Understanding Difficult Passages of the Bible (Part 2)
A contractor friend shared the importance of a good foundation saying, getting the foundation right was the most critical part of anything he ever built. He put the matter this way: “if you don’t get the foundation right, you’ll be fighting every part of the build, the rest of the way.”
When it comes to understanding difficult passages in the Bible a good, sound foundation is also extremely important. The first part of a good foundation is understanding the difference between reading for information and reading for transformation. The former is the way we have been taught to read. It is helpful in many areas of life. But when it comes to reading the Bible, not so much. In fact, it can be a major hindrance, especially when it comes to difficult passages.
When it comes to reading the Bible, the objective is not so much to be informed, but to be transformed. Reading for transformation is significantly different from reading for information. It requires a different approach. Transformational reading is more concerned with what we receive from a passage than what we get from it. It requires listening, reflection, paying attention to details, mulling over, pondering, and thinking. Transformational reading takes time and is typically thought provoking. It touches our hearts and spirits at a deeper and different level than the intellectual process of gaining information.
The second element of a good foundation is having a source of Biblical “gold” to draw upon to help you better understand the difficult passage you are reading. These are the kind of passages to read repeatedly until they become a part of you and begin to shape your attitude and spirit.
A practical way to do this is to take a single passage and read it 3 times a day – when you get up, before you go to bed and one other time. If you are bold, do this before watching the nightly news and observe the disconnects between what you hear on the news and the passage of the week. Read the same passage daily for a week and then begin the new week with a new passage.
Follow this practice each week for 13 weeks. Then repeat the process with the same 13 passages for the next quarter and the next and the next. The objective is not for you to get through the passages but for the passages to get through to you! At the end of the year these 13 passages will have taken root in your heart. You will have a treasure of biblical “gold” shaping your heart and spirit. You will also discover these will often help you better understand passages that once left you confused.
Here are passages I would recommend for the first thirteen. Of course, the Bible cannot be reduced to 13 passages. Likewise, they do not cover every major theme of the Bible, but they do offer a good foundation to build upon.
Old Testament: Genesis 1:26; Exodus 20:2,3; Joshua 1:9; Psalm 8: 3-5;
Psalm 46: 1,2 &10; Jeremiah 29:11; Micah 6:8
New Testament: Matthew 12:28-31; Mathew 28:16-20; Mark 1:14,15;
Luke 24:1-11; John 15:12; Romans 12:1,2.
Enjoy!
Grace and Peace, John