You and the Bible
You and the Bible
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… (Col. 3:16)
Let’s talk about our relationship with the Bible, and particularly about knowing God better through “listening” to the Bible rather than just “reading” the Bible.
First, some basic facts about the Bible will help us get started.
The Bible is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is divided into four sections: the Pentateuch (the first five books), the Historical Books, the Wisdom Books, and the Prophetic Books. The New Testament is divided into four sections as well: the Gospels, the Book of Acts, the Epistles, and the Apocalypse.
Taken together, all the books of the Bible tell a story with four parts: Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. Vitally important is knowing that the words in the Bible are more than the words of men; they are the life-giving words of God.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16).
As we daily abide in God’s word we are actually abiding in God and his love, and that’s what transforms us. Abiding in his word involves two responses: learning God’s truth, and doing God’s truth.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love (John 15:10).
How to Read the Scriptures
Exercise faith… be teachable… read slowly… and read prayerfully.
Exercise faith. As a reminder, all of our obedience is by grace through faith. Bible study is no different. Merely reading Scripture without faith is useless. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
The transformative power of the word of God only goes to work in a life when it is mixed with faith. It is like the two elements that are required to make epoxy glue work. By themselves, the resin and the hardener are ineffective, but when mixed together, they become a strong adhesive. And so, until God’s word is mixed with faith, it will not take effect.
…the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith (Heb. 4:2 NIV).
Even when you don’t understand a passage, you can still trust the Author. There’s nothing wrong with saying. “Lord, this is difficult; help me understand.” I once heard this: when you come to something in the Bible you don’t understand, just put it in a jar labeled, “Waiting further light,” and place it on the shelf until later. But faith can still operate when understanding is incomplete. Exercise faith.
Be teachable. What we think we know can keep us from the insight God himself would give us. Paul said it like this: “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.” (1 Cor. 8:2)
Think for a minute how much more God knows than we do. It’s similar to how much more a human knows than a worm. Don’t try to reduce God to your own understanding. Rather, we should be in constant amazement at the limitless expanse of God’s knowledge compared to our own.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (Rom. 11:33)
In light of how much more wisdom and knowledge he has than we do, we would do well to posture ourselves as learners. There’s a somewhat humorous rebuke in the Scripture of Job who came before God thinking he knew more than he did. God said, “Who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2) May that never be said of us as we approach God’s word! Be teachable.
Read slowly. Often we think the more Bible we read, the better. So we commit ourselves to read vast amounts of Scripture quickly. As a result, we fly by words that God would plant in us if we were reading more slowly and thoughtfully.
We need to learn to Selah. You’ll see that Hebrew word at the end of a section throughout the Psalms. It means to pause and consider. That should be a regular part of our practice in reading the Scriptures… we pause and consider what we just read. Read devotionally.
There are many good Bible reading plans. The best are the ones that include daily readings from different parts of the Bible, mixing Old Testament readings with a section from the Gospels and Epistles. But I would recommend not trying to read through the Bible in a year. It can create a habit of reading too fast, and Bible reading can then become an obligatory task rather than the delight that listening to God’s voice should be. (If you must read through the Bible in a year, and you have the time, let that be in addition to your daily routine of the more meditative approach rather than instead of that routine.)
A Bible reading plan that I have used for years and highly recommend is the Daily Devotional Guide from The Fellowship of St. James. Using this, you’ll go through the Old Testament once every two years, through the New Testament every year, and through the Psalms multiple times annually. In addition to a slower pace of Bible reading, the readings coordinate with Advent, Easter, Pentecost, and the historic lectionaries of the church.
Read prayerfully. The Bible should not be read like an encyclopedia. The Bible is God’s word; it is God speaking. He would enjoy a conversation with us. Pray-read the Scripture. Respond to his words and thoughts with yours. See what he would say back.
This practice, called lectio divina (or divine reading), was part of ancient discipleship training. In the 4th century, Ambrose taught this to a young convert who would later become St. Augustine. This type of prayerful reading of Scripture wherein we listen for the voice of God in the written word of God contrasts with reading for mere information.
So, for instance, if we were to read “…he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’” (John 20:22), prayerful reading would prompt the request, “Lord, breath on us also… (pause…) Send us your Holy Spirit anew.” Lectio divina leads us to engage with the One who is speaking. Relationship with Christ is central and faith-prompted obedience should always be our response.
Further Study
Once we’ve learned to daily meditate on the Living Word, next we need to learn how to use the tools for further Bible study. These tools include a good study Bible, a concordance, a dictionary of Bible words, and access to good commentaries.
For instance, you may come to a subject like the incarnation, or priesthood, or want to learn more of the timeline of the Biblical kings. Get out your study Bible. You will learn to use cross-references which will lead you from one scripture to another with a similar word or thought. You’ll see how one scripture can help illuminate another scripture. Your study Bible will get you started in learning the historical contexts of the various writers and books of the Bible. You’ll find helpful introductions and summaries to the books of the Bible. A helpful online tool is the Bible Project, which provides good summaries of all the books of the Bible.
Through reliable commentaries, you will begin to gain insight from seasoned teachers of previous generations. From a good dictionary of Bible words and a concordance, you’ll grow in understanding the depth of the meaning of the words used in the Bible. Whoever is training you should be able to recommend good tools and begin to show you how they work.
But always keep in mind, that these additional studies are not to take the place of daily, prayerful reading of scripture. Jesus exposed how the Pharisees, although they were avid students of the Bible, substituted knowledge of Scripture for fellowship with God.
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).
It’s a strange thing, but you can be very knowledgeable of the Bible, and still distant from God.
Share Your Wealth
As you meditate on the words of God in the Bible, you will find insight and understanding entering your mind and heart. These will be like treasures to you. They will provide light to your path, enriching your life and giving perspective regarding your decisions and your relationships. You’ll be growing in your knowledge of God.
Now, find a way to share your wealth with others. What God gives you, give away. Look for two or three with whom you can share what you’re learning. As you do, you’ll find the truths become even more established with you. And the irony is that when you give it away, more will be given to you! (See Luke 6:38)
Let it not be said of us as was said of God’s people in Hosea’s day, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6).
Instead, may we be like the good Bereans who “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
Now, join me and,
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Col. 3:16).
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