I got into an interesting debate with someone on Facebook recently regarding what he called, "pick and choose Christianity". He stated that the problem with Christianity today was too many "pick and choose Christians" who picked only what they wanted to follow in the Bible and ignored the rest, rather than following the whole thing. My argument back was that we are all pick and choose Christians. No one follows every single command in the Bible. It only bothers us when the things we chose are not the same things as what others chose.
When you read the whole of the Bible, you quickly discover there is some pretty weird stuff in there. In a previous post, I mentioned things people believe are in the Bible but aren't. This time, here are some things that surprisingly ARE in the Bible:
- Anytime a man has a semen emission, he must bathe his whole body but still is unclean all day - "unclean" meaning unable to participate within the community religious observations. (Lev 15)
- Anytime anyone touches a woman who is menstruating, or touches anything the woman has sat on or laid on during her menstruation, they must bathe their body and wash their clothes and are unclean all day. (Lev 15) If a man has sex with a woman during her menstruation, they both must be exiled from the community. (Lev 20)
- You should not wear clothes that are made of more than one kind of material. (Lev 19)
- You should not eat the fat or the blood of animals (Lev 13), nor any part of hoofed animals (like pigs) or rabbits (Lev 11).
- You should forgive all loans after seven years so they're not too burdensome (Deut 15). (Wouldn't that be amazing??)
- You should give wine to someone in distress. (Prov 31:6)
- Women must not style or braid their hair or wear jewelry or expensive clothes (possibly only while in the temple). (1 Tim 2; 1 Pet 3) Women's heads should be covered when worshipping. (1 Cor 11)
- Men must not cut the sides of their hair, trim their beards, or shave their heads (Lev 19, 21).
- It is good for men to remain unmarried and not have sex. (1 Cor 7)
Then of course there are the over 400 verses discussing animal sacrifice.
There’s a lot of stuff in the Bible that we have generally decided no longer applies to us. And likely, rightly so. The Bible was written during a different time and to an entirely different culture - a culture that doesn't even truly exist anymore. Yes, there are still Jewish people, but the Jewish culture following the destruction of the temple, the diaspora, and thousands of years of persecution, has changed significantly.
The New Testament was written to a brand-new church formed in a Jewish and Roman-Greco setting while under enormous amounts of persecution. Things have also changed since the time of the Roman gods and the gladiators.
While the Bible may be God's inherent, perfect Word, it is also grounded in a time and place and audience.
That's not to say the Bible is irrelevant. Not in the least. There is so much we can gain from the Bible about God, about us, about the type of relationship He wants to have with us, and about our salvation. There is wisdom from those who have gone before us. The Bible as the Word of God lives and speaks.
However, if we don't understand the original intent of the Bible to its original audience, we may lose sight of its meaning to us today.
So, how do we know? How do we know which commands we are still held to, and which are cultural to that time and place? What can we learn about God from even those commands which no longer apply?
Theologians have been divided over these questions for thousands of years. I am certainly not going to be able to answer them to everyone's satisfaction in a 700-word blog.
But here are some points about Biblical interpretation that I have gleaned over the years which make sense to me:
1. Pray before and during reading the Bible. I bet most of us would love the opportunity to sit down with the author of our favorite book, so we could ask questions and pick their brains and truly understand what they meant by what they said. God inspired the writing of the Bible. We should ask Him for guidance about what it means to us today.
2. Understand the overarching theme of the Bible. Every verse, every passage, every book of the Bible needs to be viewed through this bigger picture story. Otherwise, we miss the forest for the trees.
The Bible is not meant to be read as a rule book. It's a story of God's relationship with mankind. There are many articles, books, podcasts, and videos on this. Here's a video. Here's a book.
3. Always read a verse in context, rather than on its own. When someone quotes you a verse out of context, go back to the chapter and check it. Read the surrounding verses, but also read about the original author and the original audience, and what was going on at that time. This is also important context. Any good study Bible will help you with this.
4. Consider Jesus' words the lens through which we understand the rest of Scripture.
Jesus said all the law and the prophets (in other words, all of the Old Testament), could be summed up in the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and, Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:36-40)
When considering about whether or not something is good, we should ask ourselves: is this loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind? And, is this thing loving my neighbor as myself? If the answer is no, maybe, or unsure, we might want to consider more carefully or seek wise counsel.
Sometimes our minds lie to us because we want something to be good, even when it is not. This is the importance of staying in touch with God through a Christ-centered church, through Bible reading, and through prayer. The Spirit gives us discernment.
5. Have grace for one another and for ourselves. We won't always get it right. But when we know better, we do better.
Some things are easy.
Bowing before and praying to or worshipping a created image can by no means be "loving God".
Spewing hate at someone because their skin is a different color or they are from a different country or of a different sexual orientation can by no means be "loving my neighbor".
Some things are harder.
Some things, I am still struggling with.
But consider the words of Joseph Fielding Smith: “Remember, everyone has weaknesses, and there are at least two sides to every story. If you err in judgment, be sure to err on the side of love and mercy.”
I want to err on the side of love, don't you?
What have you found helpful in following Scripture?
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