As I close out these postings ... here are two final thoughts for you to turn over in your mind:
1. The Bible is a special book. What makes it special is that it is the very word of God. I know that is probably a given to many who read this blog. But we do need reminded of this from time to time. God moved in forty different individuals so that, at the end of the day, when they laid down their pen, what they had written was exactly what God wanted written (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). Therefore the Bible can be said to be sufficient (it contains all that we need to live godly lives), clear (it's truths are plainly taught and can be understood by all who have ears to hear or eyes to read), authoritative (God always has the last word on what we are to believe and how we are to behave) and necessary (we need God's word to tell us about ourselves, our world and our savior, Jesus Christ). Now given all of this, it makes sense that this special book needs to have a special place in our lives. Neglecting it will lead to only heartbreak and misery.
2. The Bible is like other books. I write this because some approach the Bible (given what I just wrote about it above) as if it were some sort of magical or mystical book. Therefore, only those granted some sort of special supernatural insight can truly understand it. Now, it is true that the Holy Spirit does illuminate the Scripture for us and does work in our hearts to prepare the soil there to receive God's truth. But the Bible is a piece of literature, and therefore, we cannot ignore the basic principles of interpreting what we read. This past summer, during a series on understanding what the Bible really says, I offered up a the following basic principles (or TIPS) toward a proper understanding of the Scripture:
Take a look at the context: Every verse has a certain context …
and if you ignore the historical and literary context of any
Bible passage you are reading, you are setting yourself up for wrongly handling
the Bible! (I would guess that 80% of
the wrong handling of Scripture occurs when people rip a verse of out its
context. Once this is done, you can make the Bible say a lot of things that it
does not say!) So make sure you take a look at the
background of the passage … answering basic questions like WHEN was
it written, WHO wrote it and to WHOM were they writing, WHY
was it written, etc.) One of the best tools to use is simply a good studyBible (vs. a devotional Bible).
Intentionally compare Scripture with Scripture: Since the Bible, though penned by
forty different human authors, is the product of one divine mind … then it
would make sense that what God says in one place in the Bible would help us to
make sense of what he says elsewhere. So we must get intentional about using
the Bible to help us understand the Bible! Or in other words, the Bible should
be the Bible interpreter’s best friend!
Again … a good STUDY Bible will help you do this!
Pray before opening: Since the Bible is unique among
books as God’s living and active word, then it would make sense that we should
ask God to speak to us through it. To help you to do this, consider these three distinct prayers from the Old Testament love poem (Psalm 119):
Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous
things out of your law.
Psalm 119:36
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and
not to selfish gain!
Psalm 119:133
Keep steady my steps according to your
promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
Start Digging! Just MAKE the time, open your Bible, and
get to reading! Or, in the words communicated by the
famous Nike swoosh, JUST DO IT!
