Have you ever found the Bible to be challenging to read or understand? If so, you’re certainly not alone. The Bible can be a complex piece of literature, and sometimes it can feel like the words on the page don’t make sense. But if the Bible is also supposed to be a love letter from God to us, why is it so difficult to comprehend? To answer this question, we need to explore some beginning principles for studying the Bible, which is a practice known as hermeneutics. By delving into these principles and learning how to interpret the Bible correctly, we can gain a greater understanding of God’s message and his love for us.
Beginning Principles for Studying the Bible
Hermeneutics is all about understanding and explaining written or spoken communication. For Christians, it’s about understanding the many different types of writing in the Bible and how they relate to the culture, politics, and economy of the time they were written in.
The Bible has stories, poetry, prophecy, and more. Interpreting it correctly means knowing all of those contexts and what the writers intended to say. Hermeneutics considers how the writers wrote and what they meant, so that Christians can get a good idea of what God teaches and how to know Him better.
Your personal hermeneutic
Did you know that every one of us has a personal way of interpreting the Bible, which is called our own personal hermeneutic?
We all come to the Bible with certain expectations and what we look for depends on our training, emotions, the amount of practice we have in Bible study, recent social media posts on that topic/passage, what our favorite Bible teacher says, what our mom taught us growing up, abusive teachers, commentaries, our logic and reading comprehension skills, and our worldview. All of these factors influence our personal hermeneutic in ways that we are unaware of.
The goal of this post and the following series is to help you understand how you approach the Bible and possible assumptions that could be hindering your understanding.
Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to do an overview of the hermeneutical method that is used for content here at We Who Thirst. This survey will not be complete, but we will walk through the general framework that is used for thinking about the Bible and its interpretation. The hope is that you will examine your own hermeneutics and clarify where you stand so that you can study scripture well.
In this series, we will discuss:
- Beginning Principles for Studying the Bible (Part 1)
- Bible Study Method (Part 2)
- Our Hermeneutical process (Part 3 – coming soon)
But first, let’s get back to your question: If the Bible is also supposed to be a love letter from God to us, why is it so difficult to comprehend?
Many people find the Bible hard to understand, because they believe it’s supposed to be a love-letter from God to us. They struggle to see how the foreign concepts, stories, and commands mean anything to their lives.
But is it? Is the Bible God’s love letter to us?
Beginning principles for studying the Bible #1: The Bible is not God's love letter to you.
The God of the universe loves you more than you can imagine.
However, contrary to what you may have been taught in evangelical youth groups. However, the Bible is not a love letter proclaiming God’s devotion to you.
God’s love for you is found throughout scripture. He had scripture recorded for your benefit, discipline, and encouragement, but those things are not its primary purpose.
The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself. As revelation, the Bible’s primary aim is to showcase God, not our belovedness. (Though God loves perfectly, therefore we are completely beloved.)
Scripture is not a means by which we learn how much God is enthralled by us, but instead we are transformed by how much we are enthralled by God.
Listen to the Her God Speaks podcast for more on this topic:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Principle #2: The Bible was not written to you.
Although the God of the Universe intended for you to read and engage with scripture, the Bible is not written TO you. God intended the Bible to be read by you as well as people from all nations, in different languages, and throughout all centuries.
However, the Bible was written TO people groups in different times and places from us, who spoke languages that we are not familiar with. Those who wrote the Bible had different values and purposes in writing than we would.
When we approach the scriptures, we should not place ourselves at the center of the storyline. Instead, we should look for God in the center. This will involve seeking to know and understand the authors of the text and original audiences to whom the Bible was written.
When we assume the Bible is written mainly for us and interpret the text solely using our modern ideals and worldview, we risk misinterpreting God’s message. We need to understand what God was communicating to the original audience because that message matters today.
God inspired scripture with us in mind, but His communication was crafted for a specific time and place, with a particular audience and specific needs
Principle #3: Consider Authorial Intent
As you study Scripture, you are looking to determine what the authors of that passage were intending to say. Scripture cannot mean something other than what either the Divine Author or the Human Author of a passage was intending.
We must not read our own meaning or bias into the text. We cannot decide the meaning of a passage simply because that meaning resonates with us or feels good.
Instead, we seek our the author’s purpose and meaning in that passage. After we do our (imperfect) best to determine the author’s intended meaning, we can apply that truth and respond.
Consider the genre used by the author.
Literary Genre (or type of literature) is a necessary aid in our search for Authorial Intent. As God inspired the human authors of scripture, they chose methods and literary devices that made the most sense in their cultural context in order to accurately communicate God’s truth to their audience.
Each type of literature uses different literary devices, and are to be understood accordingly.
We instinctively know to read “History of the Americas Level 1” differently from “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” and “The New York Times,” which we also read differently from “Various Poems” by Emily Dickenson or a play like “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde.
Likewise, Scripture has various genres. Our interpretation relies on an accurate understanding of each type of Biblical literature.
Principle #4: Study the Bible carefully and meditatively
So, if the Bible is not God’s love letter written to us – and we shouldn’t just assume every part of it applies directly to us . . . Then how do we interpret the Bible? Is there a way to help difficult passages make sense?
We start by slowing down. You do not have to have an application point, a truth, or a feeling every time you read the Bible.
Studying the Bible is like mining for diamonds – not shopping at the mall. We don’t get to just pick up the first sparkly thing that we see. We carefully, slowly work our way deeper into the text asking the Spirit to reveal Himself.
And as we work – we pause – allow the Spirit to weave the text into the very fabric of our souls. We take what we’re seeing (whether or not we understand), and we chew on it, ruminating over various aspects and questions.
Our goal is not to conquer the text – and understand every part of it. Our goal is to Know God. Which means, sometimes our questions will be left unanswered – for now. (and this is ok!)
Using tools like Inductive Bible Study Method (next blog post) will help us glean more understanding. But ultimately, we need the Holy Spirit to illuminate the text of scripture to us, revealing God Himself to our hearts.
Principle #5: Bible study must be accompanied by prayer.
Anyone can use their preferred Bible study method and get insights from the text.
However, only the Spirit of God can use the Word of God to transform our hearts and minds, waking up the sleeping places of our souls so that we love Him.
Pray through the passage. Ask Him for wisdom and to open your eyes. Let the Spirit guide you and watch Him bring the very points to your attention that you need.
God wants you to know Him. He will meet you in your study – even though that may not look anything like you expect.
