Seized By Truth: Reading The Bible As Scripture Is Written

Most Christians would assert that the Bible has importance for their faith and understanding in how to live out their beliefs. However, there is great diversity in how exactly this takes shape. At issue is one’s perspective on how to read the Bible and the authority that is granted to Scripture. Differing viewpoints can be placed along a continuum ranging from conservative to liberal perspectives on the role of Scripture. Sparks (n.d.) highlights the hallmarks of different traditions based on a number of factors such as how the Bible is read, views of inerrancy, and the authority of tradition. Both Protestant Fundamentalists and Conservative Evangelicals hold to biblical inerrancy as a hallmark of their faith. However, the two diverge regarding

My own understanding of the bible comesfrom experiences that I have had in my life such as attending church services and bible studies growing up as well as religiousfunction which serve the purpose of increasing my understanding of the bible ad h which contributed too much of my current knowledge and understanding of the bible. I ampersonally very focused and locked into the "/ienefits of the scripture of the bible and the insight itprovides us to the past present and future of our history here on earth.

Working over a long period of time, the Holy Spirit moved upon well over 40 writers to record the Holy Scriptures that we call the Bible. Yet, there is a marvelous unity. Let us rever-ence these pages that we have been given to read and study, and so with the psalmist cry out, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law”(Ps. 119:18).

On a personal note, I practice reading the Bible through the process of observation. For instance, I practice learning what to look for in the text; interpreting the meaning; I prayerfully seek God and through the power of the Holy Spirit I can apply what I read. Nevertheless, I feel Ferrin’s process of inductive Bible study might prove more productive and edifying both personally and in a group.

In Shaped by the Word, by Robert Mulholland Jr., one finds a way to read scripture in order to provide a deeper understanding of God and allow His Word to shape one’s spiritual life. In the Introduction, in chapter 1, the reader is introduced to the idea that there is a movement in the church that seeks to become deeper and stricter in spiritual formation. He claims there are many books written for this purpose, and his intending purpose for this book is for God to use however he may want in the reader’s spiritual life. Mulholland provides the reader with a prayer to pray in preparation of reading this book and states there may be points where God is knocking and calling the reader’s attention to something new.

This book review is from the readings of Biblical Inspiration by Howard Marshall. The book is published by Regent College Publishing located in Vancouver, and British Columbia published the book in 2004. The book is braces around the interpretation of the Bible, and the inspiration of the Bible in our lives of today. There are many questions that are brought up the book, and these include: Is the Bible infallible? How do we interpret the Bible today? is its inspiration believable in and biblical criticism believable? All of the different opinions on biblical issues equivalent to these bring up issues and questioning within the community. It is Marshall’s goal to try and produce a statement that is concrete of what the Bible says in our lives today.

If the burden of authorship were laid on man, it would like the foresight of God for the future. Because God divinely authored the Bible, he can also use it to speak to us today despite the difference in culture from the date of its authorship to now. That does not mean that we can just find any meaning we want and assume that God planted it there, it is still our responsibility to ensure that we are using proper study habits to decipher the word. One of the biggest issues I see today is that we have a habit of taking scripture out of context reading only the portion of the verse that supports our thoughts or not taking into consideration the context of who the scripture was directed towards or the culture of that time. During the reading in this week’s session, there were two things that stood out to me. McGrath notes in the Christian Theology Reader that under Hodge’s view “Biblical Authority is specifically linked with the correct Biblical interpretation” (McGrath, 2011, p. 111) and that the Bible is “absolutely infallible when interpreted in the same sense intended, and hence are clothed with absolute divine authority” (McGrath, 2011, p.

The association further believes there is only one true interpretation of Scripture, although there may be several applications. The true meaning lies in the text and is that which the divinely-guided author willed to convey. It is recoverable through careful application of a literal (grammatical, historical, contextual) method of interpretation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in the community of Christ. The Holy Spirit illumines the text, enabling the reader to embrace the significance of what God has communicated, and to see the glory of Christ in the Word of God. To sum this up, they believe they are right about

It is imperative that we as humans study scripture reasonably and not view it in an irrational manner.

reading community” (115-116) Scripture when read as a story of what God has done and is doing today, gives us a complete picture of God's reconciliatory plan for humanity. This is very significant for me because by being aware of all scripture as the grand story of God no book or chapter is less significant because the book is part of the grand story of God. I will still struggle with some books like the Songs of Solomon, but after acquiring this new perspective from right, I can read the book with new lenses and try to figure out it connects to the story of God, but I believe I can only do that with the help of the Holy Spirit.

