Diving Into the Depths

The Bible is the Word of God and is "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16) to be read under the guidance of the holy spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). The holy book is pretty large (not larger than the Harry Potter series though), and it can be hard to read (if you read the archaic versions). Plus, it can be dull, depending on your taste in storytelling. However, it is the single most influential book in the world, giving birth to religions, innumerable historical events, works of art, and forever imprinting on the minds and spirits of humanity the world over.

Maybe it'd be important to fully read it?

Although I'd referred to and read through much of the Bible from an early age, I'd never completely digested the entire work until I was in my twenties. I'm an English literature major, and the one book all English literature points to - I hadn't fully read. Add in the fact that I'm a Christian who hadn't read the entire book on which my faith was based. It made no sense. I read it from front to back, and when I closed Revelations, it was like a spark of joy was in my heart and not just because now I could say I read it. It is a book of hope and love, spanning thousands of years, a story of God's journey into humanity's hearts.

I'm not a clergywoman nor have I been to seminary school, but through life experience and studying the Bible since my childhood, I've developed some skills - a very particular set of skills... ;) Some of these skills, I actually picked up while developing my degree in analyzing literature.

When reading the Bible, as with any document, it's important to understand and keep in mind the speaker, the audience (for whom the speaker intended to impart the information), the time period, the context, and whether the work is literal or symbolic.

Consider the source. The speakers within the Bible were people (imagine that!) with points of view and a different world in which they lived. Remember another post where I said Christianity has open-handed and close-handed issues? Some issues are mandatory for salvation and to be considered a Christian (i.e. Jesus died for our sins). Some issues are gray areas in which opinions may differ (i.e. Christmas should be celebrated). The speakers within the various Biblical books may speak on both types of issues. You need to know (or discover) which is God-mandated and which is opinion. The world in which these speakers lived was so utterly different from our own, from the government systems to the clothes on their backs. Another point about speakers: sometimes, they get it wrong. For example, check out the book of Job and his desperate, confused friends (possibly the most emo book of the Bible, besides Ecclesiastes). Keep in mind the source.

It's not always about you. Paul wrote many letters to the churches of his time, and they are all necessary to read in order to understand the fundamentals of our beliefs. However, much of what he wrote was to church leaders and concerned the running and organization of physical churches. Unless you are involved in that arena, you're not his audience. Also, Numbers is mostly a list of names of whom begat whom. It's a good reference for historians and genealogists but a terribly boring story.

Times are a'changin. Biblical and Rabbinic ideas have generally been at odds with the popular viewpoints of the world since always (source: the entire Bible/Torah/History books and how many deaths, tortures, and general ostracism was faced by believers). It's a book of rebels and resistance, but it's also a guidebook on how to be true to God's principles while living in a dark world, whatever that dark world looked like in that era. Some of what is asked may simply be about not causing weaker believers to stumble in their faith, which differed from time period to time period. See Romans 14:13-23.

Context is of utmost importance. If you randomly pull a verse from the Bible, you may come up with an incorrect conclusion on the main idea it was meant to convey. How about the phrase "Money is the root of all evil." Nope! That was taken out of context. Here's the real verse:

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." 1 Timothy 6:10

Ah, well, that's a different beast, you see? There is also a time when Paul stated the following:

"I'm telling those who are single and widows that it's good for them to stay single like me." 1 Corinthians 7:8

Is he telling you to be alone all your life or become a monk? Read on.

"Nevertheless, each person should live the kind of life that the Lord assigned when he called each one." 1 Corinthians 7:17

Please don't stop at one sentence, even if books, articles, or posts like this one is referencing only one. We can't plop the whole book into the middle of our work. Read the whole paragraph or book. Ideally, read the whole Bible.

Much of the literal vs. symbolic is up for debate. Sometimes, God is riding on a cloud ("the Lord is riding on a swift cloud" Isaiah 19:1) when maybe He wasn't literally. Does God riding on a cloud change something about your faith or the foundations of your beliefs? If not, have a hardy discussion, but in the end, shake hands and enjoy the Bible for what it is: a work of art manifested by Truth. Some of the Bible has poetry and song, utilizing imagery to convey a message. It's based in truth, but it's not always literal - unless you think it is, and we can agree to disagree but still love the same God.

These were just some ideas of things to keep in mind when reading the Bible because you're totally reading it, aren't you? Just remember, the Bible is not a single, huge book. It is made up of many books, many writers, many time periods, and the works range from poetry, to records of engineering plans, to genealogical lists, to songs (of romantic love to Godly praise), to short stories, to annals of history, to letters (of friendship, guidance, and journal-type), to prophecies, to records of wise sayings. In a way, it's both a love letter from God to us and from us to God. Don't complain that you're not hearing from God lately; He wrote you a love letter that transcends time and space.

Will you read it?