Last time, I began sharing about my concerns with how we, the Church, approach the Bible. I shared about a discussion that I was a part of last week and my concerns about how other trained professionals were determining the meaning in the Bible. It is so heavy on my heart to help you guys to learn how to study the Bible so you know that you know that you know that you have interpreted scripture correctly. I also want you to be alert when you hear certain things so you can discern truth and so you can discern error.
I mentioned that one thing that concerned me was that they shared that they reached their interpretations by what “they saw clearly” in scripture. Their argument for their interpretation was that they could “see” what they believed by “clearly reading the Bible” or by “the clear reading of the Bible.”
If you missed what I wrote, definitely go back. Today I want to talk about another reason “clear reading of the Bible” is insufficient for true Bible Study—we are not reading the original, inspired, inerrant Bible texts.
Here is a big spoiler alert for most Christians in the United States—the Bible was not written in English originally.
We know that, right?
We know that the original Bible is not the King James Version, right?
We know that the original Bible was not even the Vulgate, right?
We know that the original Bible was not the Septuagint, right?
Since most of us are reading translations (and I love my translations!), it is actually not possibly able to “clearly read the Bible.” Each of those translations rely on someone’s interpretation of the original manuscripts. Even if we were reading the original manuscripts, we cannot merely read it and think we have gotten the fullness of its meaning—we are limitable.
Now, let me pause—we have more technology today than ever before. We have unearthed more original texts even in the past 75-100 years than any other time in history. Archeology has unearthed cuneiforms….art…manuscripts outside of the Bible…and so on which validate and give us much deeper insights than any generation before us. If you are holding a phone or another device reading this, you join me in accessing more contextual information on the Bible than truly any other time in history. And—you join me in accessing more error, heresy, and apostasy than any other time in history.
I remember reading a quote by John Dewey when I was homeschooling my children. It alarmed me and it still alarms me. I think it bothered be because he became the “Father of Modern American Education” and his ideas are deep influences in our own education and in the way we have been taught to think and learn. He wrote:
“It is a great perversion to teach a child to read—it breeds destructive individualism.”
What did he want if he was establishing an educational system based upon illiteracy? Could it be the reason that we are trained to believe what we are told and not ask any questions even if it does not sound right? Could it be the reason that the Church today in post-postmodern, post-Christian America is textually and functionally illiterate?
Believing only what we are told is truth or not truth.
Not trusting ourselves to dig deeper.
Not questioning, much less voicing, when we discern error.
Leaving it to the “professionals” to teach us what we need to know.
Believing that whatever “our church” teaches is gospel truth.
Turning to “feel-good,” “live your best life now,” “affirm yourself” messages rather than deep Bible exegesis.
I think these are the symptoms of the problem that underlies the way the majority of the Church approaches the Bible.
No, there is no such thing as an accurate theology built upon the surface reading of the Bible. It is an utter impossibility for anyone, including “the professionals” to “clearly read the Bible.” Much more must go into it!
We are all in danger of misunderstanding and misinterpreting it.
We always bring some view of interpretation to anything we read.
Add to that—The Bible was not original written in English.
All of those beloved “translations” and “paraphrases” are just that—translations and paraphrases. They are each produced by people with very clear convictions and doctrinal beliefs that cannot help but enter into the text. Scholarship has often criticized various translations for errancy. It is there. It is part of the story of the corrections and translations of the Bible during the Church age. It is way more than KJV or NIV or NRSV or ESV. Much more!!
Now—before you throw your hands up and run from all of them, the authority of the Word still stands firm. When I speak of errancy, I am speaking of interpretation errors and punctuation errors in the translations that can yield a whole different reading of a text.
Our own language is so insufficient at fully expressing what was meant in Hebrew or even Greek. This is why we must invest more into the Bible and our theology than “clear reading” can give us.
If we are not returning to the original languages, I am afraid we need to admit we are depending upon the particular scholars interpreting the Bible version we use. We are subject to their choices of words or thoughts as they interpret for us. We need to be very cautious when arguing doctrine while insisting that doctrine can be clearly read from the Bible (in our translations). And, we need to be very careful in selecting our translations.
Our translations can totally affect our understanding of key points in a theological issue.
We do this all the time. *I* do this all the time. It is dangerous. It can lead us to pull a verse or even a passage or story out of context and develop a theological position that is not truly theological.
Truth is that many sides can be, and often are, argued by the same passages.
