How not to read the Bible

Bible misuers

A. The Gold Prospector

– gets a spadeful, puts it through a sieve and collects the nuggets.
Many Christians could not tell you what John Ch. 3 is about, but John 3:16 is their favourite verse. Bible study consists of underlining verses that have blessed. This is like feeding continually on cake instead of a balanced diet. Obviously individual verses can bless but there is no structure in this kind of Bible study.

B. The Butterfly

– a sip out of this flower, a sip there and off it goes to another field.
This kind of Christian has no plan for reading the Bible, and no goals to aim for so they are likely to skip all the bits that are hard or don’t really interest them.

C. The Leech

– not a fast mover, but when it’s got something good it hangs on to it.
I know there is an awful lot to be got out of Romans 1:8, but there are a few more verses in the chapter. By all means take a verse and get what you can out of its riches for a few weeks, but feed elsewhere as well.

D. The Vulture

– lets others do all the hard work of killing and then waits for the leftovers.
Yes, we need to hear good preaching, read good commentaries etc. but above all we need to apply ourselves to God’s Word and communicate directly with Him. Other people’s Bible study should be an encouragement to us to do our own, not a substitute for it.

E. Artful Alliterators

– getting a point beginning with ‘P’ is more important than getting a point that is in the passage. Better to be based on Scripture than to be clever (be both of course if you can).

F. The Ghosthunter

– is always looking for something that isn’t there. He attaches significance to noises that no one else noticed and draws far-reaching conclusions.
Some Christians neglect the straightforward meaning and pounce on some tiny insignificant thing. Ordinary actions take on spiritual meaning.

G. The Bird’s Nest

– gathering a verse here, a verse there, taken out of context and used to build a very nice firm theory.
The results are impressive but not biblical. Context matters much and so do other passages not referred to.

H. The Drainpipe

– it all goes in, goes through, and comes out and the pipe remains unchanged.
The Word of God is living and powerful and must have an effect on our lives, natures, thoughts and actions. It builds us up, feeds our minds and directs our hands.

I. The Literary Critic

– goes through a book looking for mistakes, contradictions, possible queries and problems.
It is easy to impress by finding a problem with a book with 1,189 chapters. Whilst the Christian never runs away from problems – they all have answers if you look hard enough – we read the Bible to be blessed and to let God teach us through it.