How to Read, Examine, and Understand the Bible VI

Having gone this far, I should take time to ensure you know just how crooked and arrogant it is to try and superimpose your own interpretation upon God's Word, the Bible.  To read and examine God's Word with the intention of making it teach what you want it to teach, is to align your will with the devil's will. 

Satan was created by God, as an angel to worship God.  God named him Lucifer and he led heaven's angels in adoration of the Lord.  The Bible describes Lucifer as a beautifully adorned angel.  At some point, Lucifer made the horrific decision of being so enamored with himself that he led a rebellion against God.  He became jealous of the attention given to God and preferred to receive the adoration of heaven for himself.  One third of the angels of heaven followed Lucifer in the rebellion.  God judged them for their arrogant rebellion and cast them down to earth, hence they are called "fallen angels," having fallen from heaven to earth.  Lucifer's name was changed to Satan.  The New Testament frequently refers to fallen angels as demons.

There's a significant passage in the New Testament that immediately follows Jesus' 40 day fast.  The passage is significant for many reasons but in the context of today's brief teaching, these Scriptures illuminate Satan's pride and self-centered nature for us all to see.

During Jesus' journey in the wilderness, He encounters the Devil and He is tested by him three times.  In the second test, Satan uses a very wicked, yet wily technique.  Read the following passage and see if you can detect what the Devil tries to do...

5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU';
and
'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"

7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"  Matt 4:5-7  NASU

Do you see?  Satan quoted Scripture, not only out of context, but purposefully with the intent of making God's Word say what he wanted it to say, to advance his own agenda.  The Bible teaches us that Satan is wicked, deceitful, self-centered and arrogant.  It is of the highest order of arrogance to try and twist God's word around to agree with your personal agenda, rather than discover what His Word has to say about God's agenda.  Do not go down this well-worn path.  Much of the New Testament is devoted to confronting the erroneous teaching of false apostles and false teachers who tried to make God's Word fit their agenda.  Paul says such men are "accursed" and "condemned" (Gal 1:8,9).

Be careful not to fall prey to the temptation of twisting and turning God's Word around to back your agenda.  It is far better to simply discover God's intention and interpretation of His own Word.  The Lord had an understanding, a specific will and a plan in mind when He spoke the Word, and we are best served by discovering what He had in mind.  Remember, what's on God's mind is very much accessible to those who know the Lord, and listen to the Holy Spirit...

...the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God... 1 Cor 2:11-12  NASU

Until the next post...be blessed!

How to Read, Examine, and Understand the Bible V

Well, at this point, we are ready for Principle #2.  Principle #2 is "Use Simple Observation to Determine What is Present."  This begins with the simple...read, reread, and re-reread.  Again (from Principle #1), as you are reading, have an ear open to the voice of the Holy Spirit.  You will be amazed by what you gain in understanding by simply "camping out" in a passage in this way.

This kind of reading is very much like meditating.  The Biblical discipline of meditation is the least appreciated, most underutilized, but possibly the most important of all the disciplines encouraged in Scripture.  Biblical meditation is far different from the unfruitful discipline practiced by the middle eastern religions.  Rather than "emptying your mind," Biblical meditation is the practice of allowing your heart and mind to be filled by "chewing on" or "pondering on" God, His works, or a passage or a verse, much like a cow chews on its' cud.  A cow chews on the grass, swallows it, partially digests it, brings it up to the mouth and chews again on it...and repeats this action several times.  It's the necessary process for the cow to successfully digest food. 

The Hebrew word that is translated into meditation throughout the Old Testament refers to a second concept, as well.  One concept that this Hebrew word refers to is this process of chewing, but the second concept is one of muttering words under one's breath.  You'll see the connection between the mouth and meditation more clearly in the following passage...

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night..."  Josh 1:8  NASU

So, for all those who've been chided for talking to themselves...now, you've got a far better use of those moving lips, and far more rewarding.  Consider the attractive benefit guaranteed in the promise declared by God, at the end of the above Scripture...

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."  Josh 1:8  NASU

In my next post, I'll discuss the principle of "simple observation" a bit more...so, be sure and stay tuned to check it out!

How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible IV

Again, just as a reminder, as we delve deeper into this...the rest of these principles on growing in "How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible" are simply to assist us in hearing the Holy Spirit as we read God's Word, which is our first and foundational principle.

