4 Bible Reading Attitudes Part 3

Previously I introduced the issue of 4 diverse attitudes Christians have about the Bible:

1. We don’t respect the Bible.
2. We respect the Bible, sort of.
3. We respect the Bible and use it to justify what we believe.
4. We respect the Bible as God’s very words.

Last time I talked about the attitude, We respect the Bible, sort of. People who have this attitude generally respect the Bible's authority as God's very words. The problem is that they sometimes undermine that respect with habits and practices that run counter to what is being communicated in the text. There are several reasons for this, but most of the time it's a benevolent error.

Attitude 3: We respect the Bible and use it to justify what we believe

Now let's look at an attitude that occurs with people who say they respect the Bible, but only when it serves their purposes. If the Bible contradicts or condemns something they approve of, they quickly reject it or reinterpret the message. In other words, they fall short of making it authoritative over their lives.

The Bible proves us right

Some are like the "Doers of God's Word," in that they can be self-deceived in their pride. But they differ in that they don't seek to obey the Bible as much. They're more interested in using the Bible to justify themselves. And no one — not even the Bible — can judge them wrong.  

They have a habit of seeing disagreements with their interpretations as opposition to God. They find it hard to recognize their own approach as an interpretation. For them, it's just the truth. They’re just reading the text and being faithful to God (when it doesn't contradict their lifestyle).

These people may even read from different translations to fit what they want to get out of a study or what they want to teach. They are masters at "proof-texting" where they read verses out of context to fit what they already believe, or to make a point they want to assert. This is similar to those who take verses out of context, but different in that they do this with the intent of promoting a point of view, rather than determining the meaning of a text.

The Bible justifies our feelings

Another group of people read to see how passages "speak to them". They tend to individualize their Bible study and base their interpretations on their feelings. They don't retain much interest in what the Bible is actually communicating. They are similar to the "Doers of the Word"people in that they are focused on individualized messages more than the author's intent. But they differ in that they aren't as interested in doing anything that doesn't bring personal gain. For them that's the point of personal messages from God.

The Bible isn't enough

Last, there are those who go beyond Scripture (the Bible). They take the Bible seriously, but it's a jumping off point to other teachings that are more important in the immediate short term. These people rely on devotional reading, or on receiving personal messages from God. They often judge the Scriptures according to their experiences and feelings. For them the Bible isn't enough. They value experiences over understanding. In their minds, "If God is talking to me personally, why settle for reading the Bible?"

Next week we will look at the attitude of We respect the Bible as God’s very words.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash