The Bible (read only if you want to nerd out a little)

​People who follow Jesus have been known to say things like, “the bible says...” or “the bible is very clear about…”. But what if our understanding is shaped more by our own experiences then what is written on the pages of the bible?

​I have just finished listening to a fascinating book called The Bible and the Believer by Marc Zvi Brettler, Peter Enns, and Daniel J. Harrington. If you like to nerd out over the question, “I’ve always wondered what a Jew, a Catholic, and a Protestant would say about how to read the bible critically and religiously?” then this book is for you. If that is not you then do not read/listen to it because the best possible outcome is that you will be profoundly bored.
 
At the end of the book Daniel J Harrington makes this observation, “what is important for those that study the scriptures today is to recognise that there are, and always have been, different ways of reading these texts and much depends on the attitudes and assumptions that the various interpreters brought to the text.”
 
Throughout my life I have observed that how people choose to use the bible will normally come down to what they are trying to accomplish.
 
Are they trying to justify a faith position. Perhaps they are trying to attack how another person is living or interpreting the bible. Maybe there is a desire to prove or disprove part of the narrative. It could be that something has shaken a core belief or part of their personal faith, and the bible will help bring some structure to their worldview.
 
As a pastor it has always been difficult to answer the question, “what does the bible say about _____”. Because depending on which parts you give preference for, the traditions that shaped how an individual approaches the text, and their personal experience, there are a lot of ways to answer the question. What matters is that they engage the bible and see where it leads.
 
Whatever the reason for reading the bible, our reading of the bible will be shaped by factors beyond our control. Some things we don’t often consider include:
 

• We normally do not speak the original languages that the bible was written in (Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Aramaic, and Greek).
• We do not understand the world that the bible was written in. We are living in Australia in 2024 and no matter how much you try and imagine being in the post-exilic period of Israel or travelling with Jesus’ disciples, we cannot truly understand the context of our bible.
• Our current handling of the bible comes packed with pre-suppositions and traditions that the bible is not clear about. For example, the early New Testament authors were very content with taking parts of the Old Testament and using them for their purposes and ignoring the original meaning of those texts.
• How people have explained the bible to us impacts what words, phrases, and verses we choose to highlight or give preference towards.

 
Now for, what some have called, a controversial view of the bible but read what I have to say and make up your own mind.
 
I believe that reading the bible will inform all of us what God is like and how he chooses to operate but it must come with the understanding that others will read the same piece of text and come to different conclusions... and that is ok.
 
What truly matters is that as you follow Jesus and read the bible, please remember. Remember that what God is doing in your life, your spheres of influence, and your context is unique to you. How you relate to God is unique to you. The passages, stories, and poems in the bible that encourage your faith will be unique to you.
 
God is at work in all who engage his word and it is by the Hoy Spirit that we come to apply what we read and allow it to shape us in our day-to-day living. How God does that will be… unique to you.
 
So read the bible literally, figuratively, analytically, open minded and closed minded. Just read/listen to it and trust that God will use it as he wills.
 
Then, when comfortable, take your understanding of what you read or hear to others and allow the conversation you have to further refine what God is doing in your life.  

Author

Josh has been on staff at Lesmurdie Baptist Church since 2018. He is married to Marnel and they have 4 children together - Azaliah, Ezra, Zoelle, and Zion. What drives Josh is seeing people put their faith into action so Jesus can change lives in the here and now.