Tuesday, February 09, 2016
When you argue that Scripture does not say what it means or mean what it says...
I don't think that any church leader sets out to take away from God's Word. But it does happen.
Not too long ago I posted about how we can end up adding to God's Word by insisting he said things that he did not say. It works the other way too. Here is how we end up taking away from God's Word by insisting he did not say things that he did say.
It starts by studying God's Word and applying principles and forming opinions based on your study of what Scripture says and means. But if not careful, your thoughtful interpretation and opinion can transform itself into a conviction that any verse does not seem to fit with your theological view does not really mean what it says.
Here are some danger signs that worry me about negating (taking away) from Scripture in order to fit my convictions.
When someone says one passage is more important than another. Unless God says it is more important (greatest commands, of first importance, etc), be very careful.
Using a passage to prove your point of view even if the passage does not say it applies to the position in question.
Proving the meaning of a passage by using only outside sources. In other words, "you would not understand this passage just by reading it, but if you knew all the appropriate context, culture, and linguistic studies of when it was written you would know it does not say what it seems to say."
When you are told you cannot possibly understand what a Scripture means unless a real scholar tells you what it means,
Or... you are reading the wrong scholar.
Here is why these kind of things bother me.
If I really believe them, then what is the point of my even trying to read and/or study my Bible? Just let the preacher (at least if he has been educated in theology) tell you what you should believe. And of course, that assumes there will be no changing of opinions by the scholars.
You may think I am against scholarship or theology. Quite the opposite. I really appreciate and gain much from the work of people smarter and more educated than me. but not at the expense of studying the word of God for myself. And certainly not to the point where I begin to wonder how God could be so unclear that only a scholar could possibly know what he meant.
I even have a degree in Bible. I even have a Master's degree.
But when we start explaining how Scripture cannot mean what it says unless interpreted for us then it seems very close to taking away from God's Word.
So we end up with opinions about salvation, Christian ethics, worship, and church organization that say the opposite of what Scripture says.
And I am afraid to do that.
Not too long ago I posted about how we can end up adding to God's Word by insisting he said things that he did not say. It works the other way too. Here is how we end up taking away from God's Word by insisting he did not say things that he did say.
It starts by studying God's Word and applying principles and forming opinions based on your study of what Scripture says and means. But if not careful, your thoughtful interpretation and opinion can transform itself into a conviction that any verse does not seem to fit with your theological view does not really mean what it says.
Here are some danger signs that worry me about negating (taking away) from Scripture in order to fit my convictions.
When someone says one passage is more important than another. Unless God says it is more important (greatest commands, of first importance, etc), be very careful.
Using a passage to prove your point of view even if the passage does not say it applies to the position in question.
Proving the meaning of a passage by using only outside sources. In other words, "you would not understand this passage just by reading it, but if you knew all the appropriate context, culture, and linguistic studies of when it was written you would know it does not say what it seems to say."
When you are told you cannot possibly understand what a Scripture means unless a real scholar tells you what it means,
Or... you are reading the wrong scholar.
Here is why these kind of things bother me.
If I really believe them, then what is the point of my even trying to read and/or study my Bible? Just let the preacher (at least if he has been educated in theology) tell you what you should believe. And of course, that assumes there will be no changing of opinions by the scholars.
You may think I am against scholarship or theology. Quite the opposite. I really appreciate and gain much from the work of people smarter and more educated than me. but not at the expense of studying the word of God for myself. And certainly not to the point where I begin to wonder how God could be so unclear that only a scholar could possibly know what he meant.
I even have a degree in Bible. I even have a Master's degree.
But when we start explaining how Scripture cannot mean what it says unless interpreted for us then it seems very close to taking away from God's Word.
So we end up with opinions about salvation, Christian ethics, worship, and church organization that say the opposite of what Scripture says.
And I am afraid to do that.
