Consider the origins of Scripture. Some of it is more
than 2,000 years old, was written in various languages by authors who may not
have compared notes very carefully, and has been translated for us by people of
different cultures and different eras. Should we be surprised that Bible
text is sometimes confusing, or even beyond our belief?
Nevertheless, many of us believe that Scripture is divinely
inspired and contains very important guidance and truth on how we should live
our lives.
But, some "outside factors" may also color a
reader's interpretation of the Bible. Let's examine four such
"outside factors," to keep them in perspective.
1.) Failure to distinguish between the Bible's major
themes and message, and its less primary teachings.
Some people say, for example, that they cannot accept what
the Bible says about gender roles or politics, so they are not sure about any
of the other things the Bible tells them. However, Christians all agree that
Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Are the doubters saying that
because they do not like what the Bible says about gender roles, let's say,
that Jesus could not have been raised from the dead? If Jesus is the
son of God, then we have to take his teaching seriously. If he is not
whom he says he is, then why should we care what the Bible says about anything
else? In short, people should not worry about such things as gender
roles, until they have decided whether they believe that Jesus' teachings are
central to our faith.
2.) Forgetting that the New Testament is all about
Jesus.
If you think the Bible is only about you ---- what you must
do and how you must live ---- then you do not need Jesus. All you need
are the rules. Actually, there are just two ways to read the Bible:
a.) you can read the Bible as if it is all about you and what you must do
to please God and be a good person; OR b.) you can read the New
Testament as if it is all about Jesus and what he has done for
you.
3.) Jumping to conclusions that may be false, about
what a Bible passage is actually teaching.
Be patient with the text. Many of the things people
find offensive can be cleared up with a decent commentary reference book that
puts the issue into historical context. The Bible text may not be teaching what
you first thought.
4.) The culture in which one grows up may uniquely
shape how we "hear" what the Bible teaches.
This can be the source of some misunderstanding.
Perhaps one is offended by certain biblical texts because of an un-examined
assumption of the superiority of our own cultural moment. The Disciples
traveling on the road to Emmaus misunderstood the prophesies about the Messiah
because as Jews they were thinking of the redemption of Israel, and not the
redemption of the world. It is so easy to unconsciously read a Bible
passage through one's cultural "blinders" and therefore misunderstand
what the text really teaches.
Some people may say a passage is regressive and offensive
because it creates a conflict with principles in their particular culture, but
other cultures may think the same passage is perfectly acceptable. For
example, in some cultures, what the Bible says about sex is a problem, but
there are no issues with what it says about forgiveness. In other
cultures, there may be acceptance of what the Bible says about sex, but what
the Bible says about forgiveness is considered ridiculous. Why should one
set of cultural sensibilities trump everybody else's?
If the Bible really is the revelation of God and not
the product of any one culture, why wouldn't it be inevitable that someone's
cultural sensibilities will be offended at some point? Could the
interpretation problem with some Biblical texts simply arise from an
un-examined belief in the superiority of one cultural moment over all others?
Furthermore, if the Bible was authored by persons inspired by the Holy Spirit,
could the spiritual message be clouded to some extent by the
"blinders" of today's readers?
So, here's a suggestion. Might there be value in
reading and re-reading, discussing and pondering, a Scriptural passage over and
over, in hopes of weakening our reader's "blinders". Through
the use of such "cultural humility," gradually the truer meaning of
the Scriptural teaching may become more clear. For many Bible students,
part of the thrill of reading and studying Scripture is precisely wrestling
with the text and pondering the questions with which it leaves us.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal growth
this year at CPC.
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