiet time" is probably the single most important factor to produce a growing, exciting Christian life... our quiet time needs to become a habit as regular as brushing your teeth or watching the 6 o'clock news. ... Your quiet time helps you grow to become all that Christ wants you to be." -- Dr. Ralph F. Wilson (astonishingly, NO scripture provided in support of any of this).
"The Christian must have a proper diet to grow. This diet should consist of prayer and Bible study. This is what we call consistent quiet time... Establish a definite time. Choose a definite place. Set goal and content of the devotional time. Have a goal." (cnetweb.org's pamphlet on "Developing a Personal Quiet Time -- only Scripture provided in support is Mark 1:35 that Jesus went out to pray early in the morning).
The Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia, on "A Personal Quiet Time With God," provides a similar inferential scripture (not a command or instruction) when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Jesus went alone to be with His Father (Matthew 26:36), and so should we." There are several surprising things about this citation. Jesus's time with His Father was anything but quiet (He sweated blood and cried out to God in anguish), it wasn't private (a stone's throw from his disciples was about 20 yards so they could hear Him), and, more to the point, He had told the Peter, John and James to pray together (to NOT have a private quiet time, obviously), and He criticized them for falling asleep instead of so doing. If you read only verse 36, you might conclude that Jesus left all the disciples behind, but he took three with him (verse 37). The prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is a unique and special event in the Lord's earthly life, but it makes for a poor proof text for a "quiet private time" considering the ACTUAL instructions He gave to His disciples. More to the point, look at the logic: "Jesus did X, and so should we." Nobody really thinks this way (after all, Jesus didn't get married, or eat pork...). This is picking & choosing to try to prop up an under-supported doctrine where there is no clear biblical mandate, instruction, precept, command, direction, whatsoever.
Cheryl R. Carter, writing in MomTime.net, is even more adamant about the sinfulness of not having a private quiet time with God: "There's an incredible sin-a secret sin in the body of Christ. All of us have been guilty of this sin, at one time or another. Few would admit it but the consequences of this sin are evident in all our churches and our personal lives. In fact, conservatively speaking fifty-to-eighty percent of all churchgoers are guilty of this sin. It is the sin of neglecting God; not spending time with Him. I am referring to quality quiet time with the Lord without a personal agenda, just an open heart and a ready ear." She doesn't bother to supply a single scripture in support of her contention. She doesn't even try. She just mows down "sinners" by equating neglect of God (obviously bad) with not having a personal quiet time (a modern theological innovation).
Gospel Ministries to Children offers a similarly strong warning: "The importance of a personal quiet time (daily devotions) in the life of a Christian cannot be overestimated. " No scripture cited in support.
ElevateYourLife.net insists that you "set aside at least 15 minutes of each day for a quiet time... the first priority of your day" because "many Christians testify that nothing has been as important to them as this daily quiet time." This is clearly not an argument from Scripture, but from what other Christians say. The website resorts to this argument because there is no scriptural requirement to have a personal private quiet time (although there is nothing to forbid it either). However, if it were important and/or critical, why did the Bible (that is supposed to be a sufficient guide to us) contain no instructions concerning it? Why isn't it mentioned as part of the whole armor of God? The "many Christians testify X" argument runs aground: all we have to do is find Christians who testify to the opposite. The fact that "personal quiet time" as a doctrine is only about one century old leads us to conclude that Christians did much better without it: the advent of personal quiet time occurred at the same time the church became more culturally irrelevant and gave up more ground to secularism and to worldliness.
There are even entire ministries built around personal quiet time. "Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time" (www.thesixsecrets.com) is one run by Cathy Martin, who has introduced the trademarked P.R.A.Y.E.R. Quiet Time Plan (also trademarked). How did Christians survive without this for centuries? Hard to imagine! On the main website, www.quiettime.org/whatisqt.htm, we get four paragraphs listed under the large bold headline, "What is a Quiet Time? -- The Biblical Basis for Quiet Time with the Lord." Only one of the scriptures she supplies even remotely touches on the topic, and it's the kind of verse I referred to in our phone conversation (it's a weak inference based on something Jesus did). She chose a parallel passage to Mark 1:35 (Luke 5:16). The text does NOT teach us that Jesus had a quiet time, and He certainly did NOT have a quiet time in the sense that people would, because He didn't lack for intimacy with the Father ("I and the Father are One"), and He elsewhere states (John 11) that His open prayers are for the benefit of those around them hearing His words, and not for His own benefit at all. THIS is the other hazard of equating us to the Second Person of the Trinity and trying to extend the Son's relationship with the Father (which is intimate beyond any human language to explain) to 21st century Christians.
