Scriptures

https://odb.org/MY/2021/09/02/the-bigger-picture

I think the foundation to reading the bible and deriving maximum benefit from it is to believe that it is THE WORD OF GOD. That I believe is fundamental. Every word, every passage, every paragraph is true. Even though it is written by men, it is inspired by God. Not dictated by God like to a secretary in verbatim but written using our human understanding, our natural talents, our writing skills as prompted by the Holy Spirit but coloured by the cultural and literal context existing at the time of writing, where certain words may convey a meaning that is different as used today. God always works within the confines and rules of the natural world He created. That is why to save humankind from damnation, He had to send His Son into the world as a man that we may see and witness an example of how we could be – as a perfect sinless human. The same way the Law had dictated that the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb is required for the atonement of sin, the Lamb of God was sacrificed on the cross to redeem mankind from sin.

The second principle that I believe in when reading the bible is that there are things that I may not understand but that doesn’t mean it is not true. Perhaps someone has found the truth but I haven’t read it yet. Or perhaps one day someone will find the truth on that passage. The point is that the mysteries of the Kingdom may not be fully revealed now but I believe God will reveal them to us one by one, by His grace and mercy in His time.

The third thing I hold on to when reading the bible is that if that passage is His Word, then there must be a reason for it to be there. 3 persons may see a situation and literally describe it differently with distinct emphasis and highlights of similar facts. The version that made it as Scripture is God’s will and thus there must be a reason for that version to be there, perhaps as a lesson to us in the future? For example, the feeding by Jesus of the 5,000 and the 4,000 – just because two incidents of such miracles are recorded in the Gospel doesn’t mean Jesus only did that twice in His entire 3-year ministry. It just means that God wanted to only highlight these two specific ones. The same thing about Jesus’s healings. There were times when He healed the whole town but only a few healing events are recorded in the Gospels. There would have been many interactions between Adam and Eve with God in Eden but only those recorded are the ones God wanted us to remember and learn from.

The final principle that I hold on to when reading the bible is to look for the Rhema Word that would be applicable in my present context, in my current situation. That is why the Word is a living Word because our God us a living God! Amen! It has the meaning as it was written (Logos) but it can have a meaning for us right now at this present moment. God speaks to us through His Word as the our Lord Jesus Christ is the Word and He was with God at the beginning (John 1:1).

Read the Bible, don’t ever give up. Research the things we don’t understand but persevere on even if we can’t find the answers. The bible is the best and the unfailable way of knowing God personally and in a deeper way. Don’t rely entirely on our experiences. Check everything against the Word. I wish you all the best as you explore His Word more and more each day of your life! See Psalm Chapter 1 Verse 2!