Consider the origins of Scripture. Some of it is
more than 2,000 years old. Some was written in various languages by
authors who may not have compared notes very carefully. Furthermore, some
Scripture has been translated for us by people of different cultures and
different eras. Should we be surprised that the 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 affect 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 disbelieve other things
the Bible tells them. However, Christians all agree that Jesus rose from
the dead on the third day. But, are some doubters saying that because
they do not like what the Bible says about gender roles, let's say, that it is
false that Jesus could have been raised from the dead? If Jesus is the
son of God, then we must take his teaching seriously. If he is not whom
he says he is, then why would we care what the Bible says about anything else?
In short, people should not worry about such things as gender roles in the
Bible, 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 ---- not directly about us.
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 only 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 thus 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 us.
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 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 that a certain 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 prevail over
everyone 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?
Many of us believe that Jesus spelled out the basic
interpretive principle by which we are to understand the the Bible. When
he was asked to identify the greatest commandments, Jesus said it is loving God
and loving our neighbor. If we read the Bible from that point of view, it
gives us greater perspective on the cultural boundaries that color our Scripture
reading. This would be true for us today, but also for reading the
writers of the original Scriptural texts.
So, here's a suggestion. Might there be value from
re-reading, discussing and pondering, a Scriptural passage over and over, in
hopes of weakening out reader "blinders". Through the use of
such "cultural humility", gradually the truer meaning of the
Scriptural meaning 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 which it leaves with us.
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These thoughts are bought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual
Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal growth this year at
Central Church.
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