The Bible: Who is it About and How Do We Read it?

 The Bible: Who is it About and How Do We Read it?

    The Bible is a book that has made major impacts throughout history. This is true whether you believe it is more than just an old book or not. For those who believe that it is truly God's inspired word, we need to ensure we are reading it well. 

    When it comes to reading the Bible, we can tend to run into some serious issues. We might try and make the Bible about us or we might use a verse to justify a decision that we are making (even if that verse has absolutely nothing to do with that decision), but if we do not approach the Bible in the way it was meant to be approached then we will be robbed of the beauty of God's story. 

Who is the Bible About?

    Here is the main thing we need to understand about the Bible, It is not about us! Yes, it is for us and because of this we can learn a lot from it, but once we try and put ourselves as the central point of scripture then we begin to place ourselves in the author's seat. 

    The Bible is about God. We see the story of God unfolding all throughout scripture, and we are invited to follow Him as He redeems the world and to live the life He designed for us. If we understand this truth, it will change how we approach the Bible. 

Who is the Bible Written to?

    Now, here we get into a more nuanced understanding of scripture. We have to ask the question, "Who is the Bible written to?". This question seems silly right? I mean obviously, it is written to us! Well… not specifically, but before you leave please let me explain. The Bible is written for us in the same way that it is written for every believer who wants to become a follower of Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 makes it clear that scripture is God-breathed and useful for all sorts of disciplines so that followers of Jesus can be equipped for every good work. 

    Here is where my "not specifically" statement from earlier comes in. The Bible is written for us, but we are not the original intended audience. When we read scripture we are reading about real people's lives in history, we are reading poetry styles from a specific point in history, and we are literally reading someone else's mail. The letters of the Bible were written to specific audiences, in specific cultures, for specific reasons. For us to snoop in on their mail and then immediately apply it to our context is irresponsible in any situation. Communications from God to His people in scripture are rooted in a specific time in history. We can glean amazing principles and understanding of God from those communications when we understand the context and intended meaning.

    So the challenge for anyone who wants to read the Bible well is to submit to context and intended teaching before finally applying it to their own lives.  

Point 1: Context (Who, When, and Why).

    Have you ever read or heard something out of context, especially something that was not originally meant for you?

    The best example I can give comes from when my wife Tristan and I first started dating. We were both students at Boise Bible College and we both had roommates at the time. One of my roommates' names was also Tristan. There was one weekend when I was talking on the phone with my mom and I started describing my week. During our conversation, I mentioned that I was waiting for Tristan (my roommate) to come back to our dorm. It was at this point that my dad walked in. All of a sudden I heard a gasp and my father exclaim, "Jacob, you're not sharing your dorm with your girlfriend are you? What kind of Bible College is this?!". When I was able to interject I corrected my dad's misunderstanding, reminding him that I had a roommate named Tristan. The crisis, thankfully, was averted! 

    The dangers of hearing or reading something out of context can be catastrophic if we are not careful. People can make decisions based on false information, words can be said that will forever change the dynamic of a relationship, or grudges can be held because of misunderstanding. 

    Context is incredibly important for understanding scripture. Sure, you can take away some immediate applications from verses like "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13), but there is still more for us to learn from this. For instance, when God was giving the 10 commandments He was not saying "This is how you don't go to hell". He was establishing the people of Israel as a nation under the rule of the one true God. 

    When we read the Bible we need to make sure that we take the time to understand what is going on. Yes, this will take up more of our time, but it is worth it. I am not saying that every time you read your Bible you should have a commentary to go with it, but I am saying when you start a new book of the Bible or when you run into something you do not understand you should take time to learn what that verse and chapter and book of the Bible is addressing in its context. 

    So how do we make sure that we read with the context in mind? We can do it pretty easily by answering these questions:

Who? (Who wrote the letter and who is it written to?)

When? (When was the letter written [You will find there is some debate in regards to dates of authorship, but there is typically good consensus on this topic. I recommend looking at multiple sources for this]).

Where? (Where is the author and recipient from and how does that impact the message?)

Why? (Why is the letter being written? Is there an issue being addressed, is it just to share a historical account, etc.).

    Now, these questions are kind of simplistic, and not at all original, for addressing context but that is why this is just a starting point for understanding this topic. The next point we are going to look at will help us find the next step to deepen our understanding of the message of the Bible. 

Point 2: Find the AIM (What did the message mean to the original audience).

    You may have heard of the acronym AIM when it comes to reading, but I am going to explain it to make sure we are all on the same page.  AIM stands for Author's Intended Meaning. 

    The goal for anyone reading any kind of document is to find the AIM, this is not just for the Bible. If we read a law that has been passed, we are not going to just stop at our own perception of the law we have to come to an understanding of the author's intention for the law that was written. 

    We might find speed limits annoying, and maybe we only follow them when we see a police officer around, but that does not mean that we do not understand their purpose. We might view speed limits as ridiculous, but we understand that they were put there for safety not just to put us in a bad mood. With this in mind, we will follow the law even if we find it inconvenient. 

    Context is essential to us understanding what has been written in Scripture and finding the AIM is the next step to applying the writing to our life. When we do not follow these steps, we find some pretty outrageous teachings and applications in the Bible.

    A great example of this is Progressive Christian Pastor Brandon Robertson's teaching of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Here is the link to the full message from Brandon Robertson's TikTok account, but I will give a very brief summary of his talk. 

    Brandon takes Jesus' command to Lazarus, "Come out!", and immediately uses that as a supporting argument for homosexuality in the church. Brandon applies our contextual use of the phrase "come out" and applies it to Jesus' first-century context, which does not use that phrase in that way at all. No matter what your views on homosexuality and Christianity are, this approach to scripture is wrong at a foundational level. 

