The thirteenth and last in a series on
restoring the drama to the study of the Word of God.
Years
ago I was introduced to the expression, “pray through.” I never found out
through to what: The answer I wanted? The assurance I would get what I wanted
eventually? Or, was it just achieving the assurance God heard me? It seemed
very subjective and elusive. On the other hand, I did learn a “through”
principle which is both biblical and definable.
Learn to think through the Bible.
Much
that passes for Bible study is an accumulation of dislocated quotes about
particular themes. This collecting and collating of “verses on a subject” can
be misleading. Easily missed are the different contexts and episodes which
nestle the text into the bigger picture; and it is that bigger picture which
explains, for example, why prohibitions against pork which are “found in the
bible” are no longer in force, but Old Testament prohibitions against
fornication are precisely maintained in the New Testament.
Categorized
and systematized truth is valuable. He who has a system has the advantage over
anyone who does not. However, he
who knows the narrative from which his system is drawn trumps the person with a
system void of narrative.
This
series of studies has sought to urge a return to memorable telling of the story.
Every forest has its trails. One does not know the forest by a study of trees;
but by knowing the forest he is able to study its trees without getting lost. The
better we can “think through the Bible,” the better we can properly distinguish
its trails. Thinking through the Bible corrects the error of treating it as
a “source book” of polemic proof texts. It is a
living narrative which searches hearts while answering the questions – Who
am I? Where am I? Where’s it all going? And, how can I make the journey with
purpose?
PREVIOUS: It’s
Not About Morals
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