01/01/24 BROADLY AND DEEPLY

01/01/24 BROADLY AND DEEPLY

There are various styles to preach and teach the Bible. Some folks tell you that the best style (some would say the only right style) is, "expository." Sadly, this form of preaching and teaching (as is true with other styles of preaching and teaching) can be a vehicle for promoting something other than the actual message of the Bible.

The form can accommodate false doctrine. As someone has said, an immoral man is dangerous, whether he carries a Bible or a gun.

My observation of sinning religion is that it boasts in its preaching and teaching forms (especially, "expository preaching"). I have noticed that many of those who boast in their "deeper" understanding of Scripture are mostly trained in a particular systematic. Studying in-depth has advantages, but it can be focused on some truths to the exclusion of other truths.

If you stand at a window with a wire mesh screen, you can either focus on the screen itself, basically blinding you to the panoramic view beyond screen, or you can focus on the world beyond the screen and not realize it is even there.

We need to understand the panoramic scope of the Bible, and we also need to understand the Bible in its minute detail. Both are essential. To study a limited portion is like trying to understand the nature of an elephant by focusing on his side.

The study of mankind involves history, philosophy, physiology, biology, sociology, psychology. Just as medicine is a wide array of information, so is Biblical Christianity. Some people really do not see the forest because of the trees, while some people do not see the tree because of the forest.

Those who have accepted a human systematic of the Bible can only see what agrees with their training. Responsible Biblical study involves an understanding of Biblical Topics, Character, Geography, History, Linguistics, as well as a grasp of the entire message found in the Old Testament and New Testament.