Reading The Bible With Humility & Respect

Many people read the bible... many people study it... but few truly understand. MY purpose today is to explain how attitude can help or hinder a persons level of biblical understanding.

We must come to the bible with respect and humility.

Respect: 1) to admire a person or thing for it's abilities, qualities, achievements 2) positive feelings for something you consider important 3) politeness, honor, and care shown towards someone or something that is considered important.

Humility: 1) the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others; lack of pride. 2) Recognition of self in relation to a deity [YHWH the creator]

Without the right approach we may still be able to discern certain biblical truths on a limited level... but at the same time suffer huge blind spots with regard to God's revelation to us.

For example: some people latch on to "the Torah" and develop a reverence for God's commands but seem to miss out on God's plan of salvation and get caught up in Jewish traditions, whereas others, only want to talk about Jesus' on the cross but miss out on God's call to obedience and get caught up in human philosophies/traditions.

For more in-depth information request a copy this FREE study plan --> United Church of God's bible study course.

1. Pray For Understanding

Ask God to guide you and to show you His will. But why would the Creator of the universe take time to listen to, and answer you?

Revelation: a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way. The bible is information, concepts, truths you would not know if God had spelled them out for you in writing. Even when truth is spelled out in written instructions from the Creator you need His assistance to go beyond superficial understanding AND erroneous understanding.

God will do His part if you do your part.

a) Isaiah 66:2 God says "let Me tell you what kind of person I am going to pay attention to; a person who is humble and respectful towards my word".

b) Acts 10:34-35 God pays attention to people who DO. If God has revealed something rather simple to you such as the necessity of attending a holy convocation on the weekly Sabbath... but you refuse to do anything about it... why should He keep revealing more stuff to you? Why take you to step 2 if you won't do step 1?

So, act on what you know!

c) Luke 10:21-22 Jesus praised the Father for the way He chose whom He would give understanding. The quality of children worthy of praise is they are willing and eager to learn. Note: when kids have been shown how how to do something the next step is "no Daddy, I want to do it"... they want to learn how to do things themself.

Understanding is not a matter of applying intellect [human brain power or reading comprehension]. Understanding is a matter of heart/spirit... and an application of the proper attitude.

God Is Still The One Doing The Calling

God reserves the right to call and choose who He wills to. Sometimes He chooses the most unlikely people. However, that doesn't mean you should just sit around in the waiting room until your number is called [and then God pours all knowledge into your empty brain]. You can cultivate [nurture] a proper approach and attitude towards God... and God say He pays attention.

Luke 24:44-45 it was not their brilliance with language at work, or their capacity for contemplating abstract thought. God had to open up their minds.

Remember that the resurrected, living Christ is actively involved  in your understanding of the bible.

2. Keep An Open Mind

When I hear anyone say anything like "be open minded" my defenses go up. When someone is trying to get young people to approve of drug use, perverted sex, you often hear phrases encouraging you to be open minded... think for yourself... don't knock it till you try it. So when you hear me say "keep an open mind" you might think "is he trying to trick me"? Am I being lured into accepting something you really shouldn't.

Fair enough, so lets keep our perimeters limited. In what areas am I advocating and open mind?

Be willing to admit when you are wrong - if you were of the opinion that the bible is just a collection of myths and fairly tales... and I could show you from, archaeology, historic tie-ins, fulfilled prophecy, and internal logic that the bible was actually quite different and unique from anything else on the planet... would you be willing to change your opinion?

Be willing to let go of human tradition or popular beliefs - if you were of the opinion that celebrating Christmas, Halloween, or the venerable day of the sun were pleasing to God... and I were to demonstrate from scripture that God instructs observing the seventh day Sabbath, and the 7 annual holy days... would you be willing to accept that these human traditions are not biblical, and not pleasing to God?

Now... what if we apply the principle to beliefs you hold about marriage, sexuality, human emotions, social interaction... are you still willing to change your opinions, change your behavior? Because the bible reaches out into all these areas of life.

Applying this principle/attitude moves you further down the road of cultivating a proper attitude toward the bible.

Why is it that the vast majority of people hang on to their human traditions, philosophies? Is it because the truth of the bible is only available to people who know Greek or Hebrew, who have studied ancient cultures or other stuff like that? No, the deep truths of the bible are open to anyone.

Matthew 18:3-4 be teachable, eager to learn. But more is expected. Parents might teach their child all about Santa Claus, and children eagerly accept it, but its not true. At some point they are going to start investigating the matter themselves and seek to prove or disprove.

Acts 17:10-12 the Bereans had the childlike eagerness and openness. They were willing to hear rather then instinctively reject.... [that's crazy, nobody believes like that]. But, they also didn't just follow whatever they heard. They took it in. Then, they checked it out for themselves.

