If you’ve read this blog for a little bit you might be noticing that I read the Bible a little differently then you might be used to. I see things in a way that many people don’t. But there is a method to my madness. It may not be the method that you are used to people using but I believe it is biblical and it is right.
I recognize the authority of scripture and I read it almost daily. But in studying it i have discovered some important things about the way it works. It’s not a how to book. It’s not a car manual. Think of this you’re car breaks down and so you go to the car manual and look up “where are my spark plugs” and under How do I locate my spark plugs you find “A Story!” It start’s with a mechanic walking along the road. What would this tell you about the book you hold in you’re hands. It’s not a How To Book. It’s something different. Something that needs to be approached differently. Well the same is true with the Bible when people came to ask to Jesus “who is my neighbor.” Jesus didn’t just define it as the “guy who lives next to you.” or “anyone in need” He told a story. A story that reaches to the heart of who we are as people.
1. I try and read it as the bible was meant to be read (I look for images – how propositions are expressed in tangible stories).
2. I read in context (Whole to Part to Part to Whole)
3. I read the bible as story and literature before I arrive at doctrine.
4. I allow myself to see contradictions – wait what. The bible doesn’t contradict itself. Ya I allow my eyes to see the problems inherent in scripture. I allow myself to wrestle with these questions before I seek for reconciliation.
5. I don’t look at the Bible as a “How to Book” – I look at the Bible as the language of images my world view.
6. I don’t read the Bible as a book of facts but rather of experiences and images meant to shape my life.
7. I expect to find things beneath the surface. Things that aren’t explicitly stated are still truth none the less. Here the irony and the innuendo. See the symbols and the allusions.
8. I read the bible in faith. I mix it with a heart that wants to hear and see all that scripture says. To be transformed by the hearing of the word.
