Scripture may be a window into God’s heart, but it’s through a very complex lens. It was written over a vast period of time (traditionally 1500 years by forty individuals) including multiple cultures and three primary languages (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic). The original audiences, who received portions of Scripture at a time, were far from uniform. The Hebrews of the Pentateuch looked nothing like those in the divided kingdom nor like the exiled Israelites. By the time of the New Testament, the issues in Corinth looked nothing like the issues facing Philippi nor even the ones in Asia Minor where John sent his Revelation. Scripture is filled with multiple genres (poetry, narrative, prophetic, wisdom, law, genealogy, apocalyptic, et. al.) and sometimes we can find sub genres amidst the main genres (i.e. parables and poetry contained within narrative). None of that addresses the reading level of Scripture or translation ideologies.
While Scripture is complex, it does not give us a step-by-step process for reading or interpreting it. It’s as if God believed mankind was smart enough to figure out how to handle his word. It does give us some warnings about abusing Scripture, and it’s a reoccurring theme in the New Testament. For instance, in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he restored how Scripture was intended to be used instead of how the religious leaders used it to validate their self-righteousness (Mt. 5:21-48). Paul exhorted Timothy to handle God’s word properly (2 Tim. 2:15), and of course the irony is how often that verse has been misused. Peter acknowledges how “ignorant and unstable” people distort Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16). Finally, John’s warning not to “add or take away” is a colloquial phrase to alert them against abusing Scripture, specifically his apocalypse (Rev. 22:18-19). You can almost hear the writers testifying how manipulating Scripture is a way of breaking God’s heart.
I could spend some time discussing necessary steps to unlocking Scripture to safeguard how we handle God’s word respectfully. If I did I’d cover things like context, background, key words or themes, genre and much more. But now is not really the best time or format for such a discussion. Instead, following Scriptures’ lead, we might look at some end-results to show how devastating some approaches to Scripture actually are. The fallout includes how much we’re actually breaking God’s heart.
When Scripture is used to promote sinfulness, we either pursue happiness at all costs or one hold a corrupted view of grace (Rom. 6). Anytime we try to justify behavior contrary to the will and character of God we break his heart. Instead, when confronted by the sinfulness in our lives, we repent and stop the behavior to re-align ourselves with God. Only then does healing begin.
When Scripture is used to justify hatred we’re appealing to our own sinful nature. By the first century the Jews defended their loathing for the Samaritans and the Gentiles by misusing Leviticus 19:18, believing that “neighbor” is proximity to you. Not only does Jesus challenge that assertion in Luke 10:25-37 but he explicitly calls for us to pray for our enemies and those who do us harm (Mt. 5:43-47).
When Scripture is used to promote divisive sectarianism instead of faith and unity, we’re breaking God’s heart. Oddly, people who have a high view of Scripture tend to look for reasons to separate and divide. Denominational loyalty of “we’re right and they’re wrong” ignores the possibility that we might be wrong too. Political loyalties, a dangerous threat to Scriptures’ integrity, tends to choose a handful of issues that may line up with Scripture while ignoring others that don’t. For instance, abortion may very well be murder, but ignoring the plight of the homeless or refugees is just as sinful. Many social issues from race relations to poverty should be shaped by a healthy view of Scripture, but many times are driven by a political bent view of Scripture. And God’s heart breaks.
For those of us who hold a high view of Scripture, our challenge is to remove our own blinders in order to hear God’s voice speak to us. It’s easier said than done. But as James says, “Blessed is the one who does what the word says and not merely listen to it” (my paraphrase from James 1:22). When that happens we mend a broken heart, and that heart is God’s.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is Glorified!)