Bible Bridges: FINAL INSTALLMENT - "Forming a Biblical Theology"

This is my last installment in the Bible Bridges series. While I could say much more about how to study the Bible, and even delve into deeper questions relating to hermeneutics, it is time to build traction on application. To that end, I have started a new series I call the Personal Syllabus for Ongoing Growth.

This new series could arguably be spliced into the Bible Bridges. That is because that series attempted to refine the reader's Bible interpretation methods and hermeneutic, both of which certainly engage application. Hermeneutics is more focused on the theory. Because my goal of this blog are to inculcate a strategy for constructing a biblical worldview, I did not want to get lost in excess of theory.

Simply put: this blog is not an academic treatise on hermeneutics. I have attempted to introduce some concepts to spur on greater awareness of how and why thoughtful Bible study can be done and even improved. I am satisfied that my introduction of hermeneutics and Bible study methods suffice for the greater goal of this blog.

Thus, as the journey progresses and increasing confidence is gained in the precision and accuracy of interpreting portions of Scripture, the growing Christian should be putting together a picture of a thoroughgoing biblical theology. I will warn the read that the taxonomy of biblical theology as a formal system of theological study is its own can of worms. Again, I desire to help build a biblical worldview. For the sake of that goal, I think Pastor Mark Dever's definition from the 9 Marks of a Healthy Church is clear enough:

Biblical theology is sound doctrine; it is right thoughts about God; it is belief that accords with Scripture.

I would define a thoroughgoing biblical theology as that discipline in which a believer continually realigns their pre-suppositions and assumptions with regular, careful inspection of the truth claims of the Bible in their literary and theological context. In turn, such inspection inculcates increasing surrender to God's clear ends affirmed in Scripture, whether individually or collectively; temporally or eternally. It is thoroughgoing in that it is broad and deep: there is a sufficient grasp of doctrine to the degree that the believer yields to sin less and less, and embraces God's will more and more in all areas of life. Moreover, the Christian understands they are part of the collective people of God and not ignorant of the final destination of God's people. In this way, our belief is actualized as we let go of this world and embrace the kingdom of God.

It is the rigorous application of Romans 12:1-2:

Romans 12:1–2 (NLT)

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

So this is the end of the road for Bible Bridges, but by no means the final word on the Word. I ask you to ponder anew what things you believe God wishes to change in your thinking, your attitudes, your priorities, and your actions. Join me on the path of inspecting our lives in light of Scripture and the Spirit of God who illuminates our way to the conclusion of the ultimate journey!

Bible Bridges: Part 16 "Verse by Verse?"

If you do a Google search for the phrase "verse by verse Bible study," you will find it returns over 11 millions results. It would seem that verse by verse Bible study and preaching is fairly popular. Now, in my experience verse by verse preaching is not really so common. Topical sermons are in vogue. In the name of relevance, nearly any topic seems to take center stage--from better marital intimacy, to retirement planning, to child-rearing. I will admit the Bible speaks to the day-to-day life we live, but sometimes modern preaching seeks to come off more like reality television than Scripture.

I have also heard sermons that use a single verse from which to launch into whatever the pastor felt was his hobby horse. For that matter, some preachers will hold the Bible in their hand and never bother to open it! Such preaching abuses are appalling. The klaxon has been sounded by many who decry the sad state of the pulpit in America today. I have to agree that there is a real cause for concern.

Thus, expository preaching has been promoted as the remedy. For instance, Mark Dever has published 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. As the 9Marks website site puts it: "An expositional sermon takes the main point of a passage of Scripture, makes it the main point of the sermon, and applies it to life today." All I can say to that is AMEN. Such an approach frees us from mundane or maligned agendas. Allowing the Bible to speak clearly today in our churches is a vital component of revival. Indeed, what might the church in America look like if we returned in earnest to digging deep into Scripture?

However, I will challenge an assumption that expository preaching equals the so-called verse-by-verse preaching method. I am not saying that a preacher should skip verses. Moreover, I am not saying that a pastor should ignore tough passages. What I am suggesting is that larger portions of Scripture are better preached than one verse at a time. Why is this?

In my previous installment of Bible Bridges, we looked at verb priority. Examining how verbs drive a passage only makes sense in a larger setting. That might be a paragraph or even a whole chapter (that depends on the context). I have really come to appreciate how our pastor covers several paragraphs (sometimes called a pericope [pronounced pe-ri-ko-pay]). A pericope is a unit of text that is essentially self-contained. It can be larger than a paragraph, but it is not excessively large.

The point is that it is of sufficient size not to lose the overall context. This is vitally important for our Bible study and for sermons. Many theological errors have occurred due to someone ripping a verse out of context. It is frankly one of the worst things that Christians do, and yet so very common. This is the primary reason that verse-by-verse preaching is unwise. The answer is to preach unified sections and unpack the main message of the pericope. It safeguards from over-analyzing a particular word, and it keeps the main point the main point.

Now, if your pastor preaches verse-by-verse, do not run up to him and blast him with this blog. Criticizing a pastor can be so devastating. I am simply encouraging us to be careful with our own study. And if you are budding preacher I encourage you to preach the Bible in sequence and in a large enough context to maintain the big idea (as Haddon Robinson puts it). Let us prayerfully guard against missing the big idea and/or ripping concepts from the Bible that are out of context.