Think about some of the following that may or may not be areas of your own concern and conviction:
- Cessationism or continuationism
- Predestination or free will
- Complimentarianism or egalitarianism
- Eschatology
- Gender issues
- Roles of men and women in the home and church
- Dispensationalism
- Mission of the church
- So on…
Ever jumped into a debate about any of these topics? Ever been confused in the midst of a debate on one of these topics?
It is confusing. However, it is not that the Bible is confusing, it’s looking at the Bible from certain lens that makes it confusing. Many are not even biblically accurate, resulting in many of the false teachings we see today.
A biblically accurate theological position must be developed. It is only biblically accurate if it can stand against the evaluation of:
1. Scripture—the full counsel of scripture, complete with a full study from the original languages. If there are confusing verses, it’s an invitation to sit in the Word and study it from cover to cover until you know that you know what God has to say on that topic. And—that requires laying down any presuppositions at the onset or you will be reading and studying to prove a point rather than let the Holy Spirit unveil the hidden truths. It requires a willingness to step away from long-held beliefs if you find that your presuppositions are incorrect. For some, that may mean finding a new Church—depending upon the level of error.
2. Community—what God is and has done in the entire community of believers (not merely one denomination or one local church) for entire church history…well, all of Bible history! It should consider biblical examples of how God has always dealt with mankind in an effort to discern God’s nature and purposes, alongside our place in His biblical narrative. For example, we know something is up with the interpretation that women are to “always be silent and never have authority over men in the Church” when Paul quoted Sarah (when she instructed her husband Abraham about how to set his house in order AND God honored her instructions and ordered Abraham to obey her—Genesis 21:10-13) as he corrected the Judaizers in efforts to establish his own authority and to correct their errors (Galatians 4). Again, we may read past this if we don’t dig deeper and only stick to what we are told is “the clear reading” of the Bible.
3. Holy Spirit—it must consider what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing in the Bible and the lives of people. It must consider how the Holy Spirit IS working. It must consider what the Holy Spirit is revealing in the Bible and through the lives of Christians.
The Jerusalem Council in Scripture (Acts) models this approach to interpreting the Bible well. We see Paul, Peter, and James address a theological issue using all three of these—scripture, community, and the Holy Spirit.
Biblical debates will continue to be debates as long as we stick to “proving our points” with our favorite scriptures…again from our favorite translations (this is another discussion for another day).
How do we know?
How do we know what the Bible really says?
How can we test our theological views to ensure they are biblically accurate and theologically sound?
First, we need to not only read the Bible through at least each year, we also need to systematically study through the Bible. There are many ways, but right now I am verse-mapping scriptures pertaining to a study I want to learn more deeply—God’s design for women, men, marriage, family, life, and the church. I want to dig into the verses so I can be certain of God’s original design as I develop and present my theological view on women’s identity, purpose, and roles.
Last year I did the same thing studying the Holy Spirit’s work from Genesis to Revelation.
For several years before that I dug deep into Biblical prophecy as I studied through the entire Bible.
Other years I have studied deeper on topics like my identity in Christ, Kingdom of God, money/finances, salvation, gifts of the Spirit, training up children, marriage, flesh/spirit, so on. The Bible’s FULL of treasures if we will make time to study and learn from God.
What do you want to learn about this year? As you enter the new year, why not commit to reading the Bible through—it takes only 15 -20 minutes a day—and why not commit to seeing what He really says about an area that concerns you.
Next, we need to dig until we truly understand what the Bible says about God’s purpose for whatever we want to learn…how God has worked and what He has said about it all throughout the entirety of Bible history…what prophecy foretells and what the Bible has revealed…how Jesus dealt with that topic while He was on earth in His ministry and His teaching…how Paul and other church leaders addressed it in their practices AND their teaching (especially if they had issues they addressed with how it was being done or taught)…how the Holy Spirit has worked in and through the entire history of the Church…then we can be much more confident that we are accurately interpreting and applying the Bible.
I know I will be writing more on this. For now, my point is that this takes much more than what the typical Facebook or YouTube theologian is doing prior to espousing their beliefs. I will venture to say that this is much, much more than how the typical preacher is prepping today. In fact, most are as guilty as the rest of the church when it comes to spending time in the Bible and developing a truly scriptural theology.
This means it is time for all of us to get back to the Bible. It is time for us to seek God—His ways, His will, His Words. I know for me—He has convicted me about my own sloppy study and He has called me in deeper. Will you join me? It’s sweet in here!
Want to dig into the Bible with Me This New Year?
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