1. How to Read the Bible So That It Makes Sense

2. Review of previous “Munches”

3.  Last year we looked at two assumptions that we make at a church service:

4. Review of previous “Munches”  Last year we looked at two assumptions that we make at a church service: 1.That God exists.

5. Review of previous “Munches”  Last year we looked at two assumptions that we make at a church service: 1.That God exists. 2.That the Bible is reliable.

6. Review of previous “Munches”  Last year we looked at two assumptions that we make at a church service: 1.That God exists. 2.That the Bible is reliable.  We concluded that although it’s impossible to “prove” these things, it’s still reasonable and in fact most reasonable to believe them both.

7. Review of previous “Munches”  Last year we looked at two assumptions that we make at a church service: 1.That God exists. 2.That the Bible is reliable.  We concluded that although it’s impossible to “prove” these things, it’s still reasonable and in fact most reasonable to believe them both.  But believing in God’s existence and believing that we can get to know this God through reading the Bible lead to a further question:

8. Review of previous “Munches”  Last year we looked at two assumptions that we make at a church service: 1.That God exists. 2.That the Bible is reliable.  We concluded that although it’s impossible to “prove” these things, it’s still reasonable and in fact most reasonable to believe them both.  But believing in God’s existence and believing that we can get to know this God through reading the Bible lead to a further question:  What is the Bible actually trying to say?

9. Does the Bible Make Sense?  19 “Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 20 Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides. 21 And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated. - Exodus 29:19-21

10. Does the Bible Make Sense?  19 “Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 20 Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides. 21 And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated. - Exodus 29:19-21  36 Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan the father of Zabad, 37 Zabad the father of Ephlal, Ephlal the father of Obed, 38 Obed the father of Jehu, Jehu the father of Azariah, 39 Azariah the father of Helez, Helez the father of Eleasah, 40 Eleasah the father of Sismai, Sismai the father of Shallum, 41 Shallum the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah the father of Elishama. - 1 Chronicles 2:36-41

11. Does the Bible Make Sense?  19 “Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 20 Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides. 21 And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Then he and his sons and their garments will be consecrated. - Exodus 29:19-21  36 Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan the father of Zabad, 37 Zabad the father of Ephlal, Ephlal the father of Obed, 38 Obed the father of Jehu, Jehu the father of Azariah, 39 Azariah the father of Helez, Helez the father of Eleasah, 40 Eleasah the father of Sismai, Sismai the father of Shallum, 41 Shallum the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah the father of Elishama. - 1 Chronicles 2:36-41  6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. - Revelation 5:6

12. Derek Zoolander Centre for Kids Who Can’t Read Good And Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too

13.  The truth of the matter is that, when it comes to the Bible, all of us start out as “Kids Who Can’t Read Good.”

14. Derek Zoolander Centre for Kids Who Can’t Read Good And Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too  The truth of the matter is that, when it comes to the Bible, all of us start out as “Kids Who Can’t Read Good.”  If we want to read the Bible good well, there are some important things we need to know about what it is we’re reading and about what we’re looking for when we read it.

15. Derek Zoolander Centre for Kids Who Can’t Read Good And Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too  The truth of the matter is that, when it comes to the Bible, all of us start out as “Kids Who Can’t Read Good.”  If we want to read the Bible good well, there are some important things we need to know about what it is we’re reading and about what we’re looking for when we read it.  A further complication is that even if we do understand what we’re reading, we may still have difficulty seeing how it connects to our lives in 21 st Century North America.

16. Outline  Today, Oct. 19 – Where Do Bibles Come From?  October 26 – What’s the Point?  Nov. 2 – 16 – Finding the Point  November 23 – What Difference Does It Make?

17. Where do Bibles come from?

18. 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson

19. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson  Because God did stuff.

20. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson  Because God did stuff.  The Bible is not a collection of ideas. It is the inspired record and interpretation of the mighty deeds of God.

21. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson  Because God did stuff.  The Bible is not a collection of ideas. It is the inspired record and interpretation of the mighty deeds of God.  E.g. 1 Pet. 2:24 “body on the tree” (record) “bore our sins” (interpretation)

22. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson  Because God did stuff.  Therefore, we don’t get to decide what actions like Jesus’ crucifixion or the creation of the world mean. The Bible already does that for us.

23. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson  Because God did stuff.  Therefore, we don’t get to decide what actions like Jesus’ crucifixion or the creation of the world mean. The Bible already does that for us.  Our job is to listen to what Bible says these actions mean and refrain from adding our own ideas to them.

24. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson  Because God did stuff.  In other words, we don’t have to figure out why Jesus’ death on the cross is significant. The inspired Biblical authors have already written down why. We just need to do a better job of listening.

25. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson 2.The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you.

26. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson 2.The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you.  The words and images belong to the time and culture of the inspired authors. (e.g. the world was not round – Rev. 21).

27. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson 2.The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you.  The words and images belong to the time and culture of the inspired authors. (e.g. the world was not round – Rev. 21).  Therefore, private Bible study does not exist. If you want to understand the Bible, you have to get to know the people who wrote it.

28. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson 2.The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you. 3.Who wrote the Bible?

29. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson 2.The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you. 3.Who wrote the Bible?  The answer most Christians would reply with is God.

30. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson 2.The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you. 3.Who wrote the Bible?  The answer most Christians would reply with is God.  This is true. But it is only half true.

31. Where do Bibles come from? 1.Why do these writings exist at all? – Luke Timothy Johnson 2.The Bible was not written to you. It was written for you. 3.Who wrote the Bible?  The answer most Christians would reply with is God.  This is true. But it is only half true.  The problem with this answer is that it usually leads to the following view of inspiration…

32. Inspiration as Divine Download

33.  God “whispers” into the ear of the human author and the human merely writes down verbatim what is heard.

34. Inspiration as Divine Download  God “whispers” into the ear of the human author and the human merely writes down verbatim what is heard.  These words were then passed down through time in such a way that what we have in the Bible are the EXACT words that were originally written down.

35. Inspiration as Divine Download  This belief is based on the fear that human error is capable of corrupting the Word of God and defeating His ability to communicate with His creatures.

36. Inspiration as Divine Download  This belief is based on the fear that human error is capable of corrupting the Word of God and defeating His ability to communicate with His creatures.  It credits too much power to human error and too little power to God.

37. Inspiration as Divine Download  This is demonstrated in the life of Jesus Himself: God is so confident that His eternal truth can be passed down through humans who make mistakes that Jesus, in his time on earth, didn’t write a single sentence to be included in the Bible.

38. Inspiration as Divine Download  This is demonstrated in the life of Jesus Himself: God is so confident that His eternal truth can be passed down through humans who make mistakes that Jesus, in his time on earth, didn’t write a single sentence in the Bible.  If God was worried about human error, you would think He would have written something when He came in the flesh.

39. Inspiration as Divine Download  In fact, in all likelihood, Jesus made mistakes.  It is hard to believe that Jesus never bumped into furniture in the dark or always got 100% on every test and yet was considered unremarkable by the people of his hometown until he turned 30 and started performing miracles. – Dale Bruner

40. Inspiration as Divine Download  In fact, in all likelihood, Jesus made mistakes.  We have issues with our human fallibility; God does not.

41. Inspiration as Divine Download  In fact, in all likelihood, Jesus made mistakes.  We have issues with our human fallibility; God does not.  God is perfectly comfortable communicating through people who make mistakes. He has the power to preserve what He wants to say in spite of our mistakes.

42. Inspiration as Incarnation  Just like Jesus, the Bible is fully divine and fully human.

43. Inspiration as Incarnation  Just like Jesus, the Bible is fully divine and fully human.  God has guarded what the inspired authors’ Main Points are, but not necessarily the “incidentals.”

44. Inspiration as Incarnation “The sums, affirmations, and teachings of Scripture (not Scripture’s incidentals) are covered by the church’s doctrine of the divine inspiration of Scripture; the humanity (and so, fallibility) of the authors is left intact and untouched. Affirmation (what authors say with “firm” intent, what is asserted – a text’s point) and utterance (what author’s simply remark – a text’s incidentals or trappings) are often two different things. This dual witness – the divinity and humanity of Scripture – is spelled out admirably in several contemporary church confessions.” – F. Dale Bruner

45. More Than Just Divine Download  The point is this: When you and I read our Bibles we are encountering more than God alone.

46. More Than Just Divine Download  The point is this: When you and I read our Bibles we are encountering more than God alone.  The Bible is not direct communication straight from God to you and me.

47. More Than Just Divine Download  The point is this: When you and I read our Bibles we are encountering more than God alone.  The Bible is not direct communication straight from God to you and me.  The question for us, then, is this: What or Whom do we encounter when we read a passage from the Bible?

48. More Than Just Divine Download “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” – 2 Tim. 3:16 KJV 2 Timothy 3:16 makes it clear that when we read our Bibles we encounter three things:

49. More Than Just Divine Download “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” – 2 Tim. 3:16 KJV 2 Timothy 3:16 makes it clear that when we read our Bibles we encounter three things: 1.“Scripture” implies that we encounter a TEXT.

50. More Than Just Divine Download “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” – 2 Tim. 3:16 KJV 2 Timothy 3:16 makes it clear that when we read our Bibles we encounter three things: 1.“Scripture” implies that we encounter a TEXT. 2.“Inspiration” implies that we encounter a HUMAN AUTHOR.

51. More Than Just Divine Download “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” – 2 Tim. 3:16 KJV 2 Timothy 3:16 makes it clear that when we read our Bibles we encounter three things: 1.“Scripture” implies that we encounter a TEXT. 2.“Inspiration” implies that we encounter a HUMAN AUTHOR. 3.“Of God” states that we encounter GOD.

