This is the sixth and final post in this series that center on some thoughts I had while reading Rob Bell’s Jesus Wants to Save Christians. These entries were originally blogged at Conversant Life sometime during 2008.
Read: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
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Jesus Wants to Save Christians Part 6: (Re)Interpreting the Bible
Have you ever wondered what the Bible is? I mean, how is it that this (for the most part) narrative, this story, has come to mean so much to us? Furthermore, how is it that this story that was written long before any of us were born actually has “authority” in the lives of people today?
One popular way to answer questions like this is to treat the Bible not as a story, per se, but as a timeless-truth-book of sorts. That is, to treat it in such a way that it was, is and will always be true in everything that it says. In this sense, the Bible is not a story so much as a collection of sayings and teachings that point to what is true. Further, these truths are not directly tied to specific circumstances, instead they transcend circumstances and anyone, at any time, in any place, in any circumstance can read the Bible, gain a clear understanding of what it says, and thus know the truth therein. This type of understanding often leads to the Bible being referred to as an “owner’s manual” or “instructional book” which would be accurate if this is how the Bible should be understood. After all, Ikea is not very interested in the political climate you find yourself in and they could really care less to know whether you are poor or rich – their instructional manual is neither concerned with or speaks to your circumstances, but merely how to assemble and/or fix something.
For many people, there is great comfort in understanding the Bible in this light. I suspect that one major reason for this is the fact that, quite simply, it is easier to deal with the Bible this way. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, I’m simply pointing out the truth of the matter. Putting together an entertainment center is easier with an instructional manual than with a book about the history of entertainment centers. In many ways, it is almost necessary for us to see the Bible this way. Young Christians, for example, need basic life guidance, simple “rules”, basic knowledge of how to live in this new life. It also helps when trying to gain further understanding when it comes to answering specific questions.
Sometimes, though, this method leads to a misunderstanding of the Bible. Imagine reading a story that your great-great-grandfather wrote for his children that was instructive for them on how to live in their specific city, with that city’s specific problems, people, history, language, and political climate. Now imagine trying to take that teaching and applying it your own life, without understanding the situation that your ancestor’s children were in. Its almost a guarantee that you’ll come away with a skewed understanding of what your great-great-grandfather was trying to say, even if your understanding lead to some improvement in some way.
Exegesis is the process used to determine the original meaning of Scripture. It assumes that it is important to establish how the intended audience would have heard, understood, and interpreted the text so that we can, in turn, hear, understand and interpret the text appropriately. And as Rob Bell notes on page 134 of Jesus Wants to Save Christians, speaking in regards to John’s book of Revelation, without understanding the original meaning, we may find that our interpretation is actually harmful:
“Imagine how dangerous it would be if there were Christians who skipped over the first-century meaning of John’s letter and focused only on whatever it might be saying about future events, years and years away. There is always the chance that in missing the point, they may in the process be participating in and supporting and funding the various kinds of systems that the letter warns against participating in, supporting and funding…
“Were the people in John’s church reading his letter for the first time, with Roman soldiers right outside their door, thinking, ‘This is going to be really helpful for people two thousand years from now who don’t want to get left behind’?”
Obviously, this is quite a critique of the popular interpretation methods applied to Revelation, and for that reason it can be very tempting to write Bell off. Resist that temptation for now. Think about what he is saying because at least as far as I can see, there are two major points in Bell is making here.
First, if we misunderstand the original meaning, despite any sincerity on our part, we could actually be participating in, supporting, and funding the very things that Scripture is speaking against. Especially when it comes to a book like Revelation, a book loaded with symbolism, metaphor, and word pictures (in other words, a potentially non-literal text), it can be very easy to miss the point and/or think the point is something different entirely. Second, we can actually ignore and/or disrespect the situation the text was written for. Are we really arrogant enough to believe that Scripture’s meaning speaks primarily to our own situation and was thus inapplicable to the original audience? Could it be that quite the opposite is true? – that it was actually incredibly applicable to the original audience and that they “got” what John was trying to say and that it caused them to live differently? If that is true, we could really be missing out on something big, even life-changing.
Now, having read up to this point, you may be thinking something that I want to address: doesn’t this lend towards a cheapened view of Scripture? I mean, if we don’t treat the Bible as a set of timeless truths, if we don’t look at it as being primarily written to us (or, at the very least all people, in all times, in all places) doesn’t this make it less authoritative and not more? Good question.
The answer is no. Allow me to explain.
First, this is clearly the way God chose to do things. For better or worse, the Bible is a compilation of writings that were written to specific people, by specific people, in specific places, specific circumstances and for specific reasons. Its not just timeless truths that apply to everybody, everywhere; though, certainly, once we understand the reason for its writing we are much more able to discover the application for our own specific time and place. Because of this fact, then, we need to allow it be what it was intended to be. Forcing it to be something different may help us in the short-term, but we will most assuredly do preventable damage in the long run. Second, allowing it to be what it truly is actually brings the text to life. When we are able to understand that this was written to real people, for real reasons, we begin to discover that this isn’t just a timeless truth like The Tortoise and the Hare (as great as it is), but it is history. This stuff really happened, to real people like you and me, and it literally changed their lives, it changed the world. So if it can change their lives and their world, it can change ours too, but only to the extent that we figure out what exactly changed their lives before moving on to the step of how it will change ours. Third, and finally, the great truth here is that God deeply desires to partner with people. Without getting into all the inerrancy/infallibility stuff we find great hope in knowing that the great and perfect God of the universe used everyday people like you and me – no, scratch that – God used some really messed up people, like you and me, not only to carry the message of his truth to the ends of the earth, but to write the book that actually becomes authoritative in some way for his followers.
And here’s the good news: he’s not done.
The Bible may be written, but you and I still have something to contribute. Our words, our music, our jobs, our time, our money, our relationships, our activities, our service – our lives – it all matters. Our lives matter just as much as Abraham’s or Ruth’s or David’s or Jeremiah’s or Mary’s or Peter’s or Paul’s or John’s. We may never be known as well as them, but our lives matter just as much if for no other reason than that we are alive now, we have the ability to impact people now – they don’t.
If you’re like me you’ve been wondering how or why the Bible really matters for a while now. I’d encourage you to begin thinking of it in these ideas and see if it helps. If so, awesome. If not, move on.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Bible, God
