Letting the Scriptures speak …
Read the Bible for what it truly is.
In 1992, I attended a two-week graduate course on Relief and Development at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in the USA. During the opening session, the professor asked the group of fifty or so students to describe how they pictured God. With few exceptions, God was portrayed as a middle-aged white suburban male (the primary demographic of the students). I learnt that most of us think God is like us.
Beyond our own agenda.
What we do with God, we do with the Bible. We tend to project what we want to see or hear onto the Bible. Instead of being caught up in the Bible’s story, we harness the Bible to our story. It’s a predisposition; our natural inclination is ego-centric, and our bent is to manipulate the Bible to our ends. Simply stated, we read the Bible to get what we want out of it.
A journey to true engagement.
So, how do we read the Bible for what it truly is and not for what we want to make it? By bringing three “friends” to the table:
- The Holy Spirit . . . ask Him to help you understand what you’re reading
- Bible commentaries and guides . . . use them to mine the collected wisdom of the church
- Mature Christians . . . learn from pastors, teachers and people who are wise in the Word
Scott McKnight, in his excellent book, The Blue Parakeet, would add that if we are to read the Bible in a way that is renewing and ever-renewing, then we should also read the Bible as story, learn to listen to and for God in the Bible (cf. Matthew 7:24-27), and discern how best to live out the Gospel (cf. Colossians 1:9-10).
Letting the Scriptures speak. Continue the conversation. How are you doing this?
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Summary
Letting the Scriptures speak. People often project their own image onto God, a tendency that extends to how we read the Bible. Instead of allowing the Bible’s story to shape us, we often manipulate it to fit our agendas. To read the Bible authentically, the author suggests inviting three “friends” to help: the Holy Spirit, Bible commentaries, and mature Christians. By engaging with the Bible as a living story and seeking guidance, we can move beyond self-centred readings and deepen our connection with God’s Word.
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