The rest of the principles address the "how to's" of Apostle Paul's fatherly exhortation to his spiritual son and protege, Timothy...

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."  2 Tim 2:15  NASU

Now, this exhortation is a clear instruction to Timothy that skimming over God's word is insufficient.  In fact, Paul relentlessly presses the point of a labor-intensive approach towards the word of God.  You cannot read this verse and come away persuaded that a lackadaisical effort of perusing the Bible will suffice.  Paul uses terms like "diligent...approved...a workman...accurately handling" to describe his expectation of his son, Timothy, in regards to examining the Scriptures.  By listening in to Paul's fatherly counsel, we should be getting a sense that the Holy Spirit is leading us to take a painstaking approach to God's word, as well.  Let me ask you...is this how you are approaching the word of God?

The word of God is clear...diligent people will prosper (Prov 10:4), rule (Prov 12:24), have an abundance (Prov 13:4), and have an advantage (Prov 21:5).  The opposite of diligence is laziness.  Scripture says that the lazy will be poor (Prov 10:4; Prov 21:5), be enslaved (Prov 12:24), and receive nothing (Prov 13:4).

Let us be children of the King...a people who prosper, rule, have an abundance, and have the advantage.  Let us be a diligent people...ambassadors of a diligent Kingdom...diligent in our workman-like attitude towards examining the Word of God.  The Spirit of God is already working this in you (Philippians 2:13)...it's as simple as surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit in your inner man.

Do you have a question about life?  Do you wonder how to parent or relate with your spouse?  Would you like to know how to handle the finances that God has blessed you with?  Would you like favor with your neighbors or a promotion at work?  How about, would you like to know who God is and who you are?  All these answers, and more, are found in the Bible.  Life-changing, destiny-changing, world-changing wisdom is deep in God's word.  It's just sitting there waiting to be mined.  It simply takes someone who will listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as he digs, and digs, and digs until the treasures of God's wisdom are found.

How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible III

Heading into our first principle of reading and examining Spirit-breathed Scripture in such a way that we are assured of understanding the "spiritual words" that we read, it is essential that we embrace the following declaration from Apostle Paul...

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God...he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Cor 2:14 NASU

It's absolutely a prerequisite for us to understand God's Word, that you and I are sold on this truth.  We must embrace wholeheartedly, without reservation, that God's Word is spiritual and the natural man doesn't have the first clue about it.  The natural man can read, reread, re-reread, and read again the Scriptures and still not gain any understanding of what he reads.  The natural man can meditate on the Word and be found just as dumbfounded about it as a 2 year old child.  The natural man can study the Word and still be as perplexed as a monkey about the intention of the Writer of the Scriptures.  The natural man can pray as he reads the Word and still be as confused as a lion paralyzed by the 3-legs of a lion-tamers stool.

Embracing this weakness of the natural man is called humility.  It cuts directly against the arrogance of the flesh, but agrees one hundred percent with the Spirit's position on understanding His Word.  The flesh is in opposition to the Spirit (Rom 8:7), disagreeing with the Spirit of God along every point of our journey.  But, humility is the position to receive grace (James 4:6).  You and I can't receive grace-given unless we are humble in our heart.  God gives grace, only to the humble, but, to the proud He does not give grace, but rather, He resists them (1 Peter 5:5).

So, now you might say, "Ok, I can't understand God's word, but God fully expects me to understand God's word (Mark 12:24)...where do I go from here?"  Where you go is...to depend completely on the Holy Spirit to give you understanding, to illuminate the Word to you, to teach you and give you understanding of His words.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things... John 14:26 NASU

This Scripture leads us directly to Principle #1...

Listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit as You Read God's Word

Every other principle that I'll share in later posts about gaining understanding of God's word, has one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to put us in the best position to hear clearly the voice of the Holy Spirit teaching us about His own words.

If you want to understand God's thoughts, the Holy Spirit must teach them to you because He's the only One that knows God's thoughts...

"...the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God."  1 Cor 2:11 NASU

So, as you read the Bible, be sure to ask, believing for, the Holy Spirit to teach you.  Let me assure you, if you ask, believing and not doubting, for the Holy Spirit to teach you His word, He will do just that.  Just be sure to listen to His voice as you read.  He has never, never let me down...nor has the Holy Spirit disappointed any man throughout history regarding this principle.  Stay tuned for additional tips on understanding God's word!

