Back in the 1990’s I would go to a congregation, meet people, and I would be invited to a Wednesday night Bible study. When I went to the study group, I took my Bible and everyone else brought theirs. Someone led the group, we’d pray, then we’d open our Bibles and read them. The group leader would provide some insights into the text, and we’d pause here and there to discuss the interpretation of the text. That was Bible study.
Twenty years later, in the 2010’s… I go to a congregation, I meet people, and they tell me they have a “small group” on Wednesday night. I go to the small group, and I’m the only one bringing my Bible. We pray to bless the food, we eat, we make small talk, then we watch a video. When the video is done, we have a short and shallow discussion of what we thought about the video. Then the evening is over.
What happened to studying the Bible?!
The Need to Study
Now, I know the scenario I described above is not every small group everywhere in existence. But, it is a growing trend that I’ve seen in multiple congregations over the past few years. Generally speaking, there is a movement away from formal Bible study and towards a relaxed group of friends hanging out. My experience and observation has been that the people hanging out once a week to eat pizza, make small talk, and watch a movie…they really don’t know very much about the Bible.
People seem increasingly less able to discuss the Bible, to discuss doctrine, or to defend what they believe. We’re supposed to always be ready to give a defense of our faith, but it seems like people are increasingly less able to do so. People seem much more engrossed by the ideas and beliefs of their favorite authors and theologians than what God has said. And I blame this trend on the lack of interest and zeal for studying the scriptures.
Common weaknesses I see as a result of the “dinner and a movie” model include:
- Not understanding the basic structure and teachings of the Bible
- Not understanding advanced concepts of the Bible
- Not being able to adequately discuss doctrine
- Not being able to adequately test doctrine
- Not being able to resolve apparent discrepancies in the Bible
- Becoming fully indoctrinated in the beliefs of a favorite author or preacher
- Focusing on non-essential issues or conspiracy-theories
Sample Problem: I Know Where the Ark of the Covenant is
I’ve seen this happen in two different congregations now. People read a book where an author proposes to know exactly where the Ark of the Covenant is. Apparently, there are multiple authors who know exactly where the Ark of the Covenant is, and they’re prepared to tell you for the low, low, price of $19.95 plus shipping. Incredibly, all these authors provide a different location than one another.
At one congregation, I was teaching classes and had a student excitedly share with the class this book he read about the Ark of the Covenant. According to this book, the Ark is under Golgotha. I was told when Jesus was crucified, his blood dropped to the ground, soaked through the earth, and landed on top of the Ark. I was given a great deal of rich symbolism of the Messiah’s atoning blood upon the mercy seat of the Ark… And then I showed the student Revelation 11 where, in verse 19, John was shown the Ark in God’s temple in heaven. I proposed the following reasoning:
1. The Ark has been missing for thousands of years, and nobody has been able to find it despite all their resources and efforts.
2. God showed John the Ark is in heaven, which could reasonably explain why nobody has ever been able to find it on earth.
3. Other than being shown the Ark in Revelation 11:19, there is no Biblical record of where the Ark is or when mankind will find it.
4. If we continue through the end of Revelation, we see the temple in heaven descending to the new earth. Biblically speaking, this is the only known point in time we will again have access to the Ark of the Covenant. All other theories and conjectures come from outside the Bible.
5. How in the world could this author possibly know the Ark is under Golgotha? If God showed the author the Ark is under Golgotha then God contradicted the vision he gave John, and that would be a big problem.
At another congregation, someone shared with us that he read the Ark is under the western part of the temple ruins. Again, this knowledge was obtained from studying something outside the Bible. The man who shared this belief in the Ark’s location is fully convinced it’s true, but what is his conviction based on? Some author’s book? Some internet article? Some compelling story that touched him on an emotional level?
This is what happens when believers study books and videos other than the Bible. People are convinced by a compelling story, or they’re predisposed to believe a favorite author or preacher. They read these books, watch these videos, and rely on this information to form their doctrines and beliefs. They focus on non-essential theories or they adopt bad doctrines, because they pursued something other than the direct word of God.
We need to get back to foundational study of scripture.
What Bible Study is
I asked my daughter, “What is Bible study?”
My daughter answered, “Reading the Bible.”
