I am a Bible nerd. In my defense, I come by it naturally. My dad was a pastor for several years. Not surprisingly, I grew up in the church. I knew the books of the Bible by the time I was four. As a child, I participated in Bible trivia, Bible Bowls, who can find the passage first competitions, all kinds of Bible nerdiness. I liked it too, so much so that I studied Bible and Theology in college and (because I’m a glutton for punishment) went to grad school and got a master’s degree in Bible.
You would think that all that time reading the Bible and studying it would mean I’m a step above other Christians. You might think that, but you would be wrong. I’ve learned that knowing a lot about the Bible doesn’t mean that you actually know a lot about God. It also doesn’t make it any easier to follow God. In fact, sometimes that heady Bible knowledge can get in the way.
Those Who Think They Know Often Miss the Point
That’s the message that Jesus gives the religious leaders in his day in John 5:36-40. The religious leaders in his day were even bigger Bible nerds than I am. They had devoted their lives to learning, memorizing, and interpreting the Scriptures. Despite this, Jesus says they were missing the point.
All of the Scriptures point towards Jesus and his work and the fact that he was sent from God. Despite that, the religious leaders couldn’t see it. They saw Jesus as a threat to their own power and authority and the version of God they had created in their minds. While they searched the Scriptures looking for hints of what the Messiah would be like and when he would come, they couldn’t see the Messiah when he was right in front of their eyes.
Ways We Misuse the Bible
We often do similar things today. While we may not be looking for a Messiah, there are many ways that we can misuse the Scriptures.
The Bible Doesn’t Tell Us Who to Vote for or How to Run a Government.
When the Bible was written, the political climate was completely different than it is today. People were ruled by kings and emperors and normal people had very little say in their form of government. Because of this, the Bible doesn’t give us much explicit advice on politics. The only thing the Bible is clear on politically is that we should respect and pray for our leaders (Romans 13).
Despite not talking about politics specifically, the principles in the Bible can demonstrate things we should strive for in our society (justice, love, etc.). However, they’re often not very useful when it comes to developing actual policy or knowing whether to vote for or against a particular candidate.
For example, the Bible tells us that we should care for the poor, orphans, and widows. However, it doesn’t tell us the best way to do this. Good Christians can disagree on whether the best way to fulfill this mandate is through government programs, private citizens, nonprofits, or some combination of the three. The Bible doesn’t give a hard and fast answer. Anyone who looks at the Bible as a clear voting guide is bound to be disappointed.
The Bible Is Not a Weapon.
We should never use Scripture to attack people. Yes, the Word of God is called a sword in Ephesians 6:17, but it’s a spiritual sword to be used against spiritual attacks. It’s not something we pull out and beat people over the head with to prove that they’re wrong. There may be times when we can lovingly point fellow believers towards certain Scriptures to remind them of their identity in Christ and how they’ve been called to live, but we should never attack unbelievers with Scripture and expect that to be effective. In everything we do, we should be guided by love and grace.
The Bible is not a Textbook.
When Jesus returns, there will not be an entrance exam testing if you can repeat the history of the Jewish people or the names of the 12 apostles. While knowing these things can be helpful, they’re not the point. Understanding what is happening in the Bible (while helpful) is not as important as understanding who is happening in the Bible: God. The entire book is meant to help us get a clearer picture of God, his plans, our part in those plans, and His great love for us.
The Bible is More Than a Single Verse. It needs Context.
If we really want to understand the Bible, we have to see it for what it really is: a whole collection of literature that highlights different aspects about God. If we only concentrate on a few verses or a few books, we miss out on the larger picture of God’s character and his work in the world. While certain verses do a good job at summing up aspects of the Bible, context is always important. We can’t hang our ideas about God on just one verse or a handful of verses. He’s given us a complex and deep book because he’s a complex and deep God.
The Bible also needs to be read in context. In order for us to truly understand the words that are written, we need to understand the context in which they were written. Sometimes this simply requires reading verses in the context of the chapter they are in. Other times, we need some knowledge of the times in order to understand what the author is saying. If we try to take the Bible out of context, we often do great harm to our understanding.
Bible Knowledge ≠ Knowing God.
Just like the religious leaders in Jesus’ day, it is completely possible to know a lot about God without really knowing God. Simply reading the words of the Bible does not guarantee you will be a better, holier, more righteous person. Knowing facts about the Bible or facts about God does not mean that you really understand what God is saying and who He is. You can read the Bible cover to cover and still not get it.
In order for us to really understand the Word of God and read it rightly, we have to be guided by the Holy Spirit. On its own, the Bible is simply made up of words on a page. It is the Spirit that brings life to the text. It is the Spirit that causes new things to jump out at us in passages we’ve read a thousand times. Simply praying for God to reveal himself to us as we read goes a long way.