How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible II

I'm challenged in my own walk by the "in your face" words of Jesus and Apostle Paul as they "got up in the grill" of people who apparently didn't read (or listen to) the Scriptures, or didn't understand what they were reading/hearing.  Listen to these prodding questions...

Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?" Mark 12:24 NASU

"Have you not even read this Scripture:..." Mark 12:10 NASU

Rom 11:2 Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah... Rom 11:2 NASU

How important is it to you (1) to read God's word and (2) to understand what you are reading?  Both Jesus and Paul believed that people should take reading and understanding God's word, very seriously.  Why?  Why was this so important to Jesus and Paul, that they actually confronted people about their lackadaisical approach to handling the word?

One of many passages in the Bible that God has used to transform my life was the account of the Jesus and His disciples visiting Mary and Martha's house (Luke 10:38-42).  Martha is running around like a mad woman, trying to get a meal and the house ready for company while Mary is sitting down at Jesus' feet, just listening to every word that falls from His lips.  Martha gets quite irate with her sister...probably thinking that Mary is trying to get out of doing some housework.  So, Martha pleads with Jesus to get Mary off her duff, so that she can lighten the load.  But, Jesus tells Martha that she's not seeing things in the right perspective.  In fact, He describes what Mary's doing...sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to His voice...as the "one thing...necessary."  Imagine that!  There is "one thing...necessary" in our daily walk, and that "one thing" is to sit "at the Lord's feet and" listen "to His word."

In other passages in the New Testament, we are admonished to "walk by the Spirit," to be "led by the Spirit," and so on.  We are exhorted to "pray at all times."  These are passages that give us guidance on how to live our lives.  We are to live daily by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and walking in His counsel, His leading. 

The newbie to the faith might ask, "How can I tell what the Holy Spirit's voice sounds like?  Or, which voice is the Holy Spirit?"  Well, that's what makes reading and understanding God's word so significant to our lives.  See, the Holy Spirit will never give counsel that is contrary to the word of God, because "all Scripture is God-breathed" and God isn't confused or schizophrenic.  The Bible says that He is "the same yesterday, today and forever."  What the Holy Spirit said to the authors of the Bible, He is still saying today!

So, reading and understanding the Bible help us to discern the voice of God in our hearts.  Can you see now, just how important reading and understanding God's word is to your life?  Can you see why Jesus and Paul put such a serious tone to the necessity of spending time in the word?  Can you see why it could be so very important for you to learn how to read, examine and understand God's word?  Good, stay tuned!

How to Read, Examine, and Understand the Bible

In a 2008 Barna survey of 1,871 adults who described themselves as Christian, these troubling worldviews were uncovered:

"Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.”

"Although a core teaching of the Christian faith is the divinity and perfection of Jesus Christ, tens of millions of Christians do not accept that teaching."

"Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is 'a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity.'”

This is frustrating because it proves that a significant percentage of those who describe themselves as Christians (1) are not reading their Bible, and/or (2) do not know how to read the Bible in a way that results in them understanding God's Word.

How can a nation live their lives as God's Word directs, if many in the body of Christ do not read the Bible, or do not understand what they are reading?

I've met a significant number of Christians that are convinced that having their own personal interpretation of God's Word is permissible, even endorsed.  This dangerous position has been the result of a significant number of those not grounded in God's Word, yet claiming to be Christians, having yielded to the forceful, postmodern voices demanding that truth is relative, and not absolute.

Centuries ago, in Egypt, Pharaoh had two dreams.  The dreams were from God.  God had chosen to speak to Pharaoh through these dreams, but Pharaoh didn't know the Lord and he didn't have the interpretation of the dreams.  Joseph was brought before Pharaoh to hear an account of the dreams, that they might be interpreted correctly.  Joseph made it rather clear that it wasn't for him to interpret the dreams.  Listen to Joseph's sage counsel...

'Do not interpretations belong to God?'  Gen 40:8  NASU

Joseph understood something that we should all understand.  He understood that God's word was not to be interpreted by man.  Joseph understand that God was the only One qualified to interpret His own word.  Man's responsibility is not to interpret the Word of God, but rather to discover God's interpretation of His own Word.

In some upcoming posts to this blog, I'll be sharing some principles and tips on how to discover God's interpretation of His Word.  Stay tuned!