5 Dangers of Bible Study

"Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  2 Timothy 2:15

"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God my be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  2 Timothy 3:14-17

"as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue."  1 Peter 1:3

"These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."  Acts 17:11

Obviously, Bible study is necessary in the Christian life.  How else are we going to know how God wants us to live?  The problem comes in when we study improperly or incompletely.

Here are 5 areas where we need to be careful when studying God's Word:

1.  Eisogesis - Reading into the scriptures.  This happens when we take our assumptions, opinions, and the "what we've always been taught" mentality, and try to make the scriptures fit our ideas.  Eisogesis can be done with larger passages of scripture.  Many people are led astray by something that sounds right, but is not at all what the scriptures say.  Rather, we should always come to God's Word with an open heart and mind.  Put aside our preconceived notions and just read, study, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us.  We need to make sure we are pulling out of scripture what God has put there for us to learn.

2.  Proof Texting - Similar to eisogesis, this is done when someone takes a small passage, usually one or two verses, and pulls it out of it's context in order to support a belief or doctrine.  Context is imperative when studying God's Word.  First, take the verse you found to prove your point and read the entire passage surrounding it.  Does it still make sense?  Now read a bit more, maybe the whole book that it is written in.  Was it written for a specific people group?  How does it connect with the rest of Scriptures?  After you have done some significant study and have looked at every angle, and have found multiple other passages that connect with the one verse you found, now see what belief you have come to.  Possibly, your initial belief was correct, and now you know why you believe that way.  Often times, you'll discover that you were a little off course (sometimes way off course) and now you have gleaned some new truths from God's word!

3.  Wrong Interpretation - There are three phases in Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application.  If you don't take a good amount of time in observation, you will likely come to an incorrect interpretation.  If you don't have the right interpretation, then your application will be way off.  2 Peter 1:19-21 shows us that God's word is not open to our own interpretation.  Scriptures were written by the Holy Spirit moving through holy men of God and it means exactly what God intended it to mean.  We don't get to interpret God's word any way we want to.  When we have the proper understanding, then we can accurately apply it to our life.

4.  Laziness - Most people miss so much from scripture out of sheer laziness.  It takes work, time, and effort to study God's Word.  It takes patience, waiting for God to bring things together in your heart as you continually search His word.  It requires some digging into the culture, language, and the overarching theme of scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.  Maybe laziness seems too harsh to call it, but what excuses do you make for not digging into scriptures?  Are you just too busy?  Do you quit trying because you don't understand it?  Let me encourage you to spend time in God's word.  Give something up if you need to.  Wake up earlier, go to bed later, take your Bible to work and read on your lunch break.  Get a journal and write down what God's showing you.  Take the time to study God's Word.

5.  Being a Know-it-All - 1 Corinthians 8:1b-2 "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.  And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know."  The more I learn about scriptures, the more I realize I have so much more to learn.  There is a level of danger when someone begins to think they know all there is to know about scripture.  It's important that we learn God's word, that we know what we believe and why we believe it.  2 Peter 3:14-18 warns us of "untaught and unstable people" who twist God's word.  We are encouraged to be steadfast, studying God's word so that we aren't led astray by those who misrepresent the scriptures.  Knowledge is important so that we know how to live, not so we can be put on some kind of pedestal for what we know.  Knowledge is also important so that we are able to teach and disciple those behind us without leading them astray.  (Hebrews 5:12-14, Matthew 28:20, Titus 2:3-5)

Here is how I have described taking in knowledge for the sake of knowledge:  Picture your life as a sponge.  If you rarely put any water into a sponge, and you sit it on the counter top and forget about it, it's going to dry out and become cracked and brittle over time.  If you constantly fill it up with water but never use it or wring it out, then you'll have a moldy, stinky mess before too long. To keep that sponge fresh and usable, it needs constant intake and output of water.  So it is in the christian life.  We need constant intake of God's word so we can grow, learn, and become more like Christ.  However, if all we ever do is take it in and we never put it into action, pass it on to others through teaching, discipleship, or service then we will become what I call the "know-it-all".  We may have all the knowledge, but our lives will stink.

