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Shalom,
Must one read the Bible all by oneself? .
Or is it better to read expositions by scholars such as McLaren, Spurgeon etc.?
As lay people, we may not understand anything profound without the help of scholars.
Shalom,
Must one read the Bible all by oneself? Or is it better to read expositions by scholars such as McLaren, Spurgeon etc.? As lay people, we may not understand anything profound without the help of scholars.
Elysian
I don't know how someone can read the Bible and not be touched at some point by something completely relevant to his or her life. My caution here is to not get too simplistic with Scripture and make it either/or because God can speak through both - and He does often do that. The Bible is the Word of God given to us, and commentary on it by reasonably trusted sources should come in addition to in this case.
If your relationship with Jesus is defined totally through the lens of someone else, then it's not your relationship. There will be no commentator between you and God when the day comes. While, on the other hand, the Bible is not for private interpretation (II Peter 1:20). There simply is a healthy balance.
Shalom,
Must one read the Bible all by oneself? Or is it better to read expositions by scholars such as McLaren, Spurgeon etc.? As lay people, we may not understand anything profound without the help of scholars.
Elysian
This appears to touch on 'Sola Scriptura'.. For the Reformers it never meant 'me and my bible'. This would lead to having reinvent the wheel each time a heresy came along. What it does mean is that the Church Fathers have taught things that are helpful and edifying and should be consulted by the present day church. Yet, and here is where they differed from Rome, when there becomes a dispute between a teaching of one of the Fathers (or any teacher) and Scripture, guess who wins? Scripture has the FINAL authority.
So yes, by all means read the 'Greats' but keep your bible in hand.
If we ignore the teachings of those who went before and ignore what our local pastor and elders are teaching, and it becomes just 'Jesus, the Bible and me' then we definitely are heading for trouble.
I agree with your post.
I have a question.......what if you are reading one of the Greats and their writings seem to contradict what you know to be true in scripture and after you consult scripture, it is confirmed in your mind. Unfortunately, the scripture that you are interpreting is being filtered through you post-enlightenment, Western mind?
Is it at all possible to understand the bible directly without relying on the greats?
I agree with your post.
I have a question.......what if you are reading one of the Greats and their writings seem to contradict what you know to be true in scripture and after you consult scripture, it is confirmed in your mind. Unfortunately, the scripture that you are interpreting is being filtered through you post-enlightenment, Western mind?
Thanks, everyone. What I mean is, I find certain parts utterly boring. They simply describe events, which king did what, who went where etc. With commentaries, these 'boring' portions make better sense. Reading the gospel, however, is a different matter. It is interesting, with or without commentary.