It would have been helpful if the authors offered a coloring system to recall information as there is a lot of it. I found it easier to start with a couple of metal pens, Microsoft Word, and a computer research line for Bibles, a thesaurus, dictionaries, some maps, and a printer. Also used were twistable pencil crayons and a legend key to recognize literary tools such as conjunctions, repeating words, etc. Another requirement is personal space that is inviting and comfortable for thinking and a "parking lot notebook" to quickly sort ideas and reduce distraction time, and distraction will happen because we are human. I would argue that this is the closest I will come to being a surgeon only with words because it will go to people's minds, so be careful. The GGW does a fantastic job with boxes and arrows and with black and white overall to cut costs, but it is also harder to learn. The course outline featured the inductive method. Although this is what the system is, I prefer introductive to inductive methodology for scripture. Inductive means to me that I am good at something and that I deserve to be inducted to a sports institution such as the Hall of Fame. Now, we are ready for preparing for what we bring to the table, but first a word from the Holy Spirit. The Interpretive Journey is a GGW process that teaches proper exegetical skills,

While the Holy Bible is filled with many different types of writing, including history, narratives, poetic literature and apocalyptic, it forms a cohesive theme that tells me where I, and all things originated from, as well as my purpose in this world. Because the Holy Scriptures give, what is to me, a plausible understanding of who I am and how my life matters, I have discovered that I want to align my life and future in accord with its directives and commands. The reason that I hold these writings with such high regard is because the Holy Bible says of itself that God breathed it out onto men to write down and that it contains the very instructions needed for me to live a life that is honoring of God and worthy of what God deserves. II Timothy 3:16-17 states, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”. For this reason, the Holy Bible has taken on a role of great importance in my life and because it is the very revelation of God, revealing who God is and how God has worked and continues to work throughout history, I have determined that it is foundational to my faith and a practical guide to direct me in determining the course I should take in this life.

In doing so, we can discover that final authority is not in and of scripture itself but of the Triune God who is the Author of scripture. The second obstacle to consider is that many have dismissed scripture as a book of Israelitic & Christian stories. Wright contends that these stories are told to inform us of “internal dynamics” of the past so as to engage us in the present for transformation into Christ-likeness. (p.25). Thirdly, Wright asserts that the question of scripture’s authority should not be viewed as a list of rules where God condescends to man. Rather, scripture should be received as God’s purpose to save and renew the entire world by authorizing the church—God’s agent in the world—with His mission through the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, it is imperative that biblical scholars “see the role of scripture not simply as being [informative about or revelatory of God’s truth] but as a means of God’s action in and through us.” (p.28)

A believer should understand that the Bible is another vehicle God uses to speak to them. The Word tells us that all scripture is God-breathed. (2 Tim. 3:16) I have found that a lot of Christians grab the Bible and start reading it from the beginning; consequently, they get so far and then just give up, because it seems too hard. For new believers to get to know Jesus' story, one should encourage them to read the first four books of the New Testament. By starting with these books of the Bible first, one will begin to understand who God is and learn things to help them live a better

Biblical Interpretation is important and necessary so that we can understand what the text is saying, what the intended theological message is, and how to personally apply and teach these Scriptural truths to carry forward the Gospel in rescuing others from despair and death to hope and life, thus displaying His glory and growing His Kingdom. It is about finding what God is revealing about Himself and His Son Jesus Christ. Moreover, it is for us to know that God desires to have a relationship with us and for us to be set apart in a covenant relationship with Him to display holy lives that bring Him glory. Interpretation, using hermeneutical principles, help guide us in proper boundaries for interpreting Scripture so that we can reveal the intended meaning of the text. Without this, we run the risk of imposing our own ideas on the text, therefore misinterpreting. Misinterpreting can cause us to miss theological truths, administer the wrong application, and neglect or overlook the meaning of the text which weakens the impact of God’s truth in our personal lives as well as others we are teaching.