< We All Get The Story Wrong >

The Triune God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, must be amused when philosophers, celebrity psychologists, actors, televangelists and politicians invite God into their story.

But, we all do this.

Christians not only attempt to fit God into our own stories, but we often lack the self-awareness to realize that we sometimes have our stories wrong. We tend to place ourselves as the central characters of the Biblical narrative. We are David, facing the giant with our sling and stones. In the account of Jesus' arrest by Roman soldiers, we imagine ourselves to be the Messiah, persecuted and abused, but willing to sacrifice ourselves for others. Realistically (and statistically) we are more likely to be one of the frightened, faithless soldiers of Israel, hiding with his buddies behind a rock, hoping Goliath will be satisfied with just the one kill. We are probably more like the disciples who fled the scene as the soldiers approached to take Jesus away to His torture and death.

Skeptics are equally biased toward their own stories. Many non-believing philosophers and scientists either ignore Jesus altogether, or reduce Him to some metaphysical archetype; science, faith, and spirituality are not compatible.

We have our story, our own truths to defend, and we try to re-create God in our own image to justify our actions, to get what we want.

The fruit of the infatuation we have with our selves, coupled with our unwillingness to really know who God is through careful and more objective scholarship, is ultimately rotten: a pastor manipulates a church member, a geneticist casts aside professional ethics, a philosopher cultivates an idea that leads to genocide, a U.S. lawmaker publicly remarks that the church should run the state.

Why do we insist on our stories at the expense of The Story, God's Story? Perhaps because we suspect that if God's Story is real, then we might be responsible and accountable before Him. Denying personal responsibility before Absolute Truth is much more convenient for us than the alternative.

< A More Honest Approach >

So, what would it take to be more intellectually honest in our learning about who God is, and what purposes He has for us? What if we dared to get The Story straight?

Many have discounted the Bible as irrelevant or outdated. It's a book of ancient myths and fables and miracle stories. They believe the Bible is full of contradictions, and that the God of the Bible seems cruel and vengeful.

First, I challenge you to take a closer look at how the Bible came into being, and what God's purpose was in bringing about this book of books. Read about the 1,600-year span in which it was written. Learn about the 40 different authors, all from different walks of life, who wrote independently from one another, yet never contradicted one another in the central message and teachings of the Scripture.

Second, be open to explore the possibility that the Triune, Creator God is living, and that He might speak to you through His written Word. The Bible is a written record of God's self-revelation to us. If you are not opposed to prayer, simply ask God to help you understand the Bible more clearly, and to understand who He really is.

Third, read the Bible chronologically. This means that, in the Old Testament, you would begin with Genesis and Job. In the New Testament, you would begin with the Gospels, Acts and the book of James. As the canon of Scripture was put together, the books were not ordered chronologically, but resources may easily be found that list the 66 books in their chronological order.

Finally, as you dive into the study of the Bible, I hope you will use the best tools available to understand the clear meaning of what you read.

< Basics of Biblical Hermeneutics >

I would like to offer some basics of Biblical hermeneutics (interpretation) which I've found to be helpful. These are from the book, Knowing God's Word, by pastor, theologian, and author R.C. Sproul (1939-2017).

Let's look at what Sproul says about the major principles of interpretation, applications, and the influence of culture.

Major principles

1. The Analogy of Faith - The primary rule of hermeneutics is that Scripture is used to interpret Scripture. This principle keeps the whole Bible in view.
2. The Literal Sense of Scripture - What is the natural meaning? The clear, literal sense? This principle offers restraint from letting our imagination run away with us.
3. The Grammatico-Historical Method - Attention is focused on "grammatical constructions and historical contexts out of which the Scriptures were written." This focuses our attention on the original meaning of the text, keeping us on exegesis (drawing truth/meaning from the Scripture), not eisegesis (bringing meaning from the outside and putting in into the Scripture).
4. Source Criticism - By these methods you can isolate materials common to particular writers (Example: Mark was the first Gospel writer. Matthew and Luke have Mark's material available as they wrote). Knowing why an author writes what he writes helps us to understand what he writes.
5. Authorship and Dating

How do we apply these principles?

Rule 1: The Bible is to be read like any other book (it is not "magical").

Rule 2: Read the Bible existentially, ie., get passionately and personally involved in what we read.

Rule 3: Historical narratives are to be interpreted by the didactic (teaching) passages of Scripture.

Rule 4: The implicit is to be interpreted by the explicit.

Rule 5: Determine carefully the meaning of words (etymology, origins of words and word usage).

Rule 6: Note the presence of parallelisms in the Bible (note, for example, the Old Testament book of Proverbs).

Rule 7: Note the difference between proverb and law.

Rule 8: Observe the difference between the spirit and the letter of the law.

Rule 9: Be careful with parables (best practice: look for one, basic central point in each parable, not as "allegory").

Rule 10: Be careful with predictive prophecy (fore-telling) as opposed to prophecy that is simply the forth-telling of Biblical truth.

Sproul on the influence of culture

Another consideration Sproul highlights is culture and the Bible. For example, we should examine the Bible itself for apparent areas of custom, and also allow for Christian distinctives in the 1st Century. Is the nature of a Biblical mandate "custom," or "principle?" Is this Scripture portion prescriptive and directly applicable today, or descriptive of the context in which it was written?

Cultures and individuals within a culture might apply Scripture differently. As Sproul states, "Scripture has a unified meaning (one, clear meaning) but can have multiple, rich, varied applications."

< We're Still in God's Story >

Followers of Christ sometimes have different views on the meaning of certain passages in the Bible. As one theologian has rightly argued, Christians uphold the Bible as infallible and authoritative, not our personal interpretations of His Word. We acknowledge that some things remain a mystery to us, but these areas are few, and they provide believers ample opportunity to approach God's Word and each other with humility and patience. "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity" (Rupertus Meldenius).

For those of you who are skeptics, indifferent, searching, or feel that you may be on the way to faith: What you do with Christ is the most important decision of your life. The Creator God is patient. He is good and just, and He always does what is right. His kindness is what leads us to repentance. I hope and pray that you might accept His invitation to you to be a part of HIs Story.

Over the last few years, I've moved into the area of personnel training and development with an international company. I enjoy learning and following my curiosity.