Remember, the bottom line is that we need to be in God's word.  Bible study is imperative to the growth of a christian.  When's the last time you did a personal Bible study?  Choose a person, or a book of the Bible, or a specific topic that interests you and start digging!  Begin with your Bible and a concordance, and then go on to commentaries.  Seek guidance from your Pastor, or a respected teacher who can help show you how to dig deeper.  Take your time, find as much as you can about what you're studying.  Look up the history and culture to better understand what's going on.  I find that continually reading through the Bible over and over again in tandem with specific studies helps me gain a better understanding as it keeps the overall context of God's word in front of me.  I would LOVE to hear from you about what you are learning from God's word!  I love getting input and questions from other sisters in Christ.  I don't have all the answers, but I love walking along side another sister to help find the answers together!  Let me know what you're studying!!

To learn more on how to study the Bible, I recommend "Living by the Book" by Howard Hendricks 

How Distracted Are You?

World hunger.  Disease.  Orphans.  Poverty.  Crime.  Abuse.  Disaster.  These are just a few of the billions of problems in our world today.  It doesn't matter what city you live in, just take a walk down any street and you will find SOMETHING that needs to be done.  Someone will need food, a new roof, the driveway shoveled, a tire changed.  Walk further and you'll find a woman who needs to get out of a dangerous situation.  You'll see children being mistreated.  Keep going.... what else do you see?

You might think that this post is going to be all about social justice, prodding you to do more to help all these people.  Get involved, join a cause, help everyone!  Well, I am sorry to disappoint, but what I have to say is quite the opposite.  Sort of.

Overwhelmed.  Scattered.  Disoriented.  Frazzled.  These words describe the person who is constantly busy "doing good" for others.  I'm talking about the "Martha's" out there.  Those women who work all day in the kitchen and then get mad that they didn't get to just "visit".  It's those who give a dollar at every bank, every grocery store, every gas station every time they have a fund raiser to help feed the starving children.  It's the mom who spends every second of every day doing things for her family.  "Martha's" tend to always be on the go, always busy, and most of the time they wear it as a badge of honor.  I'm not saying that it's wrong to give, to help, or to serve.  On the contrary, we are called to  give, help, and serve, but we are not called to EVERY need.

Before you quit reading, let me share what God's Word says and explain why this is on my heart.

Luke 10:38-42 "Now it happened as they went that He (Jesus) entered a certain village;  and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was DISTRACTED WITH MUCH SERVING, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me.'  And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'"     

I capitalized the words "distracted with much serving" because it's a tendency I have and that's what has spurred on this post.  Most women read this passage and relate themselves as either a "Mary" or a "Martha".  I believe that we should be both.  Jesus didn't tell Martha not to serve, nor did He tell Mary to get up and help.  He had to show Martha in this moment that she was DISTRACTED with her service.  She had let the kitchen work get in the way of spending quality time with Him. 

There are a lot of "service" opportunities in this world, but we have to focus on hearing from the Lord to allow Him to guide our steps.  He will call us to service, and we need to obey and follow His call.   Jesus does not measure our worth based on what we do or how much we do.  We were worth dying for while we were still living in our sin. (Romans 5:8)  If Jesus loved us enough to die for us, even while we were rejecting Him, then how could He possibly love us any more?  Nothing I do in service is going to add merit to my life in the eyes of Christ.  Because I have trusted in Jesus Christ as my savior, I am covered by His righteousness and that is how God see's me, regardless of how many "good things" I am doing.   It is very easy for us as Christians to fall into the trap of being "distracted with much service".  That's why it's so important to choose only what God has placed before us.  Let God make your schedule each day.  He won't overload you.  (Matthew 11:28-30)

I haven't posted anything since May.  God has been teaching me so much since He changed our lives this year.  I have had to adjust as He re-directed my life and priorities.  I was becoming overwhelmed by things that I never thought would bother me.  This is where I had to come back to: Balance.  Doing only what God gives me to do each day. Accepting that I can't do every little thing that I see needs to be done. I can't help everyone in every situation.  I have to trust God in my home, my church, and my career and follow only the steps He gives me each and every day.  When I sit at His feet to hear His word,  He shows me what He wants me to do. 

What are you distracted with that is taking you away from your relationship building time with God?  Are you overwhelmed with "doing good"?  When's the last time you simply sat as His feet and heard His word?