Book 4 of Musings Mastering the Scriptures

Men may master the Scriptures but Christ masters men.

There appears to be an endless fascination in analyzing the Scriptures. Scholars dissect each word in the original languages in order to arrive at the precise meaning

The works that have been produced are a help to those of us who are responsible to feed the Lord's sheep.

When I prepare a study guide I use three or four translations to try to arrive at the meaning of a passage. Usually the New International Version seems to have the best translation, except for a few passages.

I notice that some scholars use their knowledge of Greek grammar to cause the passage to read in a manner contrary to the ordinary sense of the text. This often is done with the sixth chapter of the Book of Hebrews, where the commentators absolutely refuse to let the plain sense of verses four through six lie undisturbed. They make heroic efforts to support the current Christian doctrine of "once saved always saved."

There is a trap into which exegetes can fall. Jesus mentioned this when He told the scholars that they were looking for eternal life in the Scriptures and would not come to Him, who Himself is eternal life.

There is no eternal life in the Scriptures. The role of the Scriptures is to bring us to Jesus.

The worship of the Scriptures is termed "Bibliolatry."

Some today are claiming that the Scriptures and Jesus are identical. If we speak a verse it is the same as Jesus speaking because the verse is Jesus. This is an extreme position, but it reveals the danger of worshiping the Bible.

Can you imagine Mary saying, "Where have they laid my Bible"?

Is the Church the wife of the Scriptures?

When I first was saved I was instilled with the concept that the Scriptures, from Genesis through Revelation, are the inerrant Word of God. This is my position today. In fact, it is my trust in the inerrancy of the Scriptures that has persuaded me the Christian teaching of today is incorrect in some vital areas.

But I do not worship the Scriptures. I go to the Lord in prayer and He guides me in understanding and applying of the Scriptures.

Do you know no interpretation of the Scriptures is valid if it comes about through human reasoning? Why is this? It is because the Scriptures were not written through human reasoning. The Scriptures came into existence as men were moved by the Holy Spirit, and for this reason they must be interpreted by the Holy Spirit.

This is why competent, devout scholars differ on their interpretation of the Book of Revelation, for example. They are using human reasoning instead of looking to the Lord for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.

You know, one could exhume Beethoven and dissect his corpse into one- millimeter cubes. He would never find the Ninth Symphony or any of the sonatas. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

So it is true that one can analyze every word of the Bible, including the articles and conjunctions, and the. Each word can be examined as to its derivation, its employment in ancient prose and poetry. Syntax and lexicality can be examined.

This will bring us no closer to Jesus. Jesus is a Man. He hears and He can speak. He can give us guidance and understanding. The Scriptures bring us to the Man Himself, and this is where we find eternal Life.

So let us meditate in the Scriptures day and night. They are as an immovable rock-totally dependable in a time of chaos.

But we are not married to the Scriptures and we do not worship them. We are married to the Lamb and we worship Him.

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:39-40)