Monthly Archives: February 2018

I can’t emphasize this enough in reading anything. But especially the bible. It’s all about the context.

There are two points that I would like make that will illustrate this issue. The first one is that to many times we in our unknowing ways seem to default to our ‘today’s’ thoughts and ways of the context of a biblical story or thought. We seem to use our ‘ways’ or processing of our insight to the scriptures, it is this that has distorted the real understanding of the scriptures.

It is when we use the context of the ‘age’,’social’,’language’,’life’, or the ‘God language’ to interpret the message of the text to come to a different conclusion. The most intrinsic detail that has made a difference will lead to a total different conclusion to a passage. It must be used in this way to fully understand what the ‘whole’ story of God and his eternal purpose.

Secondly, something that it is not even brought up in our shaded glasses to interpret the scriptures is  ‘Enlightenment’ age that has distorted our glasses to see the real message, it is to long to get into now but it would be wise to at least know what it is and how it changed the perception of life and of how we perceived society,people and even ourselves.

It still is making a negative impression upon us to this day, which is also touching us in christianity’s understanding of the scriptures.

Understand what ‘Context’ is and why it is important!

There is always a discussion of some kind pertaining to who God is, what is his relationship to us, and what part does He partake in. This discussion is an old one, not just in recent years as we might think. Let’s go back to the New Covenant and see what they thought and what God thought.

In Mark 12.13-17,Luke 20.19-26 we have the telling of the same story and same outcome. Jesus was being tested by his very own followers and of his enemy’s to tell them how he stood on this world. It back fired on the ones asking the question to Jesus.

In Luke 20 we see that Jesus is aware of the question and what it meant, this was God being God being God of all in all his glory.

Luke 20 enables us to acknowledge again of who we really are, and what we are to do. Jesus’s answer should be looked at in a ‘daily ritual’ of knowledge and identity  to know and realize of what we are as ‘an image of God’!

Verse 24-25 reiterates Jesus answer to this question of “What is God’s”.  24. “Show me a coin. Whose likeness and inscription has it?” They said, “Caesar’s”. 25  He said to them, ” Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

It’s ironic that we seem only to focus on just the first part of what Jesus says and not the last part. Maybe that is what the Jewish people thought too? But it is the last part that overrides the first to make it the most important. God is the creator, designer of all things and is the King of all and Lord of all. Until we understand this we will not be the kingdom of God.

Came across a discussion of people that was brought up over reading the scriptures or to study the scriptures?

Is it good to just read the scriptures from beginning to end just to say that we have read them, in a year, or two years? What does it do for us  to say that “yes, I remember reading that once” to someone who asks? Does vaguely remembering a story or thought help us out on sunday mornings sermon? Does remembering some historical biblical names help us to ‘see’ the story and message to us? What should our expectations be in just reading the scriptures?

Studying anything is good. Studying the bible is a must. It not only is crucial to God’s message, but to know him in a way that is vital to his fellowship with us. It is that bonding element of God’s thoughts,ways,desires, and eternal purpose that should inspire us to be with him. I for one, am not keen on the just read it just for the sake of reading it in a year or two. It is so wrong on many levels. Personally, I could not do it, my mind and thoughts won’t let me, I have to relook at each concept or story that is told to see it’s meaning, after all that’s why there are footnotes and cross references in the bible!lol Yes, I read them all!

Let me know how you feel on this subject, and why? Is it good to do just the one? both? or does it matter?