Trading in fortune cookies for Biblical understanding (3/3)

(This is part 3 of 3 of a series on Biblical exegesis. If you haven't yet, please read parts 1 and 2 before reading part 3.)

If we take the Bible seriously by reading large portions at a time, trying to understand the gist of entire books, connecting each sentence to the one before it, etc., we may not agree on exactly what it’s saying, but we will have a more truly Biblical basis less corrupted by our own philosophy and agenda. God’s Spirit will work through this understanding to further add to our understanding of Jesus Christ as God.

Here are some practical steps we can take:

Get some decent background materials to fill you in on the world the Biblical authors were writing in. One I’m reading right now is Introducing the Old Testament by John Drane. I’m loving this book. It is written from a scholarly perspective but is not hostile to Christianity. It is honest about when books were likely written, the accuracy of the early stories of Israel’s history, etc.

Ultimately, I recommend purchasing a copy of the International Bible Society’s “Books of the Bible” and making it your regular reading Bible. Besides having great book introductions and a more sensible book order, it gets rid of all the numbers and inserts more thoughtful passage breaks, making it natural and easy to read the Bible with the intention of figuring what you’re reading is actually about.

Most people I present this idea to contend that the reference advantage of chapters and verses are too advantageous to shirk, but “Books of the Bible” still keeps the numbers in the corner so that you can find the general area. What it does do is force you to see the context in which the passage being referenced is in. What a shame!

Since I have started using “Books of the Bible” I started a full read-through of the book and am currently in the middle of Kings. My understanding of Genesis-Samuel has increased ten-fold by reading this Bible.

No matter what the solution, though, it is time to trade in our fortune cookies for a true understanding of the Bible, if we want the good book to direct our faith in Jesus.

A final note: Will I be citing scripture on this site?

I make it my goal at this point to never cite scripture in the format “Book #:##,” even if I’m talking to someone in person. Instead, I’d rather say, “In the middle of Book X, when Character X is doing Y, the prophet Z says to him, ‘blah blah blah blah.’” Not only will this force me to recognize the context of the scripture I am sharing, but it will force the person I’m talking to to think about where the verse is coming from as well.

I intend to employ the same strategy on this blog.