Understanding Scripture

The supernatural work of God to help us see … Scripture does not diminish the necessity to use our minds in the process of construing textual meaning.  It may, at times, feel like a paradox – to say that God gives the insight we need, and yet we must labor to see it.  But the apostle Paul shows us the way.  In 2 Timothy 2:7 he says, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”  So we are called to read the apostolic Scriptures rigorously, carefully, thoughtfully.  Why?  Not because this natural process of thinking attains the goal, but because, in that natural process of thinking, God acts supernaturally and gives a kind of sight we would not otherwise have.  That is the supernatural act of reading the Scriptures.

For the next five weeks we will look at how we can better understand Scripture.  Since Scripture is of supernatural origin (it is “God breathed”), the understanding of it calls for more than our natural kind of reading.  God has designed the Scriptures to work for human transformation (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18) and that transformation starts to take place when we begin to understand the Word of God.  Come to the Adult Sunday School class for the next five weeks and learn how we can better understand Scripture when we read it.