    A simple example of finding the AIM in the text can be found when we look at 1 Timothy 5:23 where Paul encourages Timothy to drink a little bit of wine to help with stomach issues. This is not a Biblical mandate that all stomach issues should be medicated with wine, but rather a solution that was used in their context. Wine was often used as medicine because alcohol (which was not as potent as it is today) was used to kill any germs that could be causing the sickness. Paul is ensuring that Timothy is taking care of himself in a very stressful pastoral environment that is impacting his health, not telling him to drink to take the edge off. 

    That may be a silly example, but I hope you are beginning to understand the point. AIM helps us see what is descriptive (only expected from or applied to the specific people in the specific time of the scripture) and what is prescriptive (commanded for all Christians for all time).

    A more specific example of this can be found in the book of Ezra when the people of God realize their disobedience in marrying foreign spouses, and they respond by divorcing them. This is not a Biblical mandate that all followers of God must divorce their spouses if they are from a different ethnicity or religion. It is an example of the people of God trying to respond faithfully to God's Law. If you notice in the story, it does not say that God tells them to divorce or that He approved of their divorce, it just says that they did it. The book of Malachi actually tells us that God hates divorce, so this cannot be prescriptive. Later in 1 Corinthians 7:12-17, we see that Paul encourages spouses to stay married even if they find themselves married to an unbeliever (unless there is abandonment, abuse, or marital unfaithfulness), but he warns them that their decision to be married to an unbeliever will make life more challenging for them because the person they are committing to witness to is their spouse. 

    The author of the book of Ezra is not intending that anyone who is married to an unbeliever or a spouse from a different ethnicity should get divorced, but rather to show what the people of God did to try and get back on track to a life of faithful obedience to God's Law after being in exile because of their disobedience. 

    This is why finding the AIM is so important. It is only when we find the AIM that we can reliably find the practical application for our current context. 

Point 3: Bringing it Home (How does this apply to my life?)

    It is only after we have looked at the context of the Biblical narrative and crossed the bridge of intended meaning that we can arrive at the destination of personal application (Note: If you want a deeper dive on learning this kind of Bible study, read Grasping God's Word by Duvall and Hays). If we try to immediately apply something without context, we can cause a lot of misunderstanding and harm from something that was meant for our ultimate good. Starting with personal application stands in direct opposition to the fact that the Bible is for us, but not about us. 

    The Bible shares what is true about our world, but our understanding of that truth is compromised when we immediately try to gain truth without understanding. 

    If I recklessly drink any liquid just to quench my thirst without first figuring out what liquid is best for me, I am at risk of drinking motor oil instead of water. Even though the motor oil may be readily on hand, it will cause more harm than good, but even if I have to wait for thirst-quenching water, it will be nothing but good for me. Understanding the context and AIM of scripture takes more work, but in the end, it is worth it. 

    Just like how paint or stain and finish are best applied to a surface after it has been properly prepared (sanding or wiping down the surface), Scripture is best applied when we do the proper prep work of understanding context and AIM. Without these, the application is at risk because there is no preparation. 

    If we use our earlier example of the situation of divorce in Ezra, it will become a little clearer. Our application from Ezra cannot be that you should divorce your spouse if they do not follow God or if they are of a different ethnicity, because that is not why it is mentioned in the book of Ezra. Once we realize the context that the people have realized that their disobedience is the reason they were exiled and that their response should be to ensure there is no willing form of disobedience among them, we can see a practical application emerge. The message we can glean from Ezra after considering the context and AIM of the passage can look something like this: 

    What temptation or sin do we willingly allow in our day-to-day life? We must identify and get rid of the temptations and sins in our lives that will eventually lead us away from following God. Are we willingly following pages on social media that promote questionable content that we find tempting? Are we hanging out with people who influence us in ways that are harmful to ourselves or others or that are not honoring God? We must identify willful disobedience and get rid of it. 

    With just a glance at that paragraph, it is doubtful to say that anyone would immediately say that the application comes from Ezra because it took some serious context and AIM study to get that result.

    Finding the context and AIM of scripture takes work, but we have to be diligent in our scripture reading if we truly want it to change our lives.   

    The Bible is for us, but not about us, or originally written to us. Because of this truth, we cannot just simply read scripture and apply it to our 21st-century context without diving into the time and history behind the text. If we truly believe that Scripture is God's Word, then we have to take it seriously when we study it; this cannot be approached flippantly.

Tips and Resources for Helping Read the Bible Well:

1. Pray through your reading.

If you are confused about the text you are reading, do not forget to pray. Ask God for wisdom as you approach His Word. 

2. Be okay with wrestling with uncomfortable questions.

 Not everything can be answered easily and right away. There will be questions that make you squirm, and we must learn to embrace the discomfort rather than just run away from it. God can handle doubt and questions.

3. Find people that you can study scripture with.

Community is incredibly helpful and essential to deeper scriptural understanding. Start a small group. Meet with your pastor. Do a reading plan with a friend. Study scripture with others because it will help challenge your own viewpoints and will grow you. 

4. Don't focus on how many verses or chapters you have read.

 The original authors did not write in the chapters and verses, those came later. Though the chapters and verses are helpful, they can be a hindrance without us realizing it. If the only thing you get out of your devotion time is the pride in how many chapters you read, you have missed the point. Spend time truly reflecting on what the verses say, even if that means you do not read more than one chapter or don't even finish a chapter.

5. Get study resources.

There are many great resources out there from commentaries to study bibles. Ask your pastors what they would recommend starting with. There are also websites and software like Blue Letter Bible or Logos that give great tools. It can be intimidating at first but, just like any discipline, start small and build from there.