52. More Than Just Divine Download “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” – 2 Tim. 3:16 KJV 2 Timothy 3:16 makes it clear that when we read our Bibles we encounter three things: 1.“Scripture” implies that we encounter a TEXT. 2.“Inspiration” implies that we encounter a HUMAN AUTHOR. 3.“Of God” states that we encounter GOD. All three demand an appropriate approach.

53. When I Read the Bible I’m having an … 1.Encounter with text.

54. When I Read the Bible I’m having an … 1.Encounter with text.  The Bible is literature, we must treat it that way.

55. When I Read the Bible I’m having an … 1.Encounter with text.  The Bible is literature, we must treat it that way. 2.Encounter with human author(s).

56. When I Read the Bible I’m having an … 1.Encounter with text.  The Bible is literature, we must treat it that way. 2.Encounter with human author(s).  Biblical literature was written by human beings, in human languages and therefore uses the genres, images and knowledge of the cosmos comprehensible to the people of that time and place.

57. When I Read the Bible I’m having an … 1.Encounter with text.  The Bible is literature, we must treat it that way. 2.Encounter with human author(s).  Biblical literature was written by human beings, in human languages and therefore uses the genres, images and knowledge of the cosmos comprehensible to the people of that time and place. 3.Encounter with the Author (i.e. God).

58. When I Read the Bible I’m having an … 1.Encounter with text.  The Bible is literature, we must treat it that way. 2.Encounter with human author(s).  Biblical literature was written by human beings, in human languages and therefore uses the genres, images and knowledge of the cosmos comprehensible to the people of that time and place. 3.Encounter with the Author (i.e. God).  The message of the Bible must be spiritually illuminated. “If God does not open and explain Holy Writ, no one can understand it; it will remain a closed book, enveloped in darkness.” – Martin Luther

59. When I Read the Bible I’m having an … 1.Encounter with text.  The Bible is literature, we must treat it that way. 2.Encounter with human author(s).  Biblical literature was written by human beings, in human languages and therefore uses the genres, images and knowledge of the cosmos comprehensible to the people of that time and place. 3.Encounter with the Author (i.e. God).  The message of the Bible must be spiritually illuminated. “If God does not open and explain Holy Writ, no one can understand it; it will remain a closed book, enveloped in darkness.” – Martin Luther  Obeying the Author. A “second naivete.” – Paul Ricoeur

60. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things.

61. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work.

62. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work.  Learning about how grammar works and the ways different genres (e.g. narrative, poetry, law, apocalypse, etc.) communicate helps the Bible make sense.

63. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work.  Learning about how grammar works and the ways different genres (e.g. narrative, poetry, law, apocalypse, etc.) communicate helps the Bible make sense. 2.We need to study the world of the inspired human authors.

64. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work.  Learning about how grammar works and the ways different genres (e.g. narrative, poetry, law, apocalypse, etc.) communicate helps the Bible make sense. 2.We need to study the world of the inspired human authors.  What was their understanding of the universe? What were the major historical events in their era? What was a typical day like for them?

65. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work.  Learning about how grammar works and the ways different genres (e.g. narrative, poetry, law, apocalypse, etc.) communicate helps the Bible make sense. 2.We need to study the world of the inspired human authors.  What was their understanding of the universe? What were the major historical events in their era? What was a typical day like for them?  Often the Bible seems strange because the inspired human author assumed everyone he was writing to understood something we don’t assume now. (e.g. the world is flat and sits on top of water, that men don’t talk to women in public, etc.).

66. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work. 2.We need to study the world of the inspired human authors. 3.We need an honest desire to seek God.

67. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work. 2.We need to study the world of the inspired human authors. 3.We need an honest desire to seek God.  This is the result of an openness to the Holy Spirit (even if we don’t recognize it).

68. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work. 2.We need to study the world of the inspired human authors. 3.We need an honest desire to seek God.  This is the result of an openness to the Holy Spirit (even if we don’t recognize it).  “The Bible is a masterpiece of indirection” – Bruce Waltke

69. Conclusion  Therefore, if we want the Bible to make sense when we read it, we must pay attention to three things. 1.We need to study words and how they work. 2.We need to study the world of the inspired human authors. 3.We need an honest desire to seek God.  This is the result of an openness to the Holy Spirit (even if we don’t recognize it).  “The Bible is a masterpiece of indirection” – Bruce Waltke  More than anything else we need to ask for God’s help to make the Bible make sense.

70. Questions for Discussion

71. 1.What does it mean to say the Bible is “inspired by God?”

72. Questions for Discussion 1.What does it mean to say the Bible is “inspired by God?” 2.Is the Bible without error?

73. Questions for Discussion 1.What does it mean to say the Bible is “inspired by God?” 2.Is the Bible without error? 3.When we read the Bible we usually have a conscious hope to encounter God. What or whom else do we also encounter that we may not be aware of?

74. Questions for Discussion 1.What does it mean to say the Bible is “inspired by God?” 2.Is the Bible without error? 3.When we read the Bible we usually have a conscious hope to encounter God. What or whom else do we also encounter that we may not be aware of? 4.Why is knowing this important for helping the Bible make sense?