How do you read the Bible?
Recently, there has been a lot of buzz online over the question of God’s plan for one’s life. People of other faiths including atheists have started asking for a single verse from the Bible which mentions that God has got a plan for the life of an individual.
As a Christian it is quite obvious that one would be aware of the following verse which validates one’s belief on the matter:
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
But, critics argue that the above verses are God’s words to the people of ancient Israel who lived 2500 years ago. They go on and say that Christians of today are fooling themselves and others by claiming that God’s has got a unique plan for everyone’s life.
When I was thinking of a way to answer the critics, I was struck with two different ideas. One was by asking them to try and match the life of any biblical character with what was foretold before the birth of that individual.
To illustrate this idea, let me use the examples of ‘Samson’ and ‘John the Baptist’. Even before their conception, God had sent his angels and told their parents the kind of men they would grow up to become. Things panned out in these mens’ lives as foretold.
The second idea was to straightforwardly explain how I usually apply God’s word, especially those uttered in the Old Testament to my life using ‘mate verses’, but without employing ‘biblical hermeneutics’ (theory of interpretation) and ‘biblical history’.
Let me now try to explain what I call ‘mate verses’.
Verses in the Bible exist in pairs. One verse from any particular book can be used to interpret and contextualize another verse from another book. Isaiah 34:16 is one verse that defines the same in clear terms.
Seek and read from the book of the LORD: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the LORD has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them.
When the following verses are used as ‘the mates’ for Jeremiah 29:11, one will surely be convinced that God’s promise of a personal plan is valid for each believer of the Christian faith, as well:
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. (Romans 4:16)
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
(Galatians 3:7)
More than just reading the above verses in isolation, if someone labours to read the chapters to which they belong, one can gain a clearer understanding of what both verses are meant to convey.
Reading the Bible to approach it chapter by chapter, or reading at least one paragraph of a chapter without a break, are the strategies I would like to insist on - for everyone new to the faith and those friends of other faiths who are reading the Bible for the first time.
Never read a Bible verse. That’s right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read a paragraph at least - Greg Koukl
The next time you come across a ‘Bible verse’, take your Bible and start reading from the beginning of the chapter to which the ‘verse’ belongs. Then, chances of you going wrong become very slim, as the context, and the meaning of any written message only flows top-down.