As you are learning to read the Bible, your notes, research,
observations, and conclusions won’t always be perfect. That’s just part of
being human Continue to read, continue to talk with other believers about what
they are learning. God will be faithful to illuminate His revealed Word to you,
but you must study it for Him to be able to do so. It’s not hard to find
a Christian who is taking a verse or passage of the Bible out
of context.
Misreading the Bible can lead to damaging effects: cults, trauma, and spiritual abuse. It’s so important to know
what the Bible says, and understand
God’s will for us. Are you reading the Bible correctly? Should I read everything in the Bible
as literal or figurative? What’s the point of reading the poetry in the Bible?
Why does it matter who wrote the books of the Bible?These are just some questions that both new believers and veterans face all the time. And they’re important questions. The Bible is a supernatural book that can bring power into our lives. As you are learning to read the Bible, there are several common pitfalls that people easily fall into, and being aware of them will help you to guard against them as you seek to learn truth:
1.
Do not apply Old Testament law to your life
and fail to understand that you live in the new covenant of grace- God is not operating
in the anger and judgment that came with the law. Because of the cross, He
deals differently with us now. Interpreting
the New Testament through the lens of the Old when it should be the other way
around. Jesus is the “express image” of God (Hebrews 1:3).
That means that He and His Words best represent God. If there seem to be
conflicting ideas between the Testaments, the New Testament should prevail.
2.
Don’t focusing more on the things you don’t
understand-It’s good to wrestle with hard passages, and
sometimes great revelation comes. Don’t get stuck. If you don’t understand
something now, you may later. Don’t stumble. If something doesn’t make sense,
move on to what does make sense. Don’t give up. Much of the Bible is hard to read, but much of it is
also easy. Move on to what you can handle.
3.
Don’t read the Bible without a plan-Don’t just take a
page from a devotion book. Read through entire books of the Bible, progressing at three or four chapters
a day if possible. This way, you will begin to understand the context and the
bigger picture of the Bible. Devotion
books are fine, but they shouldn’t be your main source of spiritual nourishment.
It’s a good idea to read a chapter or two in both the Old and New Testaments
daily. You could work through Genesis while working through the Gospel of
Matthew. Read the Bible with
a sense of expectation and faith that the Lord will speak to you through
it. Mix your faith with the Bible and success will come.
4.
Don’t read the Bible without taking it
personally-When it says, “Grace and peace to you,” take
it personally and thank God. It was written to others, but it applies to you as
well. When it speaks of God’s love, believe it. When you see an encouraging
promise, take it and say, “That’s mine.”Don’t
read the Bible more to build up a set of proof texts or to confirm a
creed than to find out what you can use to draw closer to God. There
are scholars who quote the Bible, but
don’t know God. Read devotionally, with prayer and worship. The goal is to know
Him through it.
5.
Don’t reading the Bible too fast-The Bible is a supernatural book and not a
novel. It requires your deliberate attention. Search for meaning in it as you
would for gold. Meditation is the process of going over a text and thinking
about it repeatedly. What did it mean in its original context? How does it
apply today? What does it teach about God or man? How might I worship God
because of what I’ve read?
6.
Don’t try too hard to make everything fit
into a rigid system of theology- Certain scriptures
will come up that challenge your theology. Sometimes you will be able to
understand how it fits, but other times you won’t. Resist the temptation to
twist the scripture to mean something it doesn’t. Understand that God is bigger
than our theological boxes that try to contain Him. Learn how to be free
and say, “I don’t understand how this fits.
“Ultimately I think the difference between reading the Bible and studying it is making the connections between who Jesus is and what he's done.” (Mark Driscoll)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“10 Mistakes to Avoid When Reading the Bible” by Rick S. Bell
·
“5 Mistakes People Make When
Reading the Bible” by Mike Query
·
“8 Mistakes People Make When Reading the
Bible—and How to Avoid Them” by Rose Publishing
·
“Learning
To Read The Bible: 5 Common Mistakes To Avoid” by Emily Kurz
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