It’s almost an axiom among those who think & talk about
Bible interpretation: We are always prone to understand the text of Scripture
thru our own lens of experience, priorities, & understanding.
Western believers (& it’s probably not limited to us) have
a tendency to read, understand, & apply the Bible based on our personal,
individual, immediate situation. This is assumed when we say things like “The
Bible is God’s love letter to me.” Or, “What promise, command, etc. is being
given to me in this passage of Scripture?”
In a very subtle way, we are buying into the idea that the
Holy Book we want to know & follow is the “Me Bible.”
I’d like to rain just a little bit on that parade by
suggesting a different lens thru which to read & study the Bible.
If you look at the list of books in the Bible, you will first
see 5 books (Genesis-Deuteronomy) which were written to a group of people – God’s
covenant people, the nation of Israel. The stories (really the whole historical
redemptive process) & laws given there were to be known, remembered, understood,
& obeyed by God’s people. My point is that God was speaking & revealing
Himself to a people, not just to random individuals.
Then if you look at the rest of the Old Testament, it is a
series of history, wisdom literature, prophetic books, etc. calling God’s
people to be faithful to or to return to the Covenant He had made with them.
Again, He was communicating with a nation & not just individuals.
Ditto the New Testament. The Gospels were written by
individuals (Matthew was by Matthew, not for Matthew). Of course Luke was
written for an individual named or nicknamed Theophilus). But Mark & John
were originally written for use by congregations.
Interestingly, most of the books (with the exception of the
Pastoral Letters 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, & Philemon) were written to
existing congregations. We know this either by the title (1 & 2
Corinthians, etc.) or by reading the text of the books.
What I’m saying is this: when we read something like
Philippians 1:6 or Romans 8:28, it might be enlightening to try understanding these
promises in the context of a congregation, rather than only how they apply to Good
Old Number One.
We’ve each been reading the “Me Bible” for a long time.
Maybe it’s time to open up the “We Bible” to see what it says.
