How’s Your Bible Reading Going? If your answer is anything other than “Absolutely everything I ever wanted it to be!”, check out this post over at Gospel Coalition by Ryan Kelly. It lists out a bunch of ways we tend to get off track, with suggestions for addressing each one.
The Greatest Enemy of Application is Insight
Application happens when we understand the meaning of a Bible passage (i.e. we see Jesus and our need for him) and conform our lives to it. This conformity to Christ is the great purpose of God from the foundation of the world (Rom 8:29).
But the chief obstacle to vigorous application is insight. As we gain more insight into the Bible, we become more prone to revel in the insight itself and not in the life-change that ought to result from that insight.
“Debate Sobre” by Secom Bahia (2010), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License
For example, have you ever read a verse like Romans 8:29 (which I referenced above) and turned it into a theological debate? What does this verse mean about the predestination/free will controversy? Which side is right? Who has the best insight into what Paul meant by the word “foreknew”?
I’m prone to feel good about myself if I can answer these questions. I really want to win such debates. I’ve invested much time fighting my way through them.
But the chief question shouldn’t be whether predestination or free will is right. The chief question is: How is my life becoming more and more conformed to Christ? It doesn’t matter which side of the debate I fall on; God’s purpose in my life remains the same. What must change in order for me to be more like Jesus, so he can have pre-eminence as the first-born?
Insight can get in the way of application in other ways too. Have you ever felt disappointed after reading the Bible because nothing new and fantastic had occurred to you?
In contrast, have you ever felt the warmth splash over your heart when you see something you’ve never seen before in God’s Word? Maybe you found an allusion to another Bible passage that wasn’t immediately obvious. Perhaps a repeated word or idea became clear. Maybe you felt like you could relate to a Bible character due to some recent experience of your own. Perhaps you just started to get the hang of this OIA stuff, and you’re amazed at the beauty and joy that results when you can find an author’s main point.
Such insight into the Bible can be invigorating, but don’t let it distract you. The task isn’t complete until you change. Keep moving forward into Application.
Jesus warned us of the danger of insight when he used the image of architecture (Matt 7:24-27). The one who hears the Word, and stops there (possibly rejoicing in his keen insight), is like a foolish builder constructing a beach hut in a hurricane zone. The wise builder is the one who hears the Word and does it.
What other hindrances to Application can you think of?
Another Enemy of Interpretation is Relativism
Yesterday I wrote, “Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.” Some might wonder if there is such a thing as “incorrect interpretation.”
YES, there is.
In Luke 7:18-19, John the Baptist wanted to make sure he had the right interpretation.
In Mark 12:24-27, Jesus accused the Sadducees of having the wrong interpretation.
The Apostle Peter tells us that ignorance or instability can lead someone to distort (misinterpret) the Bible. This practice has dire consequences (2 Pet 3:15-16).
I’ve heard people speak of the Bible: “it means whatever you want it to mean.”
Although I appreciate the desire for relevance, may I propose that extreme relativism is, in fact, self-defeating? If a communication could mean anything the receiver wanted it to mean, then there could be no such thing as meaningful communication. The speaker or writer intends a certain meaning. We can agree or disagree with it, but we can’t overlook the fact that it’s there.
In other words, when someone says that it means whatever you want it to mean, a helpful and respectful response might be, “do you really mean that?”
By all means, let us work hard to figure out what it means.
The Greatest Enemy of Interpretation is Observation
Interpretation happens when we figure out why a passage says what it says. We fail to interpret well when we fail to figure out why the passage says what it says.
The chief obstacle to excellent interpretation is observation.
Of course I don’t think observation is a bad thing. I’ve already written about how we should value careful observation. (See here for a few common examples of less-than-careful observation.) Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.
However, when you study the Bible, you can’t stay in observation. It’s easy to feel like you’ve really studied the Bible, when it’s possible that all you’ve done is observe.
For example, people often go to Romans 1:18-32 to show that humanity is sinful. Excellent observation! But why does Paul go to such great lengths to show how sinful humanity is? Perhaps it’s because he wants to tighten the noose slowly and imperceptibly around the reader. “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges” (Rom 2:1, ESV).
We find another example in Philippians 4:4-9. This passage is full of beautiful sayings commonly quoted by Christians. We love to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4). We find great comfort in letting our requests be made known to God, with supplication and thanksgiving (Phil 4:6).
These are good observations. But why are these verses here? The Philippian church was experiencing a serious rift between two prominent women (Phil 4:2-3). So Paul sent instructions for resolving the conflict to one of his companions in the church. Read Phil 4:4-9 in that light, and the passage comes alive.
Old Testament narratives make up one last set of examples. As we observe these stories, we might notice all kinds of characters to either imitate or avoid, but we might fail to move into interpretation. Now viewing these characters as examples is not wrong (see 1 Cor 10:11), but it’s all too easy to stop with such observation. Why are the stories there? To show us Jesus, of course (John 1:45, Luke 24:44-47). The trick each time is to figure out how.
Remember not to let familiarity get in the way of your observation. And don’t let observation get in the way of your interpretation.
The Greatest Enemy of Observation is Familiarity
The first step of our Bible study method is Observation. Before we’ve even crossed the line of scrimmage, however, familiarity is right there to knock us down. When we think we know something, we stop paying attention to it.
For example, how many stairs are there in your house? What color are your father’s eyes? What is your license plate number? Name three left-handed people in your acquaintance.
As Sherlock Holmes says to Dr. Watson in “A Scandal in Bohemia,” “You see, but you do not observe.”
Let me give an example. I recently taught on Genesis 31, the story where Jacob runs away from Laban without telling him. My initial thought was, “I know what happens. Why does the story have to take up 55 verses, and how am I going to teach on it?”
So I dug deeper. I stared at the text and kept reading it over and over. Things started popping out.
For example, I observed that every other verse in Gen 31:4-16 makes reference to God. Up until now, Jacob hasn’t really mentioned God a whole lot.
Then I observed that the narrator calls Laban “the Aramean” (Gen 31:20, 24). That’s funny, because he used to call him Jacob’s “mother’s brother” (for example, see Gen 29:10 where he’s called that 3 times). So the narrator doesn’t consider Laban family anymore….
Then I observed that Laban calls God to witness their agreement (Gen 31:53), but do you see which god it is? “The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” The true God called Abraham to leave the household (and gods) of his fathers (Gen 12:1). Jacob knows this, but Laban doesn’t get it. Jacob swears by the true God, the Fear of his father Isaac (Gen 31:53).
I could go on. My point is not that any single observation is the silver bullet that unlocks a Bible passage. Instead, I’m suggesting that the way forward is always to keep observing. We must be willing to stare at a text until we don’t just see, but we observe.
I’ll give one more big example. One of the most famous passages in the whole Bible is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. It’s the great Love Chapter. We’re so familiar with it, though, that we generally miss the point.
Read it again, one verse at a time, and ask yourself, “what is he saying here?” Observe carefully, and I think you’ll see that it’s neither romantic nor encouraging. It’s actually a stinging rebuke directed toward those who don’t know how to love their neighbor.
Let’s not just see. Let’s observe.
Six Reasons Why We Don’t Study the Bible
In his excellent (and free!) ebook on Bible study, Denis Haack lists six reasons why many people never learn how to study the Bible:
- I don’t know how.
- Bible study is boring.
- I prefer to use Bible study guides.
- I’m not smart enough; never was much of a student.
- I can become discerning by reading books.
- I don’t have time.
Please don’t let these reasons become excuses for you to miss out on receiving God’s Knowable Word!
