I see it all the time. People tell me they are doing Bible study, but what they are actually doing is watching videos and reading books about the Bible. This, of course, is not Bible study. And it’s terrible for one’s growth and maturity.
The more we separate from God and His word, the more we pick up false doctrines and beliefs. The more we pick up false doctrines and beliefs, the more they become ingrained in our thinking. The more ingrained these bad doctrines and beliefs become in our thinking, the harder it is to break free from them. Taken to its fullest extent, we become not followers of God but followers of a favorite preacher, theologian, or author. It’s their word and will that we meditate on and obey…not God’s.
Degrees of Separation
The concept of degrees of separation is a measure of how far we have strayed from the source. Each degree of separation is another step away from the source. And, each step away from the source increases the chances we will receive bad information. Given enough steps away from the source, we can become so far removed that it’s impossible to correctly understand the source materials.
The Source: Direct Revelation
Hearing directly from God or His Spirit is, of course, THE authority on the word and will of God. This is the source of all instruction, commandment, and wisdom.
One Degree of Separation: The Scriptures
Everything recorded by the Prophets and the Apostles is the next best thing to speaking directly with God. The scriptures are faithful records of what God told or showed His servants; they are direct, first-person, accounts of all that was said and done.
The weakness of scripture is we can’t ask clarifying questions. People like Abraham, Moses, Habakkuk, or John could directly ask clarifying or follow-up questions of God and Messiah. We only have the written record of what those people of the past observed and recorded.
The scriptures are difficult to understand on our own. We must put in time and hard work to understand them, and we rely on God’s guidance to succeed.
Two Degrees of Separation: Translations of Scripture
When the scriptures are translated from the original texts to a new language, that is an additional degree of separation from the source. God told His servants, the servants of God wrote it down, then scholars re-wrote the texts into a new language. When we read a translation, we are getting the translator’s interpretation of what the scriptures say and how they should be rendered.
The weaknesses of translations are twofold: First, the human scholars making the translations are fallible. No matter how faithful and meticulous scholars are, there is always margin for error. Second, linguistic differences between language and culture make exact (perfect) translation impossible.
Something is always lost in translation, and these misunderstandings increase the probability of error in doctrine and understanding.
Three Degrees of Separation: Commentary
Commentaries add an additional degree of separation from the source. In the worst-case scenario, the commentary is based on a translation, which means one is getting a human interpretation of a translation of the record of what people received from God.
How Does This Help Your Study?
If God is the source, and you want to understand His word and will, then you have to get as close to the source as possible. The more you stray away from the source, the more likely you are to make mistakes and pick up bad doctrines and traditions.
Use the concept of degrees of separation to gauge your study. Are you studying the Bible? Are you going back to the original-language texts? Or, are you dependent on book and video commentaries of the Bible? Are you in a Bible study group that searches the scriptures for truth? Or, are you in a small group that watches videos and reads books by popular authors?
If you are attending a small group that focuses on food, conversation, and commentary…please recognize how far you have gotten away from God. Once you are honest with yourself, acknowledging the gap between your study and God’s source, please make correction. Go back to the scriptures. Encourage the other members of your group to go back to the scriptures. And ask God to provide you with His guidance.
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