When it comes to Biblical interpretation, some tend to think that they don’t need to study or engage in deep thinking on the Scripture. God will simply tell them what the Bible means. On the other end of the spectrum are those who tend to think that they don’t need any spiritual illumination of the text. They can discover the meaning through study and deep thinking alone.
Paul rejected both of these approaches to Scripture. He told Timothy, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Tim 2:7). Paul didn’t see it as an either-or, but a both-and. We must do our best thinking on the words of Scripture, and Jesus will help us understand Scripture in the process.
Thinking to Believe 
June 4, 2021 at 2:34 pm
True…but aren’t many of those same Christians who believe God will guide them or who don’t believe in deep Bible study also the same Christians who don’t believe the Bible should be taken literally or who believe the Bible was written by men who put their own interpretations into scripture? I don’t think the Paul quote would have much weight with them.
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June 4, 2021 at 2:53 pm
Actually, no. Many conservative Christians who take the Bible seriously hold the view that God will give them revelations about Scripture, and thus they don’t need to study.
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June 4, 2021 at 5:10 pm
derekmathias ………….. do you just say crazy thing to argue ? yes there are Christians that take things literally that others don’t —– that is not a problem as long as the second group, which im a member, take the appropriate point literally. doesn’t bother me at all some of my brothers and sisters in Christ believe the world is ~5800 yrs old.
a perfect example is the Genesis creation account —
i take “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” & man fell literally but not many of the other parts —– which has zero problems dogmatically. how else would God explain the creation account to a bronze age people ? and if He did say how He actually did would you be a believer ?
no you wouldn’t …….. you just find another excuse to not believe in God.
im unaware of any Christian that would have a problem with that quote from the apostle Paul.
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June 6, 2021 at 8:10 am
Jason, I totally agree.
I have had many “ah ah” moments when my understanding has been illuminated. In all those times Jesus was at the center of my illumination. In other words, understanding what Jesus has done and what He means to the overall revelation of scripture is the key to understanding them correctly. This will save us from legalism and double talk that is prevalent in many Christian circles.
Naz
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June 7, 2021 at 7:59 am
John 7
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
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August 16, 2021 at 7:01 pm
“yes there are Christians that take things literally that others don’t —– that is not a problem as long as the second group, which im a member, take the appropriate point literally. doesn’t bother me at all some of my brothers and sisters in Christ believe the world is ~5800 yrs old.”
Well, the problem there is that the Bible doesn’t come with any key to determine what should be taken literally and what should be read as metaphor. That’s why it’s hard to find any two Christians who agree with what should be taken literally. In my experience, when a Christian agrees with the morality expressed in the Bible, he tends to interpret the passage literally. And when the Bible conflicts with a Christian’s sense of morality, he will interpret the passage metaphorically or look for other biblical passages that allow him to ignore or dramatically alter the literal meaning. That’s why there are so many conflicting denominations within Christianity.
And it IS a problem when people ignore the science and insist on the Earth being only a few thousand years old, because it contributes to anti-science and anti-critical thinking.
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