She must have a good rabbi…
Bible study is approaching the scriptures with an intent to objectively understand God’s truth. We don’t read the Bible to affirm our doctrines, beliefs, and traditions. We don’t read the Bible to load up on ammo so we can beat our rivals and justify ourselves as right. No, we should always be seeking a genuine understanding of what God said and what God wants for us. We must be prepared to accept that deeply held doctrines and beliefs could actually be false and might have to be discarded as we gain greater understanding. Even doctrines that have been immensely popular for centuries, that entire denominations are built on, that millions of people agree are true…they could be false.
Bible study is reading the Bible. It is studying the Bible. It is seeking an understanding of what the Bible records as truth.
What Bible Study is Not
Bible study is not getting indoctrinated by our favorite pastor, preacher, or Sunday-school teacher. We shouldn’t look for what a person believes about the Bible or what a person thinks is the right interpretation of the Bible. The role of a teacher or preacher is to call us to study and to guide us in our study and growth–not to dictate to us what is true and what we are to think and believe. The Bible is truth; the teacher guides us to truth until we obtain mastery. The Biblical model of discipleship is master and apprentice, where the apprentice is expected to gain mastery then repeat the process. Our purpose is not to idolize a particular master and assume his teachings are always right.
Bible study is not watching videos or reading books about the Bible. We don’t approach any other topic of study in this manner, so why the Bible? Marines aren’t trained by having new recruits watch “Full Metal Jacket”. Math students aren’t taught calculus by having them watch “Stand and Deliver”. Why are so many people leaving their Bibles home and going to a weekly movie? How can we think to passively listen to some preacher or author tell us what the Bible says and we’ll somehow know the Bible that way?
How to Approach Bible Study
I’ve had people tell me they don’t know how to study the Bible. They don’t know where to begin, what to read, or how to interpret the texts. These are common obstacles that can cause people to be intimidated or to blindly follow a trusted teacher. What people need is a solid study method so they can approach the scriptures for themselves.
At Bokim Ministries, we teach a study method to help students approach the Biblical texts. The purpose of the study method is not to impart doctrine but to give students the tools to seek God’s truth on their own. Only when a student knows how to study, and has done so, can he or she begin to evaluate, test, or defend doctrine.
The Bokim Ministries study method is comprised of the following components:
Language — We must go back to the original language of the Bible, not rely solely on English translations. We must understand idioms, metaphors, figurative language, poetic language, conjunctions, etc. The Bible is a text; therefore, a thorough understanding of language is essential to correctly reading and interpreting it.
Context — We must study in context. This includes reading the text in its entirety, understanding cultural and historic context of the authors and events, and understanding how scripture relates to scripture. Most erroneous doctrines and beliefs stem from taking text out of context, events out of context, or assuming the authors think and write like us.
Reasoning — We must use valid reasoning to interpret the Bible. We have to avoid assumption, speculation, rhetoric, fallacious argument, or other errors that lead to false conclusions. This is a learned skill; it must be trained and disciplined. We must overcome a lifetime of training in subjective opinion and emotional decision-making. We must overcome a lifetime of trained biases that snare us in dogmatism.
Testing — We must test our reasoning to prove our conclusions are sound. If we’ve reasoned well, we should be able to test our premises and prove or disprove them. And we must test everything, never assuming a person or a deeply held belief is true.
Call to Action
Just as having a live teacher can be of value to study, so can a teacher’s books or videos be of value to our study. My message isn’t that all books and videos apart from the Bible are garbage; there is some good information to be obtained from some of these books and videos. However, when we rely solely on reading those books and watching those videos then it’s a problem.
To read the Bible is to study the Bible
To not read the Bible is to not study the Bible
To study the Bible is to seek God’s teachings
To not study the Bible is to not seek God’s teachings
To seek God’s teachings is to be indoctrinated in His word
To not seek God’s teachings is to become indoctrinated in someone else’s word
Please devote your time and hard work to studying scripture. If you have a small group that spends its weeks watching video series after video series, please make the switch to God’s word. You can still eat together and be friends; but, make your fellowship and study revolve around God and His Bible. Don’t replace Bible study with studying something else.
Follow us on Facebook and join the discussion.