JOLLYBLOGGER: How to Study the Bible

This post is ending up very differently than it started. I'm finally getting back to posting on my ongoing series on "How to Study the Bible." If you haven't read any of the other posts in the series, this is part of ongoing training for the elders at my church. We are studying the book "How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth" by Fee and Stuart. These posts of mine are basically summary chapters of the book. I have to admit that my enthusiasm for this book has soured quite a bit with the new addition and its glowing recommendations of the TNIV and NRSV. But, there are still some good things to be had in the rest of the chapters.

This past week we studied the chapter on the Epistles and I intended to post the chapter summary notes I gave to our elders along with some introductory comments. But, my introductory comments got the better of me and have become a post in themselves.

When I do get around to posting my notes from the book, you will notice that they are not very fancy and not very deep. The basic advice for understanding the Epistles is to learn to read them in the context they were written. The main steps are to read the entire epistle in one sitting, then go back and read it paragraph by paragraph, summarizing each paragraph in a few sentences and looking for the logical flow of the argument. Pretty basic stuff. Then there is some advice on how to handle problem passages. About the only tools that Fee and Stuart recommend are a commentary for problem passages and a Bible dictionary or something that can give you information about the historical context.

It occurred to me that, while this may not sound fancy, its still good advice. A few years ago, my seminary Greek professor warned us to be judicious in the way we refer to the Greek texts in our sermons. Now, languages are essential for the pastor, but he said that if you over-do references to the original langauges you can give the impression that you have to know the original languages to understand the Scripture. We can and should use references to the original languages to illustrate and when it will help clarify, but some of us preachers over-do it.

Similarly, all of the fancy-schmancy bible study techniques you can learn in a seminary or bible college hermeneutics class are helpful, as well as the stuff you may learn in one of the myriad of classes or books you can get on a popular level. But even these things can be overdone and can obscure the clarity of the bible if you get the notion that, to really understand the bible, you've got to have a zillion different colored pencils and pens keyed to different things along with some fancy diagramming techniques. Again, all of that is helpful, but it can be overdone.

The truth is, the overwhelming majority of biblical content is easily accessible to anyone who will simply read the text carefully. As I write this I'm envisioning some Greek scholar or independent bible study afficionado taking issue with the way I have dissed them, but no dis is intended. All of that stuff is great and helpful, but the truth is that the "average person" who doesn't have access to all of the books and classes that some are privileged to have is more than capable of understanding the vast majority of the Bible.

A few years ago I remember John MacArthur giving a sermon talking about how to study the Bible. I think he was preaching through I John or one of the smaller books and he was encouraging his people to study the book in depth as he preached. His advice - read the entire book every day for 30 days. He said that if you will read the entire book every day for 30 days, you would just about have it memorized, and would certainly have a fairly thorough knowledge of the book.

I think we all have this gnostic impulse which leads us to believe that there is hidden truth in the Scripture which is available to an elite few who can understand languages and all of the fancy study techniques. One situation I have found myself in more than once is a discussion with someone about a very clear teaching of Scripture that didn't fit well with their beliefs or lifestyle. So, they've played the Greek card and said "I wonder what the original Greek says." It's as if "there's got to be something else in there."

Truly, the old adage applies - the bible is shallow enough that a child can swim in it and deep enough that an adult can never touch bottom. So, there is always more to be received by those who will take the extra time and effort to swim out into the deeper waters. Yet, I find that knowledge of the original languages and study techniques don't so much reveal newer, hidden truths from Scripture - they add depth and color to the picture that is already there. I liken the use of original languages and other study techniques to increasing the resolution on a TV screen. Use the tools real well and you can get a picture that matches the quality of HDTV. However, those who don't have access to languages and other tools can still get the picture, if they will simply read carefully and consistently.

While we always want to appreciate and commend those who go the extra mile in using available tools to add depth and color to our understanding of the Scriptures, we also want to affirm that the man in the pew can get more truth out of the Scriptures than he would ever imagine, simply by reading it carefully. You can do some very "deep" bible study if you can afford $30 or $40 for a decent study bible which will give some good historical background, adequate cross references to check Scripture with Scripture and some helpful commentary on problem passages.

One of the fundamental attributes of Scripture is its clarity, in our efforts to understand it, let's be careful we not obscure it.