Jesus Himself defeated Satan by saying, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." I then ask, "show me the word that proceeded from the mouth of God that commands a quiet time." There is none: God commanded no such thing, nor did He forbid it. We are not committing a great sin by not having a personal quiet time, and we are not more obedient when we do have a personal quiet time.
What the Scriptures DO command (obviously) is prayer and study of His Word, but these can NOT be equated with a personal quiet time. Centuries of Christians have faithfully obeyed these commands of God without a personal quiet time. I should point out that if I WERE inclined to want to follow Jesus concerning a personal quiet time, the only honest way to follow that example would be to literally drive out to the desert or wilderness (the word used in the Gospels). Jesus never retreated to a room in a house, even IF (big IF) he had a personal quiet time of any kind. His prayer became a lot like "the voice crying in a wilderness."
Anyway, all that to say, the situation is pretty much as I described it last night. Each writer has a better idea of how to improve our Christian walk, and then hangs these ideas on everyone else's neck like a millstone. The fact is, the emperor is wearing no clothes. It saddens me to say it, but if this was a clearly taught command of Scripture, why can nobody provide a verse in the 66 books that compose the Bible? It shouldn't be that hard to support the doctrine with a command in the Scriptures. The Bible is loaded with commands -- why is this one missing? It's mysterious indeed.
After our discussion last night, I thought I'd look up some representative claims regarding a personal quiet time and see if anybody -- anywhere -- supported the notion with anything other than what I said they were using (to wit, making a weak, out-of-context inference from a verse concerning Jesus praying away from the crowds that pressed on Him). None of the sources provide a single command in Scripture concerning the doctrine of a personal quiet time. The Great Commission says we are to teach the nations "all things whatsoever I have commanded." Where God did not command, we have no imperative to teach (especially to teach something as a binding obligation!). Teaching the necessity for a personal quiet time is to teaching something that God has not commanded (since no command in Scripture concerning it exists -- anywhere).
Anyway, this is what the "lay of the land" looks like. Nobody has found a command to support what they still feel is commanded. Very strange that a fairly new tradition has gotten this entrenched so quickly, with so little scriptural support (actually no support if we use the Bible's own standard for what obligates God's creatures). The doctrine fails the "good and necessary" test for inferences mandated by the Westminster Confession as well.
Some quotes from major sources on the topic:
"Your personal "quiet time" is probably the single most important factor to produce a growing, exciting Christian life... our quiet time needs to become a habit as regular as brushing your teeth or watching the 6 o'clock news. ... Your quiet time helps you grow to become all that Christ wants you to be." -- Dr. Ralph F. Wilson (astonishingly, NO scripture provided in support of any of this).
"The Christian must have a proper diet to grow. This diet should consist of prayer and Bible study. This is what we call consistent quiet time... Establish a definite time. Choose a definite place. Set goal and content of the devotional time. Have a goal." (cnetweb.org's pamphlet on "Developing a Personal Quiet Time -- only Scripture provided in support is Mark 1:35 that Jesus went out to pray early in the morning).
The Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia, on "A Personal Quiet Time With God," provides a similar inferential scripture (not a command or instruction) when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Jesus went alone to be with His Father (Matthew 26:36), and so should we." There are several surprising things about this citation. Jesus's time with His Father was anything but quiet (He sweated blood and cried out to God in anguish), it wasn't private (a stone's throw from his disciples was about 20 yards so they could hear Him), and, more to the point, He had told the Peter, John and James to pray together (to NOT have a private quiet time, obviously), and He criticized them for falling asleep instead of so doing. If you read only verse 36, you might conclude that Jesus left all the disciples behind, but he took three with him (verse 37). The prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is a unique and special event in the Lord's earthly life, but it makes for a poor proof text for a "quiet private time" considering the ACTUAL instructions He gave to His disciples. More to the point, look at the logic: "Jesus did X, and so should we." Nobody really thinks this way (after all, Jesus didn't get married, or eat pork...). This is picking & choosing to try to prop up an under-supported doctrine where there is no clear biblical mandate, instruction, precept, command, direction, whatsoever.
