How to read the Bible

College term is now 2 weeks old, and we are getting into the swing of the various classes. One of the things that we have considered in more than one class is the way in which we approach the reading of Scripture.

What I mean by that is that we come to the Word of God with our own presuppositions (not all of them unhelpful) and read through those lens. Some of these are simply things that we bring from the culture in which we live. For example in the prosperous northern hemisphere, we have become very sophisticated, and so will try to reinterpret some of the miraculous events with our more "advanced" reasoning. In many less developed countries, the concept of healing and other supernatural events is more easily accepted as it is part and parcel of many of their cultures.

Of course, the central message of the Bible is for all nations at all times, Jesus saving work was for people throughout the world, and reading about God's salvation plan in his word has application everywhere. People all have basically the same spiritual needs and need the same Saviour.

However, we must be careful not to think that the Bible was written specifically with us in the northern hemisphere in the 21st century in mind. The original readers' lifestyles would have been more like those in other parts of the world. We need to first see what it meant to those for whom it was written, and THEN apply it to ourselves, realising that the particular applications will vary from place to place, even though the central message is relevant to all.

Let's rejoice that God is a God of the whole world.