Let's Study Scripture Correctly

Lately, the youth group has been going through a study of the Holy Spirit, and we have been presented with a question that I think is very important for all of us to constantly consider to a certain degree: eisegesis or exegesis?  Right now some readers want to scoop up their electronic device, drive over to my current location and throw said device right in my face for using such ridiculously large words.  Let me explain first, please!  Exegesis, when it comes to Bible study, refers to allowing scripture to dictate and formulate truth.  Eisegesis is simply using scripture as a tool to reinforce what we already believe to be true, our preconceived doctrines and opinions.  The question is incredibly important: are we allowing scripture to truly dictate truth in our study?

Do you ever talk to people who already have their opinion made about what you're saying?  That's a fun conversation, right?  No matter your argument or your facts, they aren't listening to learn or even with an open mind, but they merely listen for anything you may say that can prove their point.  That's eisegesis.  That's how many of us study the Bible.  Right now, the youth group is studying the identity and presence of the Holy Spirit.  This Holy Spirit conversation has been the breaking point of many church fellowships and even the identifying marker for certain denominations.  How can we all study the same text and disagree on the meaning?  That's an important question, for scripture only teaches one truth.  We can contort just about any written statement to cause it to say something different, and sometimes opposite, to its original intent.  We see this in studies on history, in politics and in gossip.  It is true that many points of disagreement between Christians are minor when in comparison to things like the identity of Jesus and the authority of God's Word; however, we should all strive to learn the truth of scripture!  That truth is found exegetically, allowing scripture itself to dictate our understanding.

Are we willing to do that?  That's a steep commitment!  Many of us jump in without hesitation.  It might seem heretical, but may I please give a plea for caution?  Please, count the cost!  If scripture says that Jesus is the only truth and that there is no way to the Father that is not through Him (John 14:6), we must ask if we are willing to submit to that.  If we want to hold on to being able to do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13), we must also submit our will to God (James 4:7) and allow ourselves to be purchased...owned by God (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23).  This is really just a question of what authority does scripture have in your life?  It's a really tough question!  If scripture commands me to do something I don't want to do, I might not like that absolute authority.  The same is true for if and when scripture tells me to stop doing a thing that I really want to do.  Now, scripture is authoritative whether we want it or not.  When my mom told me to clean my room, there was no question or conversation.  My mom is from upstate New York, that room got cleaned!  We do, however, have the choice to submit or not to the authority of scripture.  We do.  However, if the Bible isn't the absolute authority, then neither is God or Jesus and there really is no point in being a Christian.

Let's be honest, many of us manipulate scripture because we don't like being wrong, don't like submitting or, probably in most cases, both at the same time.  Here's the challenge.  Using the context of scripture (not just simply asking what the passage written in first century Greek or BC Hebrew means to us in 21st century America) let's shut off our preconceived notions, our extra-Biblical doctrines, what we believe to be necessary pillars holding up our understanding of reality, and just let the Word of God be living, active and sharp enough to cut to the very core of the truth (Hebrews 4:12).  The word of God is from His very breath, the interaction of His Spirit through the writers, and is absolutely capable of guiding every one of us into all truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Let's study to understand God's will, not to try to prove our own point.

In His Grip,

BJ

Selfless Words of Life

I got a chance to talk with a bunch of teens last weekend about selflessness!  I've been really stoked about this, and the study was immensely rewarding!  At the session before sending the students home, we went over Philippians 2:14-16a which says, "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life."  This concept brings up some interesting connotations that I would love to share with you.

First of all, we need to understand that God ... HATES ... Grumbling!!!!  Before we really get into it, what does grumbling mean?  Grumbling, as translated in the Greek, is like the cooing of doves.  It's a silent murmuring of discontent and ill will.  It doesn't mean "quiet" in as much as it refers to a secretive meeting.  We would call it complaining or whining, but in such a way that is destructive in a festering way, like an infection.  The Old Testament speaks of grumbling as a lingering or fixation on whining and complaining.  In 1 Corinthians 10:10, Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians of what God did to the Hebrew people as they began to grumble in the desert (Numbers 16:41).  God was prepared to wipe the entire nation from the face of the Earth.  With a plague, often spoken of as a death angel of the Lord, God had already begun to destroy the grumbling nation of Israel.  As Moses and Aaron had done several times already, they begged for God to forgive the people.  Aaron ran to a point between the living and the dead to plead for the lives of the remaining Israelites, but by that time, 14,700 people had already died...GRUMBLING!  So, what's the big deal?  When Israel worshipped a pagan God and did all kinds of degrading acts around its altar, God took only a fraction of that number!  Why would He react so strongly to grumbling?

That's the overarching issue, really.  Grumbling is deceptive in its whispering.  Loud sins often tend to be seen as the most destructive, but we forget the power of words.  A sword ill used can commit murder but words ill spoken can commit genocide.  We forget what James says about words.  He says in James 3:5b-6, "Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." Philippians 2:1-18 is all about being selfless, and, in order to grumble or argue, we must be as selfish as possible.  How do we have the time to fight with or talk bad about each other if we are busy loving others?  Grumbling, at best, is a self-defense mechanism that has gone horribly wrong.  Grumbling, at worst, is an attack that is both cowardly and dangerously affective.  The natural "need" to rise on the ashes of others is evil in its selfish ambition.  The feeling that we have the right to have an opinion and grumble or complain about something that God commands of us is natural for people that think God is little more than an elected official.  He's not.  He's God.

What do we do then?  We pull our heads out of our private whining, backbiting and trashing in order to actually make a difference in the kingdom.  God is God.  We do what He tells us to do.  We don't have time to ask how we feel about His commands.  He's our Lord; we agree with His decree because of who He is not because of what we want.  Our brothers and sisters are our family.  We don't argue, trash talk or fight because we need each other in this brutal world!  Did some dude lie about something?  Is some lady wrong about something?  What do they need?  Grumbling and arguing or loving support and accountability?  The world is not our enemy, it is our mission field.  We don't speak ill and attack the very people for whom Jesus died and intended for us to bring salvation.  Selflessness is admitting that it's not all about us.  Our life is an offering, an outpouring to the world out of love for them and, ultimately, out of reverence for God.  Instead of arguing, murmuring, backbiting, gossiping, trash-talking, grumbling, complaining, whining, griping, slandering and attacking with words of death, let's be blameless and pure in the warped and crooked generation.  Let's shine like stars as we use our words, our hearts, our minds and all of our effort to hold out the word of life.

In His Grip,

BJ