We are defined by how we make others feel. Poor word choice between two people can lead to shattered relationships without a single clarifying question being asked. Celebrities have to put out fires because they didn’t word something perfectly on Twitter. The intent behind words is often meaningless as long as those words sounded offensive. We let our emotions be our guide. We let our emotions determine truth.
Emotion, a most fickle guide
What does this have to do with Bible reading? That same mentality so often goes into how we interpret God’s words. We create an entire narrative for who God is based on what His words mean to us, not what they actually mean. We let how we feel determine the truth of who God is.
If possible, take a moment to watch 1 minute of this video. If you’ve ever been in a small group or Bible study, perhaps you can relate to this experience. (The clip should automatically start at the 1:44 mark)
I don’t mean to mock any small groups who do this, as it’s a very common way of conducting group discussions. However, it carries some problems. Consider the varying interpretations people in the skit used for Romans 8:28
- God takes care of us
- Karma – what goes around, comes around
- God’s reminding us that we all have a certain call in our lives
- God is a God of love, and He’s only going to bring good things into our lives
The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
Based on the chosen methods, each interpretation is equally valid because the meaning of Romans 8:28 depends entirely on each individual’s personal feelings. Our past experiences, health, upbringing… even our recent time in traffic all play a part in how we’re feeling at a given moment. So when we let something as unstable and unreliable as our emotions take the lead in understanding God (or anything), we make ourselves the source of truth, not the Bible.
Good reading requires self-control
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Let’s not act like keeping our emotions in check is easy. How many of us have had an angry outburst with our family this week? How many people give themselves up to overspending, eating too much, or cheating on their spouse through lust? Being led by our emotions can manifest itself in so many ways, and it’s no different when we read scripture. Refusing to let emotions lead us is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Like a decision to exercise or stop smoking, reading and understanding the context of a verse doesn’t just happen. We aren’t going to immediately piece together the full implications of a verse unless we purposely set out to do so. Discipline requires self-control, and self-control is nothing more than making decisions based on what we know to be right (instead of doing what we feel in the moment).
We all know what it’s like to be busy or tired, then remember “Oh yeah, I haven’t done my Bible reading today. I should do that.” I’d wager we also know what it’s like to shrug our shoulders and go on about our day. Why? If we’re honest, it boils down to us saying “I know I need to do this, but I don’t want to do it.”
Our emotions have the potential to play a huge role in how we read the Bible. Not only can we let them dictate if we do it, but we can also let them replace the wonderful truths that God has revealed about Himself.
Isolating verses requires emotional reading
Unfortunately, reading a verse on its own allows for nothing but an emotional reading. if we begin reading a random Bible verse without first considering its what’s happening around it, then what we’re reading only has value as far as how it makes us feel.
For example, look at Romans 8:31 without considering what happens before it:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31)
At first glance, it sounds so empowering in an age of life coaches and self-affirmation. However, “No one can stand in the way of my dreams!” starts to fall apart when we look at the broader context of this verse as it concludes chapters 5-8), nor does it make sense in light of church history. After all, people very successfully, and violently, opposed the apostles.
Yet if we hastily open our Bibles and point to a verse, what can we do other than get a surface-level understanding? And while it may be easy for us, consider how much honor it shows God’s word.
… just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
We all want someone to listen to everything we say rather than picking out a single sentence and making a judgment on what we’ve said. No one wants their words twisted to say what was never actually said. People have always misrepresented the words of the apostles and prophets, and it’s never a good thing. And although we don’t set out to do it with wrong intentions, it’s clear how important it is to understand the Bible.
Context is king
As we’ve discussed when we looked at the real meaning behind Jeremiah 29:11, a good reading of a Bible passage will result in different meanings to each of us. For many, they can understand the context of that particular verse and see that God doesn’t abandon His people in their suffering. Yet there are other ways this can apply to us without changing the original meaning. Someone may be reading that after repenting from adultery and understand that God isn’t leaving that person in their sin. Another may struggle with God feeling distant for several months and know God hasn’t stopped caring.
The key to our different applications is that they begin with an understanding of what God is revealing about Himself in that text. We may be impacted by it differently, but we all have the same foundational truth: God is in control and doesn’t abandon His people. And we know that because, in an earlier article, we looked at the context of what Jeremiah 29:11 says.
More than emotionless robots
We’ve been beating up on emotions, yet we should never discount their usefulness. Emotions heighten those moments when we glimpse God’s majesty in our lives. They enhance the special memories we create with our children. They reinforce our love of justice and hatred of evil. The Psalms themselves are absolutely bursting with emotion!
Emotions have value in their proper place. John Piper once said that “emotions are a gauge, not a guide,” and that’s a great way to think about them. After all, they tell us where our heart is at any given moment. However, they should always be a result of how we process a situation, not the tool we use to do so.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)
Our hearts are wicked. We are wretched creatures who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ. We’ve been given the Holy Spirit, but He can still be ignored for the sake of our own desires. When reading the Bible, our emotions are a marvelous response to a deeper understanding of our savior. They just need to stay in their proper place.
Read for 5 minutes or an hour
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying if we can’t dedicate ourselves to reading the Bible thoroughly, then we shouldn’t read it at all. Even if we can only read a few verses in James, this simple foundation can still affect how we read. When a verse stands out to us, we can take the time to dig deeper into it. We do that to understand it better, but also rejoice deeply in the God who gave it to us.
If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing in the greatest capacity we can manage. And we’d all agree it’s worth spending time with God. Yes, it’s of great value to set aside an hour and marvel at a single passage of the Bible. However, it’s also of great value to find the discipline to start at something like John 1:1, read for two minutes until the house erupts in chaos, and then pick up where we left off when we can.
We all find ourselves at different stages of life. Some are at a point where a deep and thorough reading session may simply be impossible. That’s fine. But we should never ignore spending five minutes with God simply because we can’t spend an hour with Him.
No matter how much time we spend in God’s word, it’s important that we use that time well. The discipline to find small times with God and dig as deep as possible will still lead to great truths, and those great truths will be found because of how glorious God is, and not how something makes us feel.
Well said! Understanding the context of the versus is a challenge for me. I have started reading a book that dives into a single letter at a time. This has helped me.
That’s awesome! I love that we live in a time where we don’t have to go it alone. What book do you use to help you study, if you don’t mind my asking? It might be a good one for a future Tune In Tuesday 🙂
-Ray