The Wrong Way(s) to Read the Bible
March 10th 2011 16:33
Actually, there are two wrong ways to read the Bible (I know, there are more than two). The first is not to read the Bible - EVER!. The second is to read the Bible with the expectation of that (our much reading and study) being our relationship with God. Jesus pointed this out when He said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” John 5:39-40.
What is the point? Clearly, the way we read the Bible is just as important as reading it.
How can we know if we are reading the Bible searching for spiritual life, but completely missing Jesus? Here are a few clues:
• We read the Bible to reinforce what we believe rather than seeking what God really has to say. Just because we believe something does not mean that God believes the same thing that we do.
• We think the things we read in the Bible are especially applicable for people we know, but not for us. Rather than being challenged in our own life, we become critical toward the lives of others.
• We imagine ourselves as the hero of the story and not the person or people who are the villain(s). We may think something like, “How could these people be so unbelieving and blind?” It might go something like this, “How could those Israelites grumble about food and drink when they just saw God part the Red Sea?”, while we are completely blind to how much we grumble and complain when things do not go our way.
• We love the attention we receive because of our Biblical knowledge, but seldom apply what we have learned to our own lives.
Which is worse? To not read the Bible at all or to read it fully, yet completely miss what God is saying to us on a personal level? Either way is the wrong way…..
What is the point? Clearly, the way we read the Bible is just as important as reading it.
How can we know if we are reading the Bible searching for spiritual life, but completely missing Jesus? Here are a few clues:
• We read the Bible to reinforce what we believe rather than seeking what God really has to say. Just because we believe something does not mean that God believes the same thing that we do.
• We think the things we read in the Bible are especially applicable for people we know, but not for us. Rather than being challenged in our own life, we become critical toward the lives of others.
• We imagine ourselves as the hero of the story and not the person or people who are the villain(s). We may think something like, “How could these people be so unbelieving and blind?” It might go something like this, “How could those Israelites grumble about food and drink when they just saw God part the Red Sea?”, while we are completely blind to how much we grumble and complain when things do not go our way.
• We love the attention we receive because of our Biblical knowledge, but seldom apply what we have learned to our own lives.
Which is worse? To not read the Bible at all or to read it fully, yet completely miss what God is saying to us on a personal level? Either way is the wrong way…..
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