Cheryl R. Carter, writing in MomTime.net, is even more adamant about the sinfulness of not having a private quiet time with God: "There's an incredible sin-a secret sin in the body of Christ. All of us have been guilty of this sin, at one time or another. Few would admit it but the consequences of this sin are evident in all our churches and our personal lives. In fact, conservatively speaking fifty-to-eighty percent of all churchgoers are guilty of this sin. It is the sin of neglecting God; not spending time with Him. I am referring to quality quiet time with the Lord without a personal agenda, just an open heart and a ready ear." She doesn't bother to supply a single scripture in support of her contention. She doesn't even try. She just mows down "sinners" by equating neglect of God (obviously bad) with not having a personal quiet time (a modern theological innovation).
Gospel Ministries to Children offers a similarly strong warning: "The importance of a personal quiet time (daily devotions) in the life of a Christian cannot be overestimated. " No scripture cited in support.
ElevateYourLife.net insists that you "set aside at least 15 minutes of each day for a quiet time... the first priority of your day" because "many Christians testify that nothing has been as important to them as this daily quiet time." This is clearly not an argument from Scripture, but from what other Christians say. The website resorts to this argument because there is no scriptural requirement to have a personal private quiet time (although there is nothing to forbid it either). However, if it were important and/or critical, why did the Bible (that is supposed to be a sufficient guide to us) contain no instructions concerning it? Why isn't it mentioned as part of the whole armor of God? The "many Christians testify X" argument runs aground: all we have to do is find Christians who testify to the opposite. The fact that "personal quiet time" as a doctrine is only about one century old leads us to conclude that Christians did much better without it: the advent of personal quiet time occurred at the same time the church became more culturally irrelevant and gave up more ground to secularism and to worldliness.
There are even entire ministries built around personal quiet time. "Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time" (www.thesixsecrets.com) is one run by Cathy Martin, who has introduced the trademarked P.R.A.Y.E.R. Quiet Time Plan (also trademarked). How did Christians survive without this for centuries? Hard to imagine! On the main website, www.quiettime.org/whatisqt.htm, we get four paragraphs listed under the large bold headline, "What is a Quiet Time? -- The Biblical Basis for Quiet Time with the Lord." Only one of the scriptures she supplies even remotely touches on the topic, and it's the kind of verse I referred to in our phone conversation (it's a weak inference based on something Jesus did). She chose a parallel passage to Mark 1:35 (Luke 5:16). The text does NOT teach us that Jesus had a quiet time, and He certainly did NOT have a quiet time in the sense that people would, because He didn't lack for intimacy with the Father ("I and the Father are One"), and He elsewhere states (John 11) that His open prayers are for the benefit of those around them hearing His words, and not for His own benefit at all. THIS is the other hazard of equating us to the Second Person of the Trinity and trying to extend the Son's relationship with the Father (which is intimate beyond any human language to explain) to 21st century Christians.
Jesus Himself defeated Satan by saying, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God." I then ask, "show me the word that proceeded from the mouth of God that commands a quiet time." There is none: God commanded no such thing, nor did He forbid it. We are not committing a great sin by not having a personal quiet time, and we are not more obedient when we do have a personal quiet time.
What the Scriptures DO command (obviously) is prayer and study of His Word, but these can NOT be equated with a personal quiet time. Centuries of Christians have faithfully obeyed these commands of God without a personal quiet time. I should point out that if I WERE inclined to want to follow Jesus concerning a personal quiet time, the only honest way to follow that example would be to literally drive out to the desert or wilderness (the word used in the Gospels). Jesus never retreated to a room in a house, even IF (big IF) he had a personal quiet time of any kind. His prayer became a lot like "the voice crying in a wilderness."
Anyway, all that to say, the situation is pretty much as I described it last night. Each writer has a better idea of how to improve our Christian walk, and then hangs these ideas on everyone else's neck like a millstone. The fact is, the emperor is wearing no clothes. It saddens me to say it, but if this was a clearly taught command of Scripture, why can nobody provide a verse in the 66 books that compose the Bible? It shouldn't be that hard to support the doctrine with a command in the Scriptures. The Bible is loaded with commands -- why is this one missing? It's mysterious indeed.
