Though the word of God is plainly written for the common man to understand we must approach it with reverence as if we are approaching the throne of God. Here are some guidelines as to how God’s word ought to be handled.
1. Be prayerful. The most dangerous hinderance to properly understanding God’s heart is the deceptiveness of our own hearts. There is a reason why apostle Paul warns Timothy not to establish young believers to be elders in the church. There is always a temptation that knowledge builds pride instead of the kingdom of God. Therefore we must first be humbled and emptied. Our motive for study is just as important as the study itself.
2. Do not study about the bible more than the bible itself. Reading books is a great way to tap into the great minds of the past and the present. But none of these men’s writing contain the breath of God. God can always give us insight through the insights of other more capable men but if our confidence lies with other men eventually when men fail us we will fail along with them. Our confidence must come from his word. Beware of allowing our reading of books to be primary and reading of scripture to be secondary. If we do not saturate ourselves with the original then we will not be able to distinguish when the counterfeit is being peddled by false prophets.
3. Read God’s word to judge the thoughts and intentions of our own hearts instead of others. We are all prone to see the sins and mistakes of others more keenly than our own. We will hear ourselves often say, “I know that I’m not perfect but..that guy is…..” In other words, we can excuse our sins but their sins we should not be so gracious. This approach to scripture always leads an individual to be divisive. Considering how much exhortation we are given in the scripture to be united in faith and love, it is a dangerous thing to study His word expressly for the purpose of finding sin in others. When sin must be exposed in others make sure that it is done with absolute humility and love otherwise we will do more damage than good.
4. Read for the glory of God. The ultimate goal of God is for His own glory. So the ultimate goal of the bible is also His own glory. The word of God is not ultimately written for our comfort, though I can’t imagine another book that does that better. The word of God is not primarily for the purpose of deeper knowledge, though all the books in the world cannot match the vast wisdom that this book contains. The bible ultimately is not a how to guide to raising children, building a church, or preaching etc., though the book is full of practical advice for every facet and stage of life we may ever experience. The ultimate purpose of this book is for the glory of God. Therefore, examine to see if the fruit of our reading is for His glory or to gain things simply for our own use.
5. Read the scriptures like a love letter. Do not skim through it as if to do your daily duty of reading in this book. This letter was written with great care and love for His people. Therefore we ought to read each verse with care and concern as if we are reading a love letter from our significant other. Just as a love letter is not written hastily God’s divine word was not written to be read in haste. It is better to know deeply what one verse says than to know superficially the whole bible. When you think you know something is when you are the most dangerous. Little knowledge sometimes is more dangerous than ignorance. When we are ignorant and know it at least we are teachable. But when we know superficially and yet think we really know something, that is when our hearts become hardened and our ears become closed to instruction. Read it carefully so that false confidence will not creep into our hearts.
6. Read it as the first recipients of the letters would have read it. “Do not add or take away from the word of God” is the warning with which the book of Revelation ends. Finding extra meaning in a passage that is not there is a dangerous doorway to many grievous doctrines. It may seem harmless at first but the end result that this doorway introduces can ruin the reader and all those around. If common sense makes the best sense seek no other sense..as my professor in Biola would always say.
I’d better stop here or no one is gonna read this.
