Believing the Bible is “Literal” is Irrelevant. Actually Reading it Makes All the Difference.

A lot of people say they believe the Bible should be read “literally.” Whatever that means. Not everybody reads the Bible literally. What is significant is not whether you or not you believe the Bible should be read literally. It’s whether you actually read it. Actually reading the Bible is...

The Only Real Reason to Read the Bible: Part Seven of “How I Read the Bible, And So Can You!”

When I interpret Scripture I go through a process, almost second-nature by now, that includes, suspending my assumptions about the nature of the Bible; not letting my previous instruction about a passage inhibit something new and different coming out; letting the original writers have their voice and their...

Jesus, Inspiration, and Revelation: Part 6 of “How I Interpret the Bible, and So Can You!”

In the last post in this series on interpreting the Bible, I noted that the New Testament writers are all in agreement that Jesus is the fullest revelation of the nature and character of God. This naturally raises questions regarding the nature of Scripture, inspiration, and Jesus’ relationship to the Old...

Jesus is the Standard: Part Five of “How I Read the Bible, And So Can You!”

When you do something all the time your approach becomes second nature and largely unconscious, so a few weeks ago I decided to examine what I do when I interpret the Bible and share those steps with you. I’ve written about how I: try to suspend my assumptions about the Bible and it’s inspiration; try to...

How I Read the Bible, And So Can You! Part 4

In the last post I talked about how important it is to recognize that the biblical writers have their own voice. The Bible, especially the Old Testament, doesn’t speak with one voice or one viewpoint. It actually contains multiple voices and multiple viewpoints, and, as I pointed out last week, they don’t...

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