Reading and Understanding the Scriptures

Suppose our purpose in reading the the Scriptures was to truly learn more about the God who gave them, rather than trying to assert more about what He meant by the Scriptures based on the latest and greatest scholarship. Would it not help us resolve many of our differences or at least enable us to approach our differences with greater humility? (Matthew 11:27-29; 16:17; Galatians 1:15-16, see also vv. 6-12).

People who think they can and must make the Scriptures relevant are drinking from their own hubris. Too often they imagine they have thought of something no one else ever has! It is the epitome of hubris to think we can and must make the Bible relevant. We must learn the basic and most fundamental of all truths when preaching the gospel; namely, the Bible IS relevant because the God who gave it IS relevant, real and the basis for ALL reality. We don't make the Scriptures relevant. The Scriptures are relevant because God who gave the Scriptures is relevant -- end of sentence!

I am quickly put off by Bible class teachers whose first question after reading a text of scriptures is: "What is this passage saying to you?" A far better question is, "what is this telling us about God?" It is God with whom we have to do and not how someone feels about the scriptures. There is a growing lack of confidence in the Scriptures because we have forgotten where they came from and with whom they have to do.

I am not opposed to reading or quoting scholarship! What I am opposed to is using scholarship as a substitute for our own thinking with regard to the scriptures. I am paraphrasing because I cannot find the exact quote from Everett Ferguson, a scholar on the First Century, (help me if you know where it is) who said something to the effect that with regard to the New Testament, we stand where second century Christians stood, with the exception of time and geographical location. That is, we are looking at the New Testament and reading it trying to understand what those who went before us did to know and please God. In the words of the late and beloved Robert Turner, "The revelation God gave is suited the man God made."