I’m lying on my stomach on the couch, Bible spread out in front of me, my notebook in hand, and all around me I can hear the sounds of my kids on their tablets issuing various bleeps and bloops sound effects that neither edify nor build up. I'm struck by the responsibility we have to properly understand and handle God's Word and teach my kids to do the same… and how lax I sometimes get. I was content this morning to put what is worthless in front of their eyes while I studied the Word.. I was willing to let them dine on Twinkies while I ate a filet mignon. HOW DARE I DO SUCH A THING! This isn't just another book on our shelves, no, it's the very breath of God that He committed to writing for His people.

So I thought, “Why not take a minute to gather some thoughts on Scripture itself? What is the Bible and how do I read and understand it? What is it’s place in my life and by what hermeneutic do I focus my understanding of Scripture?”  Here’s a few of the basics:

There are Four Pillars of Scripture

Divine Authority

The words we find in Scripture aren't merely ancient wisdom, they are literally God's own words. When we read "Thus says the LORD" throughout the Old Testament, we're encountering the same authoritative voice that spoke the universe into existence. Every word carries His full authority. As Wayne Grudem said in his book, Christian Beliefs 20 Basics Every Christian Should Know, “to disbelieve scripture is to disbelieve God Himself”.  Since I was not there at the foundation of the world and my meager life isn’t even a blip on the radar of history, I would tread very carefully to make much of my thoughts in relationship to HIS.

Perfect Clarity

Even my little Rylan, the RyGuy, can grasp basic biblical truths. The Bible is written so that all things necessary for salvation and Christian living are clear. When we encounter difficult passages, the problem lies not with Scripture, but with our own limitation in understanding the text. There are difficult passages, absolutely…but like the disciples themselves, sometimes we need time and a clearer view of the full picture to  grab hold of these passages, however the text itself is written to make even the most foolish of us wise.

Absolute Necessity

Just as I provide daily food for my children, our spiritual lives require constant feeding on God's Word. Without Scripture we cannot … IT IS IMPOSSIBLE…to know God personally or understand His will for our lives. As Jesus said, “we don't live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

This isn't just helpful advice to make us feel spiritual… it's a matter of spiritual life and death. Augustine wrote that Scripture contains everything necessary to make us "wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” There is nothing else but His word that reveals to us His heart of love and plan of redemption. 

While creation reveals God's power and divine nature, without Scripture we would be like children lost in darkness, unable to find our way. But through His Word, God has provided the light we need. As the psalmist clearly says "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Complete Sufficiency

As Tiff and I prepare for little Micah's arrival, I'm reminded that Scripture contains everything we need for faith and godliness. We don't need extra-biblical revelations or modern innovations or books on parenting and raising children, which are well and good. I’ve learned alot about parenting from books by John Macarthur, Voddie Baucham and Alistair Begg, but in the end God has provided all we need for every good work in His Word.

As The Westminster Confession declares "The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men...”

Understanding Scripture's Message

The Grammatical-Historical Method

When teaching Scripture to my kiddos, I always emphasize that each text was written in a specific time, to specific people, in a specific language. I just told Kai Kai, as we were reading John 1:1-5, that phrases like “In the beginning” carries weight. It echoes Genesis and means something to 1st century Jews, as does the word Logos that carries weight with the Greeks that understood this to be the very material that made up reality itself. We must first understand what the text meant to its original audience before we can properly apply it today.

Three Essential Layers

The Text Level

First, we need to look carefully at the actual words on the page. Just as Paul told Timothy to "rightly handle the word…” we need to pay attention to the grammar.. to the words and how they all fit together. We look at the characters… what's happening.. what's being said. Remember Bible study isn't about finding hidden meanings and new revelations, it's about understanding what's plainly written.

The Historical Setting

If we want to fully understand the meaning of Scripture we need to understand when and where these words were written. Bear in mind, Jesus spoke to specific people in specific situations so every part of Scripture is written in a real historical context. 

For example, Rylan loves Noah's Ark, so examining the archeological and geological evidence is helpful in understanding how Moses and the descendants of Noah could see the evidence of the flood all around them. If we can see it some 5000 years later, they definitely saw that evidence only 1200 years after the flood. 

Likewise, Jonah is one of Kairi's favorites and, if you can pin down a good understanding of the conflict between Israel and Assyria, the violence and the brutality… it helps us better grasp Jonah's attitude towards his very real enemies, his bitterness and desire for Nineveh to receive punishment instead of mercy and grace.

The Theological Framework

Finally, Scripture interprets Scripture. As Isaiah teaches us, we learn "precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little" (Isaiah 28:10). This means we don't interpret any passage in isolation but look at how it fits with the rest of God's Word.

This approach keeps us from making two common mistakes. First, it prevents us from reading our own ideas into the text. Second, it helps us avoid turning Bible passages into mere spiritual allegories when they're meant to be understood literally.

Remember the Main Character of Scripture is Jesus

Every page of Scripture whispers His name.

Our Lord Himself said, "You search the Scriptures... and it is they that bear witness about me" (John 5:39). Think about that - Jesus is telling us that He is the key to understanding all of Scripture!

Remember what happened on the road to Emmaus in the gospel of Luke? Christ showed them how all of Scripture pointed to Him. He started "with Moses and all the Prophets" and explained "in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself".

As a father, I want my children to understand that whether we're reading about Adam's fall, David's victories, Isaiah's prophecies, or Paul's letters, we're always reading about Jesus. He's not just part of the story… HE IS the story.

This doesn't replace our careful attention to grammar and history.. instead, it enriches it when we see Christ as the center and that all the pieces of Scripture fit together in a beautiful story of God's redemptive plan.

Until next time, may we all grow in seeing Christ in all of Scripture, for as Peter reminds us when he spoke with Cornelius in Acts, "To him all the prophets bear witness".

In His grace,

Manuel