The Frustrations of Bible Reading

August 2, 2013

The average American household has four Bibles or more. We are a long way from the times before the invention of the printing press when Bibles were expensive and rare. But having access to a Bible doesn’t necessarily mean Americans are Bible readers. A recent press release from Logos Bible Software provides these statistics about Bible reading among church attenders.1

  • 18–34% Rarely or never read the Bible
  • 12% Felt confused the last time they read the Bible
  • 11% Felt overwhelmed
  • 40% Felt an “unfavorable emotion”

Survey respondents also indicated their top frustrations with Bible reading.

  • 32% “I never have enough time”
  • 12% “The language is difficult to relate to”
  • 11% “I don’t feel excited about reading it”

Is reading the Bible frustrating? The answer is yes — at least initially. Everyone who develops the habit of regular Bible reading struggles to find time to read. It becomes easier, but I still go through busy times in my life when I play catch up on my reading guide. We also need to keep things in perspective. None of the books of the Bible are very long. Most are pamphlet size if they were printed by themselves. Each of the gospels could be read aloud in about two hours. In comparison, one of the most recent John Grisham novels would take nearly 13 hours read aloud — the entire New Testament could be done in about 16 hours.

I think most new Bible readers do feel confused and struggle to understand. I liken my first time reading through the Bible with fishing with a net with holes six inches wide. You can catch a big fish with it — some of the big ideas in the text, but many things will pass right through. Fishing with such a net would obviously be frustrating. Each time through the Bible your net becomes finer, and you “catch” more of what is in the text.

I suspect that talking about the frustration of Bible reading seems a bit sacrilegious. After all, the Bible is God’s word. How can we complain about God’s word? Yet, I know of few things in life that don’t entail a learning curve especially if they are worth doing. Admitting our frustrations is the first step in moving beyond them. Knowing that others have felt the same way in their journey can help us work through our own frustrations. Believe me when I say the journey is worth it.

1http://www.logos.com/press/releases/free-esv-bible. Note that the press release is about a free ESV Bible for iOS, Android, or Kindle Fire mobile devices. The free offer is good through August 10th. Use the press release link to find the offer. Logos is one of the Bible apps that I personally use on my iPad, and free is hard to beat.

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Posted by Russell Holden

Don’t Smoke the Book of John

June 28, 2013

Why are our Bibles so portable? The Bible is a library of sixty-six books. In scrolls, it would be difficult to impossible to carry around. The book form or codex was introduced to the world in the first century. By the second century, we have evidence that the codex became the preferred format for early Christians.

The book format allows a lot of material to be carried in a handy size. The last page of Revelation in my Bible is on page 1252, yet it is only about an inch and half thick. A best-selling novel of 650 pages can be nearly two inches thick. Why are our Bibles as thin as they are? Most Bibles are printed on thin paper.

That leads us to the odd news. The German Bible Society distributes about 400,000 Bibles per year. According to Felix Breidenstein, the society’s business manager, the Chinese craving for cigarettes is driving up the price of Bible production. The rising demand for cigarette paper in China means stiffer competition for the thin paper used in Bible printing. So if you need another reason to quit smoking other than it can kill you, it also drives up the price of Bibles.

Bible paper and smoking have another link. Prisoners have on occasions used pages of the Bible to roll their own cigarettes. The World Bible Translation Center tells one such story. Thirty years ago a prisoner was using his Bible to roll cigarettes. Another inmate squealed on him. But surprisingly, the chaplain gave the man another copy of the Bible. But he left with this admonition: “Don’t smoke the book of John.”

The prisoner continued to roll cigarettes, but respected the charge. He didn’t smoke the gospel of John, but began to read. He learned of God’s great love in sending His Son. He learned of the choice between eternal life and perishing, and he chose life. The prisoner was converted and now serves as chaplain at three different jails in Texas. He recently baptized 15 and has distributed 300 Easy-to-Read New Testaments in the past year.

How odd that Bibles and cigarettes are in competition for the same paper! China attempts to restrict religion to government-authorized religious organizations and registered places of worship. Persecution exists. My prayer for the Chinese is that they also discover the best use of thin paper – the Bible.

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Posted by Russell Holden

Directions for the Narrow Road

May 17, 2013

A recent article describes the disasters that have befallen people who followed their GPS even when it was wrong.*

  • A man in the Upper West Side of Manhattan followed the directions of his GPS to turn west. He suddenly found himself driving down the steps in Riverside Park.
  • Japanese tourists in Australia were attempting to get to North Stradbroke Island, which is actually nine miles off the coast from Brisbane. They followed the instructions of their GPS to drive down a gravel road, but ended up driving into the sea. The preferred method for getting to the island is by ferry boat. The car was a total loss.
  • A woman in Brussels was picking up friends at the train station. She continued to follow her GPS even when it required her to stop and refill her car up with gasoline twice. Finally when she arrived in Zagreb, Croatia, she decided there was a problem.

Some of these cases are humorous (as long as your not the one making the mistake), but faulty GPS directions can also be life threatening. A man in the UK followed his satellite navigation system even when the road became a path. His car finally bumped up against a thin wire fence — the only thing between him and a 100-foot drop. Cases have also occurred of people running out of gas in the desert because of faulty GPS information resulting in a search and rescue.

