Zondervan - The Seven Deadly Sins of Bible Study

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Information & Resources

By Jack Kuhatschek
Reprinted with permission from New Man Magazine

A few years ago, a friend of mine showed me a prayer letter he had received concerning a "Miracle Healing Revival." A Miracle Prayer Request Sheet was enclosed with the following instructions:

"Take the prayer sheet I have sent you and write your name on it, and as you do, lay hands on it. We must have your prayer requests back from you so we can touch them and pray over them for 'if any two agree touching anything, it shall be done.'"

By misunderstanding the King James Version, the well-meaning Christian who wrote this letter hit a new low in biblical interpretation. The word touching, which is so crucial to his viewpoint, does not even occur in the Greek text, as the NIV makes clear in its translation of the verse: "If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:19).

Although a bit extreme, this example illustrates the unusual and sometimes amusing ways the Bible is interpreted and applied. One of my seminary professors, Howard Hendricks, once said, "Many applicational elephants dangle from interpretive threads!"

In order to properly interpret and apply God’s Word, we must be aware of what I call the "seven deadly sins" of Bible study. In this article we’ll identify these "sins" and discover how to avoid them.

Proof-Texting

When I was a child, our pastor often gave the following benediction at the end of a service: "May the Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another." I always assumed that he was asking God to protect us both until the following Sunday, and I’m sure that was his intent. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered he had taken the verse completely out of context.

The verse isn’t really as nice as it sounds. It’s found in Genesis 31, after Jacob and Laban have settled a heated argument by making a covenant. Because Laban doesn’t completely trust Jacob and knows that the two of them will not be together, he asks the Lord keep an eye on his son-in-law to make sure he doesn’t mistreat Laban’s daughters. Taken in context, the verse is sort of a pious threat—hardly a fitting benediction!

In order to avoid proof-texting—taking a verse out of context—we need to realize that good Bible study requires more than looking up a string of isolated verses. We would never think of reading a Tom Clancy novel the way we do Scripture—one sentence from chapter one, another from chapter five, and a third from chapter twelve. It would result in nonsense, and we would miss the plot entirely! The Bible was written as literary units, such as books, letters, and poems, which were meant to be read from beginning to end.

Being Too Literal

Several years ago the cult expert Walter Martin was giving a lecture on Mormonism. A few Mormons heard about the lecture and decided to attend. About halfway through the meeting, one of them stood up and began arguing that God the Father has a physical body like ours. He "proved" his point by quoting passages that refer to God’s "right arm,” "hand," "eyes," and so on.

Martin told the person to read aloud Psalm 17:8, "Hide me in the shadow of your wings," and asked whether that meant God also has feathers and wings. “But that’s simply a figure of speech,” protested the Mormon. “Exactly!” replied Martin.

In order to avoid a wooden kind of literalism, we need to realize that the biblical authors communicated in a variety of ways—through metaphors, similes, and symbols—and through a variety of literary genres, such as history, proverbs, parables, letters, poems, and prophecy. We must identify the type of language and literature an author is using in order to interpret his meaning correctly. If we assume, for example, that an author is speaking literally when he is speaking metaphorically (the mistake made by the Mormon), we end up with nonsense.

Ignoring the Bible’s Background

Most Bible readers are familiar with Christ’s famous words to the church in Laodicea: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16). Yet because many Christians ignore the historical and cultural background of this passage, they misunderstand Christ’s meaning.

We usually assume that "hot" means we are spiritually alive or "on-fire" for the Lord, while "cold" means we are spiritually dead or hostile toward him. In other words, Jesus would prefer that we be either for him or against him rather than being neutral. But this interpretation of "cold" and "hot" completely ignores the historical and cultural background of this passage, and therefore is misleading.

The city of Colosse, which was less than ten miles from Laodicea, was known for its cold, refreshing waters. The city of Hierapolis to the north was famous for its beneficial hot springs. Laodicea had a six-mile-long aqueduct that brought both hot and cold water to the city, but by the time the waters arrived they were both lukewarm.

So you see how this background radically changes the way we interpret this passage? Jesus would never want anyone to be spiritually dead or hostile toward him, and he would certainly not prefer this condition to lukewarm Christianity—even though he detests the latter. In this passage both "cold" and "hot" are excellent and beneficial, like a refreshing glass of ice water or a good hot bath. So if you are either "hot" or "cold," Jesus is extremely pleased. Just don’t be lukewarm!

Relying on Faulty Translations

The example mentioned earlier about the Miracle Prayer Request Sheet and the word “touching” illustrates how a faulty translation can sometimes get us into trouble.¹ Another case in point involves the very popular passage on guidance, Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (KJV).

