The Ultimate Goal of Bible Study
What should be the ultimate goal of Bible study? The standard hermeneutical approach that has been promoted most recently is the three-pronged approach of observation, interpretation and application. We are told that when we engage in Bible study, we must ask, what does the Bible say, what does the Bible mean and how can what the Bible says and means help us to become better Christians? This approach to Bible study certainly appeals to the pragmatism that has become so ingrained in our society. When I engage in Bible study, what’s in it for me? Moreover, this tone of pragmatism appears to be supported by passages such as Romans 15:4 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which tell us that the Scriptures were written for our instruction (very practical) and that the Scriptures are profitable for making the man of God adequate and for equipping him for every good work. Now far be it from me who loves the Lord with all my heart, mind and soul and who treasures His word within my heart to discourage anyone from engaging in Bible study for instruction and for being equipped for good deeds to glorify Him. But is this the whole story?
Ultimately, isn’t it the foremost calling and purpose of every believer to know God? I believe that it is. If we do not know and have a proper concept of the true God, if we do not know Him whom we purport to serve, practical application of God’s word can become hollow and distorted. How can we stay motivated to serve Him and serve Him according to His will if we fail to gain a true knowledge of Him? Two sweethearts separated from each other by distance communicate with each other by means of love letters. In the letters, they bare their hearts and souls. In the letters, they reveal what they are really like and even though they may be separated, their relationship deepens and they get to know each other better. By reading the letters over the course of time, a third party may actually reach the point that he feels that he actually knows them.
The Bible is God’s love letter to us. It is the story of a loving and just creator God who created perfection that strayed from Him and of his extreme effort to reconcile that creation including man to Himself. From every page of His word spring forth His attributes and His character, His love, His righteousness, His justice, His holiness, His perfection, His sovereignty, the fact that there is none like Him, that His ways are not our ways but He makes Himself knowable to us because He loves us. Looking for application in God’s word before getting to know Him through His word is putting the proverbial cart before the horse. When I engage in Bible study, I do not ask primarily how I can apply the passage I am studying in my life, but I ask the Spirit to show me what this passage teaches me about Him. I look for clues to His attributes and His character. I spend time in prayer and meditation reflecting upon and thanking Him for what I have learned about Him. It is in this way that I not only stay motivated to engage in Bible study but I love Bible study because it is one of the places that I meet Him, the love of my life. That way, when the day comes that I finally stand before Him, we won’t be strangers and He won’t say to me, “Depart from me, I never knew you”.
Submitted by Raimundo Gonzalez