The Reminder
Volume XXXVII, #17: Four Tips to Help You Better Understand Your Bible (pt.1)
4 Tips to Help You Better Understand the Bible
(Part 1 of 2) By: Wes McAdams
Editors Note: This article is taken from a website called Radically Christian (www.radicallychristian.com). Because of its length, I have broken it up into two parts. The first tip is found here, and the other three will be in next week’s bulletin. I hope you find this article as helpful for your bible reading and study.
There are three basic parts to bible study: observation, interpretation, and application. In other words, when we read a passage, we should ask: What does it say (observation)? What does it mean (interpretation)? What difference does it make in my life (application)? Understanding what the Bible means and how it applies to our lives is often not as simple as it sounds, so here are four tips to help you as you strive to better understand the Bible.
1. Clothe Yourself in Humility
If someone comes up to me and says, “Wes, I need to tell you about something your son did,” I’m already biased about whatever they are going to say. I cannot be completely objective when it comes to my sons. But in humility, I can recognize my bias and determine that I will not let my bias get in the way of hearing and understanding what is being said.
We need to do the same when it comes to reading the Bible. We need to recognize that we are all biased. None of us are completely objective. We must determine, therefore, not to let our biases cloud our judgement. We need to be aware of things like these:
‣ Cultural Baggage: When I read the text, I need to admit to myself that my culture often clouds my judgement. I need to strive to put my cultural biases aside and try to read the text like the original audience, rather than a twenty-first century American. It is going to take a lot of humility to say, “My way of seeing the world is not the only way to see the world.” And ask, “Am I limiting what this text can mean because I’m viewing it through modern eyes?”
‣ Familiarity and Pre-Understanding: When we read the Bible, most of us are already familiar with many of the biblical characters, themes, concepts, words, and ideas. This can be great and it can also present a challenge. If we are are going to grow in our understanding, we must admit that we might have the wrong understanding about certain things in the Bible. We have to try to approach the Bible, each time, with fresh eyes. We have to ask, “If this was the first time I was reading this, what would I think this means?”
‣ Agenda: We often have an agenda when we approach Scripture. We are trying to prove a point or answer a question. The problem is, we may not be asking the same questions the original audience was asking. We need to be aware of our agenda. We need to ask ourselves, “Is this passage really addressing the issue I have or the question I am asking? Am I really being fair with this passage?”
- 20170423_Reminder_xxxvii_17.pdf (101.04 kB)
