Wednesday, May 23, 2018
What the Bible says and what the Bible means...
"Well, we just read the Bible differently."
I often hear this statement when people do not agree on what the Bible means. Or course, this statement is not correct. We all read the Bible the same. The problem is how we view what we read.
I do believe Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And I believe the Holy Spirit was active in preserving Scripture as the early Christians came to consensus about what constituted the Bible. And I do believe that Scripture was written at a certain time to a certain people in a certain context. But...
"It is cultural."
That is the phrase often used to talk about the audience, setting, and situation of different passages.I do believe that Scripture was written at a certain time to a certain people in a certain context. But...
the real question should be: is the teaching specific just to then and there? Or does it have meaning for here and now?
You hear this discussion quite a bit these days concerning women's role in the church. And I Timothy 2 is one of the passages I hear discussed as to whether it is cultural.
The reading is clear. Paul speaks to the authority and leadership of men.
But does that mean male authority is a principle just for the church in Ephesus almost 2000 years ago? Or does that principle apply to the church today?
Paul makes two statements that certainly seem to make it broader than just a local principle for a certain time and place. He says this principle is based on creation and the fall. Adam created first. Eve sinned first. Those concepts are much bigger than Ephesus and whatever was going on there.
Clearly that church had problems. There are some men causing problems. And there are some women causing problems. Some would argue that Paul's teaching is just because of that local situation. Except that when Paul writes about male authority, he is clear that this is a fundamental truth starting from creation and the fall.
But doesn't Paul say "I" when talking about this? Yes he does. And then explains his reasoning. And that reasoning is not cultural only. I suppose you could argue that Paul is incorrect in his theology and the Holy Spirit decided to let that error pass. But that is an argument that opens up all of Scripture to debate whether the Biblical writers were correct or not. And that assumes we are certainly correct when questioning them. I cannot read the Bible that way.
So I am very careful about the "cultural" argument when the very passage contains teaching that shows it is more than just then and there.
It is obvious that I believe Scripture clearly teaches male authority and leadership. And I agree that that principle has been abused sometimes. And we have been wildly inconsistent on what authority and leadership actually means.
But that does not change the principle.
So I listen to Christians debating the topic of women's role and what I Timothy means. And I see many churches dividing over it. But I think the division is bigger than this one topic. I think the debate is over how we view Scripture. Not how we read Scripture, but what it means.
Women's role is one issue. There will be others. There are others.
You may agree with how I see Scripture. You may disagree. But as someone who uses Scripture to teach non-believers, and uses Scripture to do spiritual counseling ... I have to be true to my conviction about what the Bible means.
It is what God expects of me.
And of you.
I often hear this statement when people do not agree on what the Bible means. Or course, this statement is not correct. We all read the Bible the same. The problem is how we view what we read.
I do believe Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And I believe the Holy Spirit was active in preserving Scripture as the early Christians came to consensus about what constituted the Bible. And I do believe that Scripture was written at a certain time to a certain people in a certain context. But...
"It is cultural."
That is the phrase often used to talk about the audience, setting, and situation of different passages.I do believe that Scripture was written at a certain time to a certain people in a certain context. But...
the real question should be: is the teaching specific just to then and there? Or does it have meaning for here and now?
You hear this discussion quite a bit these days concerning women's role in the church. And I Timothy 2 is one of the passages I hear discussed as to whether it is cultural.
The reading is clear. Paul speaks to the authority and leadership of men.
But does that mean male authority is a principle just for the church in Ephesus almost 2000 years ago? Or does that principle apply to the church today?
Paul makes two statements that certainly seem to make it broader than just a local principle for a certain time and place. He says this principle is based on creation and the fall. Adam created first. Eve sinned first. Those concepts are much bigger than Ephesus and whatever was going on there.
Clearly that church had problems. There are some men causing problems. And there are some women causing problems. Some would argue that Paul's teaching is just because of that local situation. Except that when Paul writes about male authority, he is clear that this is a fundamental truth starting from creation and the fall.
But doesn't Paul say "I" when talking about this? Yes he does. And then explains his reasoning. And that reasoning is not cultural only. I suppose you could argue that Paul is incorrect in his theology and the Holy Spirit decided to let that error pass. But that is an argument that opens up all of Scripture to debate whether the Biblical writers were correct or not. And that assumes we are certainly correct when questioning them. I cannot read the Bible that way.
So I am very careful about the "cultural" argument when the very passage contains teaching that shows it is more than just then and there.
It is obvious that I believe Scripture clearly teaches male authority and leadership. And I agree that that principle has been abused sometimes. And we have been wildly inconsistent on what authority and leadership actually means.
But that does not change the principle.
So I listen to Christians debating the topic of women's role and what I Timothy means. And I see many churches dividing over it. But I think the division is bigger than this one topic. I think the debate is over how we view Scripture. Not how we read Scripture, but what it means.
Women's role is one issue. There will be others. There are others.
You may agree with how I see Scripture. You may disagree. But as someone who uses Scripture to teach non-believers, and uses Scripture to do spiritual counseling ... I have to be true to my conviction about what the Bible means.
It is what God expects of me.
And of you.