To understand we need the attitude of the Bereans. Carefully review scripture and church teaching. Read the bible, compare it to the Churches teaching. Test it in this way and I am very confident you will be pleased with what you find.

Trust but verify [Russian proverb, used by Ronald Reagan] we are willing to believe you are telling the truth... but we are still going to check you out.

3. Humbly Seek Instruction & Correction

Digging in, finding out what the bible really says, acknowledging that the Church is faithfully transmitting that same truth is a good beginning. Just listening, merely accepting the premise as true is not enough. A teachable humble attitude hears the voice of correction and begins to make changes.

An attitude that is seeking God's help in prayer, that is open to change, leads to putting what you learn into practice. If you are praying; ask God to instruct and correct, ask God to show you the right path. Revelation: a surprising and previously unknown fact, which you wouldn't/couldn't know on your own.

Jeremiah 10:23-24 the truth is not in us, we need it shown to us. This is not just a principle for doctrine...we also learn the truth about our self.

Psalm 139:23-24 Ask God to show you

Your willingness to act on what is made known to you directly affects God's willingness to move forward with you and call you on to greater things, including a special place in the family of God.

So far we have mostly focused on matters related to humility. Let's talk more about respect.

4. Accept Inspiration of ALL The Bible

To get the full truth... you must recognize the authority of ALL the bible as your guide for life and source of hope, which is received from your creator 2 Timothy 3:18-17

Many people who profess to be followers of Christ reject the OT as offering any meaningful guidance. They view it as having been replaced by the NT. Good to have as a historical reference, a few lessons scattered here and there but not a go-to source.

A half truth is still a deception. Example: a man stumbles through the front door. His wife asks "are you drunk", he answers " I had a couple of beers with the guys"... what he doesn't say is that he also had 6 shots of tequila. His statement is true, but deceptive.

When NT personalities like; Paul, Timothy, Peter, Jesus taught from scripture they were using the Old Testament

The NT portion of the bible is in many ways is a commentary on, and an expansion of, the OT. The NT is built on the firm foundation of the OT. Furthermore, the NT does not make sense as a stand alone document.

5. Evidence of Inspiration

a) Consistency - the bible was composed over a long period of about 1,400-1,500 years. The bible has 40 known authors [plus other unknown editors]. Only a few of them ever me one another, or even lived at the same time.

They lived far apart in time. They worked in isolation. They probably didn't even realize or consider that what they were writing would later be what we now call "scripture". Yet, the power of God saw to it that these writings were preserved, compiled, and transmitted to us.

Human beings are simply not capable of pulling off a 1,500 year long project with the amazing consistency of the bible. Left to the ever changing human imagination contradictions in the basic principles would have completely overwhelmed the bible.

Example: the bible's teaching on the primacy of faith is consistent from beginning to end. Abel paid for his faith with his life. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets Jesus, the apostles, the church are an consistent exposition on faith.

Example: the bible's teaching on obedience is consistent. Genesis 26:5 Abraham was pleasing to God because he obeyed God's commandments, judgments, statutes. The bible ends with a call to obedience to God's commands Revelation 14:12. Jesus and all the apostles taught that instruction in righteousness is built on the foundation of the commandments.

B) History & Archaeology the bible has held up for centuries under withering criticism from historians, theologians, archaeologists. The more that comes to be known from archaeology the more the bible is shown to be an accurate representation of human history. Only about 1% of known archaeological sites have been excavated.

C) Fulfilled prophecy - a subject for another day

1 Peter 1:10-12 the spirit of God produces the unity of scripture over time

6. Our Beliefs Must Conform To Scripture

Just as the bible consistently conforms to its own principles, we too must conform both our thinking and our action to the bible.

2 Peter 3:14-16 even while the apostles were alive false teachers were twisting scripture to conform to human traditions and philosophies. How were false teachers twisting of scripture in Peter's own day... lawlessness. Teaching against the need to obey God's commandments.

After the apostles were dead and gone other human philosophies would be injected into what the world calls Christianity: the ancient belief in a trinity, the original lie of the immortality of the soul, the materialist fatalism re-labeled predestination.

What does Peter say? Gird up your loins and hang on to the truth.

Conclusion:

The bible is more than a book, more than a historic document, more than a cultural icon. The bible is God's communication to you, to all mankind. As such it demands you approach it with a proper attitude.

Humbly seek understanding [in both study and prayer]. Humbly be willing to admit error. Humbly  seek instruction and course correction. Respectfully accept the bible as the word of God. In respect and fear let it change the way you see reality, and how you behave.