READING—STUDYING—MEDITATING
Know the difference
Reading: Get the big picture (the story) by reading the Bible in large chunks—an individual book or a complete storyline within a book—just like any good novel.
Studying: Get a study Bible and some tools like a Bible dictionary or concordance, and then use the hermeneutic method (see principal #2 below).
Meditating: Pick out passages/verses in Scripture (after doing the above) and pray over it, thinking on its application for your life.
In our multicultural world today it is easy for Christians to want to syncretize methods of praying and studying with rituals used in other religions. Going with what you feel about a single verse or passage from Scripture or emptying your mind while meditating is often encouraged in self-help practices. Eastern religions and New Age exercises are big on emptying your mind or chanting [mantras or verses] during meditation. But, is that how a Christian should meditate and study the Bible?
Jesus speaks to this idea of “emptying” oneself, or cleaning house, warning that if we leave it empty something worse will come in to occupy:
“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
Matthew 12:43-45 (NASB)
We’ve talked about methods of practicing prayer in a previous post, but how should Christians study Scripture?
In Matthew 22:37 Jesus said: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ We are to use our minds, not empty them, when praying and studying Scripture.
Two important principals to follow when studying Scripture:
Principle #1:
Never read or study a Bible Verse by itself
Reading a Bible verse by itself and trying to interpret what it means based on “what you feel” can be dangerous, especially if you are leading a study. You will most likely get a wide range of opinions and trouble may arise. Many cults have begun this way because of twisting the Scriptures to fit a personal agenda.
Listen to Greg Koukl’s short presentation on why we should never read a Bible verse alone:
Watch Out for Twisted Scripture!
- Scripture twisting refers to what happens when people interpret the Bible out of context or change the words and original meaning to suit their own beliefs.
- Scripture twisting has happened in movements that have rejected Christianity like Islam, and ones that try to correct or add to Christianity like Mormonism and Jehovah Witnesses.
Twisting God’s Word has been the basis for most cults
Cults: “A group of people claiming to know or speak the truth of God but who reject the historic teachings of the Christian Church and twist, add to, or try to correct the Bible.”
- Cults are usually the result of a single individual who claims to have been given divine insight.
- The major teachings of a cult come from the use of another “book,” a vision from an angel, or false interpretations of the Bible.
The Apostle Paul addressed this problem to the young Galatians:
“I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” -Galatians 1:6-9 (NLT)
Scripture twisting has been done since the beginning of time:
In Genesis 3:1-5, Satan tells Eve…
“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden? …You will not surely die, …for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God’”
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians warns the Church about deceptive teachers:
“These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” -2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NLT)
The Apostle John, writes to early Christian believers:
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” -1 John 4:1 (NASB)
The Apostle Peter warns about false teachers:
“…which untaught and unstable ‘people’ twist to their own destruction, as ‘they do’ also the rest of Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 3:16b-18a (NASB)
How can we avoid false teaching?
We can imitate the Bereans who daily checked out Paul’s teachings with what was in the Scriptures:
“Now these (the Bereans) were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scripture daily ‘to see’ whether these things were so.” –Acts 17:11 (NASB)
Principle #2:
Use Hermeneutics
The word comes from the Greek verb hermeneuein that means ‘to explain, interpret or translate.’ Using the verb, the Gospel writer Luke informs us that Jesus, after His resurrection, explained to the two disciples on the Emmaus road what the Scriptures said about Him. (Luke 24:27)
The noun hermeneia means ‘interpret or translation.’ Paul uses the noun in 1 Corinthians 12:10 to refer to the gift of interpretation.
Hermeneutics describes the task of explaining the meaning of the Scriptures. Using hermeneutics helps us to accurately understand what the message (verse, or passage) is trying to communicate and it is easy to do once you understand a few basic principles for reading literature in its historical context:
- Author and Audience: Who wrote it, when and to whom?
- Purpose: Why was it written? What was going on in the culture at the time of the events? What did God want them to know? What is the genre’ (literary style)?
- Context: What is the flow of thought? Read before and after the verse or passage to get the big picture. This sometimes requires reading the whole book in one sitting and taking notes or doing outlines. Cross-referencing other passages from other books of the Bible can be helpful here.
- Interpretation: What does the verse or passage mean (based on completing #1-3)?
- Application: How can we apply it to our lives?
*It is important to follow this order. If you start with personal application instead of author and audience you may not get the correct context and thus misapply it to your life.
Watch Bobby Collins, The One Minute Apologist, explain the importance of hermeneutics:
Reflection:
- Why is it important to understand the historical context in which the books of the Bible are written? What are some ways that we can do this?
- Why is it important to understand the difference between interpretation and application?
- How will the understanding of hermeneutics help you in your future Bible studies?
Bible Study:
Each week we will do a study in the book of Romans to practice our Bible study skills. This week read (or re-read) Romans chapter 4, then answer the following questions:
- Abraham lived a few hundred years before Moses and the giving of the Law, so he did not have a guideline to follow. What does Paul say about Abraham’s faith and his justification (salvation)? (4:1-10)
- What is the point of circumcision? (4:11-12)
- What was the promise to Abraham and his descendants based on (versus the Law) and why? (4:13-18)
- What did Abraham believe and do that evidenced his faith in God’s promise? (4:14-25) You can cross-reference this story in Genesis chapters 21:1-8 and 22:1-19.
- Cross-referencing: What is the definition of faith? (See Hebrews 11:1) Continue reading this chapter of Hebrews to understand the importance of faith throughout Biblical history.
Join us next week as we continue our “Case for Christianity”
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.
Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.
Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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