the starting point

There are basic rules for approaching Scripture that will help us understand, or prevent us from understanding if we disregard them.

the Olympic Rain Forest, Washington State

There are a lot of basic rules. They are organized in sections to make them easier to digest. But, if you master part 1, parts 2 and 3 and 4 will not be so necessary.

Part 5 is different: it is a checklist to use when we are reading commentaries. It is not just a matter of reading between the lines: we need to understand their motives for becoming teachers, and how much of their explanation is formed from their beliefs and how much is from Scripture.

part 1. The absolute essentials.

The Scriptures cannot be changed.
God informs. He doesn't explain.
Jesus did not come to earth to tell us things we already know.
The Word of God is about what God wants. What we want is of no concern.
The demand upon us is not fulfilled by anyone else.
It is intended to make us feel pain.
Courage and honesty are the two essential qualities to understanding Scripture.
Scripture is not difficult to understand. It's just difficult to do.
If you have painted yourself into a corner, get rid of that paintbrush.
The Word of God tells us nothing about how to live in the world.
The person who writes books on how to do it probably has not done it.
"We" almost never means you.
Scripture is to be viewed equally and evenly. We are not allowed to choose the easy parts and disregard the difficult parts.
It is impossible to follow Christ on a different path.
God does not send prophets to congratulate his people on a job well done.
The mind of Christ and the will of God are granted on a need-to-know basis.

part 2. 15 more absolute essentials.

The Jews were not wrong to obey the law.
We cannot embrace the blessings and say the judgments are for other people.
The Spirit is not given to help us live our lives.
The part of the body where Christ has assigned you is where you must be, stay, and function.
Knowing Greek and Hebrew will not equip you to know God any better than the people who were speaking Greek and Hebrew when the Scriptures were written.
Studying ancient history and societies will not equip you to understand Scripture any better than the people who were there when the Scriptures were written.
God almost never cares how we feel.
Scripture contradicts our beliefs, traditions and superstitions. We must let them be destroyed.
Scripture is solid. What your pastor, priest, pope, teacher, favorite author, favorite song, favorite painting, favorite sculptor, mother, father, friend, or mind says is not.
No one is saved by anything they do.
Studying Scripture for the excitement of learning will end badly.
Scripture was written by people to did it.
Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew are good enough languages for God to say something if he had wanted to say it.
The debate over faith vs works is nonsense. Neither are right.
You don't need to be born again.

part 3. Inevitable consequences of sections 1 and 2.

Faith is nothing to God if it's nothing to us.
The gift of sight obliges us to see.
Believing in miracles puts you at great risk.
Israel is more the people of God than the Church.
For the most part, the Twelve sons of Jacob were wrong.
For the most part, the Twelve disciples of Christ were wrong.
Jesus says to give to everyone who asks. He means exactly that.
Jesus says to not worry about what you will eat or drink or wear. He's not talking about worry.
People who are hooked get angry when someone says they're hooked.
Don't form doctrine from the Proverbs. Or Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Esther, James, Jude, or the epistles of John.
Not being under the Law does not mean you are now guided by ethical principles rather than strict rules.

part 4. Getting past things you want to believe.

God does not regard you as a child unless you're a child.
"What would Jesus do?" is a ridiculous question.
Your children are not your ministry. That's a hurtful thing to say.
Your job is not your ministry. That's a ridiculous thing to say.
Mary strongly disagreed with Jesus' teachings.
You're allowed to believe in halos only if you're six.
No, you are not poor in spirit.
No, you are not strong when you are weak.
No, God will not make everything work together for good.
No, you are not the steward of your wealth.
It's rude to ask God for help.
Life in heaven is no easier than life on earth.
If you wait on the Lord, you'll never do anything.
If you expect God to give you your daily bread, you'll starve.
Yes, Jesus loves you. He loves everyone. Yes, you're special. Just like everyone else. Yes, you can be anything you want. And that's a problem.
Protesting is wrong.

part 5. A checklist for understanding the experts.

When reading a commentary or a theology, it is good to keep in mind their outlook on Scripture and their role in explaining it. This is what you can expect to see:

Scripture was written by people and circulated to the churches. Publishing books that explain Scripture is the continuation and expansion of that.
no, the progressing is do it, write about it, distribute the writings to the churches so others will know how to do it. The closing of the circle is in the doing, not the writing.
They will emphasis passages that are safe or easy and touch only lightly on the difficult parts.
They will say that love and devotion fulfills the command.
They will say that by coming to Christ by faith we fulfill the demand.
They will not have done it themselves.
Their explanation will allow them to continue not doing it.
They will tell us we don’t have to do it either.

Now that you have made it this far, you're probably wanting for some proof. Great! There are four posts that do that. Each one gives a brief explanation, an example from real life, and a Scripture passage that illustrates the concept: with the typical explanation and the Critical Commentary explanation.

They four posts are titled according to the list above:

— the starting point, part one. 15 essentials

— the starting point, part two. 15 more essentials

— the starting point, part three. Inevitable consequences

— the starting point, part four. Getting past things you want to believe

to say something more agreeable to our point of view

It is allowed to say I don't understand or I can't do that yet, or even, I'm not going to do that. It is not allowed to say it's not understandable or I don't have to do it.

It has no value when he turn away when we feel its pin pricks. leprosy