Concerning this passage, Dr. Bruce Waltke writes: All of us have had the shock of discovering that a favorite verse in the King James Version was inaccurate, and hence that we had been led into an inauthentic experience. I recall the astonishment of one of the committee members assigned to translate the book of Proverbs for the New International Version when he discovered that Proverbs 3:5 [-6] had nothing to say about guidance. He had taken as his life text: "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." But when confronted with the linguistic data he had to admit reluctantly that the verse more properly read "and He will make your paths smooth."²

The idea of "smooth" or "straight" has nothing to do with guidance, but rather means that the Lord will remove the obstacles from our path and enable us to achieve his desired goals.

Although some Bible translations are clearly better than others, none is perfect. Therefore, it is helpful to read a passage in a variety of translations. When you do so, pay close attention to the differences in words, grammar, and sentence structure. That way, you’ll gain a better understanding of what the author was really trying to say.

Reading into Scripture

Perhaps you have heard the mocking verse, "Wonderful things in the Bible I see: things that are put there by you and by me." It’s true that we are often tempted to read our own ideas or agendas into Scripture rather than those the author intended to communicate.

For example, ever since the early 1950s, certain Christians have used 3 John 2 to support the notion that God wants every Christian to be financially prosperous and physically healthy: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (KJV). Yet Pentecostal scholar Gordon Fee claims that this verse is simply "the standard form of greeting in a personal letter in antiquity." Therefore, "to extend John’s wish for Gaius to refer to financial and material prosperity for all Christians of all times is totally foreign to the text."³

How can we ensure that we understand what the author intended to say? We gain that confidence by practicing the principles described in points 1-4 of this article—all of which relate to discovering the author’s intent:
(1) read the author’s statements in their broader context rather than in isolation,
(2) be sensitive to the type of language and literature the author is using,
(3) be aware of the historical and cultural background of what the author is saying, and
(4) make sure your interpretation is based on what the author actually said rather than on what he appears to have said in a poor translation.

Each of these principles is a safeguard against making the Bible say what we want it to say rather than what the author—and ultimately the Lord himself—wants to communicate to us.

Thinking You Can Do It All

After launching the Protestant Reformation, one of the first things Martin Luther did was translate the Bible into the language of the common people. He thought any farmhand armed with Scripture was better than all the popes or councils or creeds in Europe. In fact, the Reformation reaffirmed the truth that we don’t have to rely on "experts" to understand God’s Word.

But we would be foolish to take this to an extreme by ignoring the wealth of resources God has provided for us. There are more Bible study tools available today than at any time in history—tools that can make your personal study of Scripture much more rewarding and enjoyable.

Every Christian’s library should include at least the following: a good study Bible and two or three modern translations, a one- or two-volume Bible commentary, a one-volume Bible Dictionary, and a Bible atlas. You should also consider using many of the excellent Bible study guides available today, both for your personal devotions and for small-group Bible study. (See the Recommended Reading section below for specific suggestions about what to include in your library.)

Because Bible study is a spiritual as well as a mental exercise, we should also follow Paul’s advice to his young disciple, Timothy: "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this" (2 Tim. 2:7). Notice the two halves of this verse.

First, Paul exhorts Timothy to think about what he has said. Studying the Bible requires thought and reflection, using all of the tools and resources God has given us for understanding his Word. Second, Paul tells Timothy it is God who grants understanding. He must reveal those areas of our lives that need to be transformed by his Word and his Spirit. The psalmist writes: "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (Psalm 119:18). Because the Lord is the only one who can make us see clearly, we dare not study the Bible without asking for his help.

Failing to Apply What You Learn

When I was a young Christian there was a well-known pastor in Texas who thought that getting "Bible doctrine" into our brains was the most important aspect of the Christian life. He lectured on the hidden meanings of "the Greek" and "the Hebrew," expounded on the finer points of systematic theology, and his students dutifully wrote down every word. Unfortunately, all of that "doctrine" often went from his brain, to the congregation’s notebooks, and then onto their carefully cataloged library shelves to collect dust.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I think it is vitally important to study the Bible and to understand its teaching or "doctrine." But God didn’t write the Bible to fill up our brains, but rather to transform our lives. When we make Bible study merely an academic exercise, we abort the life-changing impact it should have on our family, our relationships, our career, our ministry, and our involvement in the community. That’s why James warns us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22).

When we sit week after week listening to sermons, reading Christian books, and attending seminars, we can deceive ourselves into thinking that we are growing in Christ merely by being exposed to Scripture. In fact, we may be like a bad photograph—overexposed and underdeveloped!

You can diligently avoid the first six "deadly sins" of Bible study and still have merely a head knowledge rather than a heart knowledge of God’s Word. Biblical teaching must filter down into your life for true growth to occur. Ask yourself, "Am I merely filling up my mind, or am I truly applying what I learn?" Your honest answer to that question can have an enormous impact on both your Bible study and your walk with the Lord.