Inspiration & Worship

There’s much we don’t understand about God. Paul notes this in his first letter to the Corinthians, 13:12 (KJV):

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

That doesn’t mean we should give up trying! We can ask God to “open the eyes of our understanding” (Ephesisans 1:8) and commit to study of scripture.

Respect for scripture demands that we don’t impose our own ideas onto it.

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it...” – Deuteronomy 4:2 (KJV).

Here are some practical tips:

Pay attention to the author of a section, to whom it was written and in what era. The Old Testament has much to teach us, but was written before the Messiah came to earth. The four Gospels reveal the words and actions of Jesus. The Book of Acts describes the birth and early decades of the church.

All New Testament church letters were written to followers of Christ; some are directed to all Christians, including us. For example, Paul addresses Ephesians to believers in Ephesus “and faithful in Christ Jesus.” Others, like Philemon, are written to specific people to resolve a specific situation.

Neither the author nor the recipient of Hebrews is clear, but we know its purpose is to strengthen the faith of Jews who’ve risked their lives by converting to Christianity.

Capitalization, punctuation, verse numbers and chapter divisions didn’t exist in the earliest texts and many words were added to the English Bible so sentence structures would make sense. The 1611 King James version puts those added words into italics.

It’s also important to view a verse in its cultural context. Our modern Western eyes can misunderstand ancient Eastern culture. A good Bible dictionary and map help.

Jesus promised us the holy spirit would guide our understanding. He set the example by praying and quoting scripture to his followers, his accusers, and even to Satan:

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4.

We should never feel intimidated about reading the Bible on our own. We are never