My Writings.
How to Read, Examine, and Understand the Bible V
// May 17th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blogs, Featured Articles
Well, at this point, we are ready for Principle #2. Principle #2 is “Use Simple Observation to Determine What is Present.” This begins with the simple…read, reread, and re-reread. Again (from Principle #1), as you are reading, have an ear open to the voice of the Holy Spirit. You will be amazed by what you gain in understanding by simply “camping out” in a passage in this way.
This kind of reading is very much like meditating. The Biblical discipline of meditation is the least appreciated, most underutilized, but possibly the most important of all the disciplines encouraged in Scripture. Biblical meditation is far different from the unfruitful discipline practiced by the middle eastern religions. Rather than “emptying your mind,” Biblical meditation is the practice of allowing your heart and mind to be filled by “chewing on” or “pondering on” God, His works, or a passage or a verse, much like a cow chews on its’ cud. A cow chews on the grass, swallows it, partially digests it, brings it up to the mouth and chews again on it…and repeats this action several times. It’s the necessary process for the cow to successfully digest food. Continue Reading
How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible IV
// May 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blogs, Featured Articles
Again, just as a reminder, as we delve deeper into this…the rest of these principles on growing in “How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible” are simply to assist us in hearing the Holy Spirit as we read God’s Word, which is our first and foundational principle.
The rest of the principles address the “how to’s” of Apostle Paul’s fatherly exhortation to his spiritual son and protege, Timothy…
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 NASU
How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible III
// May 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blogs, Featured Articles
Heading into our first principle of reading and examining Spirit-breathed Scripture in such a way that we are assured of understanding the “spiritual words” that we read, it is essential that we embrace the following declaration from Apostle Paul…
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God…he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Cor 2:14 NASU
It’s absolutely a prerequisite for us to understand God’s Word, that you and I are sold on this truth. We must embrace wholeheartedly, without reservation, that God’s Word is spiritual and the natural man doesn’t have the first clue about it. The natural man can read, reread, re-reread, and read again the Scriptures and still not gain any understanding of what he reads. The natural man can meditate on the Word and be found just as dumbfounded about it as a 2 year old child. The natural man can study the Word and still be as perplexed as a monkey about the intention of the Writer of the Scriptures. The natural man can pray as he reads the Word and still be as confused as a lion paralyzed by the 3-legs of a lion-tamers stool.
Embracing this weakness of the natural man is called humility. It cuts directly against the arrogance of the flesh, but agrees one hundred percent with the Spirit’s position on understanding His Word. The flesh is in opposition to the Spirit (Rom 8:7), disagreeing with the Spirit of God along every point of our journey. But, humility is the position to receive grace (James 4:6). You and I can’t receive grace-given unless we are humble in our heart. God gives grace, only to the humble, but, to the proud He does not give grace, but rather, He resists them (1 Peter 5:5).
So, now you might say, “Ok, I can’t understand God’s word, but God fully expects me to understand God’s word (Mark 12:24)…where do I go from here?” Where you go is…to depend completely on the Holy Spirit to give you understanding, to illuminate the Word to you, to teach you and give you understanding of His words.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things… John 14:26 NASU
This Scripture leads us directly to Principle #1…
–>
Listen
to the Voice of the Holy Spirit as You Read God’s Word
Every other principle that I’ll share in later posts about gaining understanding of God’s word, has one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to put us in the best position to hear clearly the voice of the Holy Spirit teaching us about His own words.
If you want to understand God’s thoughts, the Holy Spirit must teach them to you because He’s the only One that knows God’s thoughts…
“…the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” 1 Cor 2:11 NASU
So, as you read the Bible, be sure to ask, believing for, the Holy Spirit to teach you. Let me assure you, if you ask, believing and not doubting, for the Holy Spirit to teach you His word, He will do just that. Just be sure to listen to His voice as you read. He has never, never let me down…nor has the Holy Spirit disappointed any man throughout history regarding this principle. Stay tuned for additional tips on understanding God’s word!
