Bryan Berghoef wrote a book entitled Pub Theology. Personally, I haven't read the book nor it's companion Pub Theology 101 but I find his approach to creating an atmosphere to discuss God, the Bible, and faith to be very interesting. While many people will be offended at the fact that he discusses faith with people over a pint (or two), I think we are missing the whole point: He is having the discussions that we are not.
I recently had a discussion that has led to today's blog entry. Truth be told, I have been having an ongoing conversation with a close friend about the Bible. This friend absolutely loves the Lord and His Word. We have discussed ways to teach the Bible, see Scripture in context, etc. and have been dealing with some thoughts on common verses that are often misinterpreted (or at least misapplied). What I share with you now comes from my own understanding and life experiences. Here goes...
The Top 2 Reasons People Misinterpret a Verse:
#1 - They are viewing the verse out of context
In other words, they are lifting this particular verse off the page and viewing it by itself. This is especially true of how many people view the NT letters. We fail to recognize that these letters were written to address specific topics. Of course, verse & chapter numbers help to create much of the chaos in our understanding but that is for a different discussion. One verse in particular that we discussed was Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Most of us understand this verse to be the mantra for being able to accomplish anything. However, if we view the verse in context we discover that Paul is talking about finding contentment in every situation. With that being said, I will give you the #2 reason most people misinterpret a verse to show you how we have gotten to this point.
#2 - God often speaks to us in a way that sounds like a Bible verse
Let's say that you have a friend who is asking God for encouragement or strength to take the next step in their faith journey. Immediately the Holy Spirit speaks up: "You can do all things through Christ!" This person has just received a personal revelation from God and who can argue with it? WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST. It's consistent with His nature right? What happens next is how we tend to get the wrong view of a verse. This particular person writes a book, makes a bumper sticker, sells t-shirts, and teaches people this principle of doing all things. Where the error comes in is when they say "This is what Paul meant..." But when we look at the context of the verse we discover this isn't what Paul is saying at all.
The point that I'm getting ready to make will be difficult for some people to grasp so bear with me. Some people will immediately ask the question: Does the Holy Spirit use the Bible out of context? My answer would be "NO!" Will the Holy Spirit speak in a way that sounds like the Bible? My answer would be "YES!" In fact, He often speaks to me in this way. What we cannot do is change our interpretation of the Bible to match our personal revelation. While we can give encouragement to people and even teach our own personal revelation about the nature of God at work in our lives, we must be careful that they know the difference.
There have been times where I have shared a personal revelation of God and said "This is not what this verse means but here is how the Lord has encouraged me." My reason for doing this is two-fold: I want to protect the integrity of the Bible and I want to honor the way in which the Lord spoke to me. I believe there is a place in the church for both. I'm not trying to re-write or re-interpret the Bible. I'm simply trying to allow the Lord to speak into our lives.
What we often forget is that the Holy Spirit will most definitely speak in a way that is consistent with the language of the Bible. He helped write it didn't He? What He is doing is communicating in a way that you are used to hearing Him. There will be times that He will be sharing an exact quote (sounds funny to even say that) that will be in context. Then there will be times that it sounds like a Bible passage. It's a part of His language to us. It's on you to know the difference.
Why is this necessary? It's necessary for us to know the difference because we need to maintain the integrity of how God has spoken in the past while allowing Him the opportunity to speak to us now. It's not a matter of trying to change the Bible or necessarily our understanding of it. It's a matter of knowing the voice of God. It's a matter of being in a relationship where I hear Him and He hears me.
God can (and does) speak to us through many things. For some people, sitting in a pub discussing God and faith will be the most direct way for Him to speak into their lives. Others will encounter God through a movie, a book, etc. The point here is that our God is always speaking. The question is whether or not we are always listening. I am personally waiting to see how one of those "verse moments" plays out in my life. Last year the Lord spoke to me through a verse during our weekly prayer meeting. Very few people know about it because it can seem like I'm making an arrogant statement. God chose to use an OT verse that refers to the church to speak to me directly. Everything inside of me tells me that this was Him. It was consistent with how He has spoken to me in the past. While this encounter did not change my interpretation of the Bible, it has given me some great insight into what to look for next. I'm excited about the possibility of God using me at all. But THIS WORD...WOW!!!
Isn't this an incredible journey? Imagine how much greater when we open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to hear Him.
5 comments:
Post a Comment