Morning Moments

I am not a Greek nor Hebrew scholar!  I had a couple of years of Greek in college and one of Hebrew and have used both languages in Bible Study for my almost 50 years of ministry, but that in no way or by no means makes me either an expert in the languages or a scholar in that field.  I possess some of the best Biblical language resources money can buy and I use them.

It astounds me that the average Christian, who is also neither a scholar nor an expert in the languages, can think because they have a Strong's Exhuastive Concordance and will little or no Biblical skills and no resources can suddenly become an authority and dispute or challenge those who have given their lives to the study of Biblical languages, especially when, even they differ at times.

Knowledge can be a very dangerous thing, especially when it is so limited.  I was once required to teach Elementary Greek and one of the things I emphasized is that you may know the basics of any language, the alphabet, vocabulary, parts of speech, etc, BUT THAT does not make you fluent in the language.  It doesn't even mean that you can interpret the language.  Many reading this post probably could not understand the following:

"Mortals who abide in vitrious edifices should not possess morbid propensities against antidisestablishmentarianism".

It doesn't mean you can't read it, pronounce it, or even define the words, but what is the statement saying?  Simply this:  "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones".

My point is a simple one:  There is more to Bible Study than reading the text or even what you may personally get from the text, and that is, What the text means in its context, the author's original intent, the cultural and custom aspect of the text, the historical setting and time, etc.   There is far more to Bible Study than knowing the definition of words - 1) how those words are used, 2) how they are used in their context, 3) how they are use by this author in contrast to how they are used by another, etc.

Taking words out of context, and text out of context, and a failure to understand when they are used literally or figuratively, etc, are some of the reasons we have to bear SO much confusion and division in the Body of Christ.  There is NO question that if you ONLY HAD THE BIBLE and no other resources, you could learn how to be saved and how to live godly in Jesus Christ, but we are also told, as believers to STUDY to show ourselves approved unto God, and HE has given the Body of Christ, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor/teachers.  The world must be reached with the Gospel, but we must also MAKE disciples of those we reach, and Teach the faithful to teach faithful.