Importance of Careful Bible Study

 (2 Timothy 2:15)

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

(1 Timothy 6:3-5)

(3) If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,

(4) he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,

(5) and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

Spiritual maturity does not come through reckless Bible study it takes careful discipline and hard work, even in the basics like how we study Scripture. The vital role of God’s Word in our spiritual growth is the pattern by which it transforms our lives. However, that process hinges on how we approach the Bible and seek to understand it. Your spiritual growth can be stalled or even derailed by uninformed teaching and bad hermeneutics.

You have probably seen firsthand the willy-nilly way some people approach Scripture. Looking for “a word from the Lord,” some play a game of Bible roulette, flipping at random through their Bibles, looking for something that seems applicable to whatever trial or needs they are facing. When they find something that sort of applies to their situation, they treat it as a special revelation from the Lord just for them.

Hunting and pecking through Scripture will not produce mature believers. It is far more likely to hinder your spiritual growth than to build up your faith and understanding.

You might have heard the story of a man who was wrestling with a major decision and decided to close his eyes, open his Bible, put his finger down, and get guidance from whatever verse his finger happened to light on. His first try brought him to

(Matthew 27:5 NASB)

"And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself."

Judas went and hanged himself. Since that verse was not really much help, he made a second attempt. This time his finger landed on 

(Luke 10:37 NASB)

And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

Not ready to give up yet, he tried one more time. His finger came to rest on Jesus’ words in 

(John 13:27)

After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."

This story makes an important point: looking for meaning in Scripture beyond its historical, grammatical, and logical context is unwise and even potentially dangerous. It is possible to provide evidence to support or prove almost any unbiblical idea of false teaching with Scripture if you are willing to twist and distort its original meaning. That is precisely how most of the cults use Scripture to support their false doctrines.

The task of hermeneutics is to discover the meaning of the text in its proper setting, to draw meaning from Scripture rather than reading one’s preconceived idea into it.

The importance of careful biblical interpretation can hardly be overstated. Misinterpreting the Bible is ultimately no better than disbelieving it. What good does it do to agree that the Bible is God’s final, complete revelation, and then misinterpret it? The result is still the same: one misses God’s truth. Interpreting Scripture to make it say what it never intended to say is a sure road to division, error, heresy, and apostasy. Yet look around at how casually contemporary evangelicalism approaches Bible interpretation! Scripture is routinely stretched, bent out of the normal shape, and twisted to the point of not being recognizable. Rather than do the hard work of study and careful interpretation of a text, especially of scripture, other people are encouraged to have nothing to do with wise counsel and mature guidance, and instead seek some method of interpretation like based on what one feels to be true without conscious reasoning.

Perhaps you have been in one of those “Bible studies” where everyone in the room and shares an opinion about the verse in question. “Well to me, this verse means such and such.” In the end, what you have is usually not a proper, biblical understanding but a pooling of everyone's ignorance, along with several potential interpretations of the verse, all of which may be wrong, and the truth is, it does not matter what a verse means to me, or anyone else. All that matters is what the verse means is to the speaker. Every verse of Scripture has underlying meaning apart from anyone's interpretation, and it has that true meaning whether or not we have ever considered it.

The task of Bible study is to discern the true meaning of Scripture, to understand what God is saying in the text. Sometimes the meaning is quickly evident; other times it requires a closer look at the context. I admit I have encountered some passages I simply cannot fully understand. However, the fact remains every jot and tittle of Scripture carries only the intended meaning of the author, and the task of the interpreter is to discern what that is.

  Grove Oak Church