Do We Read the Bible or Does the Bible Read Us?

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Most Christians who consider the Bible to be their authoritative source for governing belief and practice recognize the need to learn skills that will better enable us to interpret the Holy Scriptures. Whether it is participating in a small group inductive Bible study, taking a course in Koine Greek (the language of the New Testament), or attending a Sunday school class on “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth”, we want to learn the proper techniques that will enable us to master the text, to cut through the clutter and get to that theological treasure waiting to transform our lives. In our world of technological domination, it is easy to conceptualize the Bible as a kind of storehouse of truths that are waiting to be discovered and applied once we learn the proper techniques or download the proper technology; it is an object that we study, containing truths, which if we can only unlock them, will richly bless.

I think this is a half-truth at best.

The Bible, as a God-breathed text, is more than an object to be studied, a mere depository of truth. Instead, it declares itself to be a “living and active word” that judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

As a theological educator, I never want to discourage serious Bible study! However, in our quest to become better readers of Holy Writ, we need always to remember that we are not and never will be masters of the text. Instead, it is the living and active word that judges us. In other words, as we read the Bible, the Bible reads us! God, through the inscripturated word and the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, is interpreting us, making known to us who we really are.

So, the next time you crack open the Bible, try praying this from Psalm 139:23-24.

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