The old computer adage is garbage in, garbage out. It is still true even when it is a GPS giving you spoken, turn by turn directions. The problem with the machine is that humans make mistakes.

What about the spiritual directions in your life? Someone will say so-and-so told me this is the way to be saved. Are they right? How do you know for sure? Human beings make mistakes, and they sometimes give faulty directions even when well-intentioned. (By the way, this is why I frequently say: “I don’t want you to believe it because I said it, but because you found it in Scripture.”)

Jesus spoke of the narrow gate and the narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus says that few find it. It is worth checking your directions. After all, the Bible is the only infallible guide of directions for the narrow road.

____________________

*http://news.yahoo.com/8-drivers-blindly-followed-gps-disaster-213900496.html

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Posted by Russell Holden

Do We Have the Right Books in Our New Testament?

October 27, 2012

Do we have the right books in our New Testament? That question is raised by The Da Vinci Code and other works that attempt to redefine Jesus. The issue is the canon. The word, canon, literally refers to a rod used in measuring and became a term used for which books belong in the Bible. The process of recognizing which books belong was called canonization.

Inspired writings (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21) were authoritative the moment they were written. It is better to see the canon as a collection of authoritative books than as an authoritative collection of books. The authority adhered in the writings themselves.

The need to recognize which books were inspired arose from the threats of heresy and persecution and the practical issue surrounding the availability of the codex (or book format) which allowed many writings to be bound into one. Christians needed to know which books came from heretics, which books they were willing to die for, and which books should be bound together in a codex.

Three criteria were used by early Christians. Apostolicity asked whether a book came from an apostle or a close associate of an apostle. The writing would also have to be old enough to come from the apostolic period. Orthodoxy raised the question of whether the writing was consistent with the apostolic message and the Old Testament. Catholicity (which means universality) was a test of whether the churches everywhere received the writing.

The first person to write a canon list was Marcion, a second century heretic (c. A.D. 140). His included an edited version of Luke and edited versions of 10 of Paul’s letters. Marcion rejected all things Jewish and rejected the God of the Old Testament. Given the current interest in Gnostic gospels, it is interesting to ask why didn’t Marcion list those other gospels? The answer is they hadn’t been written yet or Marcion knew that no one would take them as authoritative. Despite the assertions of The Da Vinci Code, the other gospels were not serious contenders for the canon.

The Muratonian Canon is a list that dates from the latter part of the second century. Unfortunately, it is also fragmentary. It lists the four gospels, Acts, 13 letters of Paul, Jude, Revelation, 1 John, and either 2 John or 3 John or both. Clearly there was undisputed support for the bulk of our New Testament in the second century.

The only New Testament books that were ever disputed were Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. Slowly over time the early church answered its questions about these. A consensus of a 27 book New Testament arose by the fourth century. But more importantly, never were there more than four gospels or the 27 books of our New Testament considered undisputedly as a part of the canon.

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Posted by Russell Holden

If God Wrote a Want Ad

August 17, 2012

All of us are familiar with want ads. A prospective employer puts out a description of what the company is looking for in an employee. Maybe you’ve had the experience of circling ads while looking for a job. You circle ads which match your qualifications. What if God wrote a want ad. What would God be looking for in human beings? A number of Bible passages might come to mind (Psalm 15, Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:3-10, etc.), but I would certainly nominate Isaiah 66:2.

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2, ESV

Humble. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines humble as “having or showing a consciousness of one’s defects or shortcomings; not proud.” Proverbs gives a number of warnings against destructive pride and encouragements for humility. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2, ESV). Phillips Brooks wrote, “The way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you how small your greatness is.” That higher nature is God. We must have humility before Him. Without humility, we won’t recognize our spiritual needs.

Contrite. Contrition, being contrite, has to do with remorse for having done something wrong. The etymology of the English word goes back to a Latin word meaning “grief.” The Hebrew word in Isaiah 66:2 means “broken.” It is the person with a broken spirit who recognizes sin in his or her life. Contrition leads to repentance.

Trembles at My Word. “My word” of this passage is God’s word. The trembling of this passage may reflect when God thundered from Mt. Sinai in the giving of the Ten Commandments. The people were afraid and trembled (Exodus 20:18). Yet Moses replied, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20, ESV). Reverence for God and His word will lead to the desire to know and do His will. Only 1 in 3 Americans believes that “holding the Bible to be God’s truth is absolutely necessary for someone to truly know God,” and 4 in 10 Americans say they would turn first to the Bible to test their own religious beliefs! The most important question any of us can ask ourselves it this. If I read in the Bible something that disagrees with what I currently practice or believe, am I willing to change to be in conformity with the Bible? That willingness to do God’s will is what it means to tremble at God’s word.

God’s want ad is not looking for perfect people, but for people who are aware of their need, willing to listen, and willing to trust and obey.

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Posted by Russell Holden

My Greatest Possession

August 12, 2012

In the movie, Luther, there is a memorable scene between Martin Luther and the vicar of the Augustinian order where Luther was a monk, Johann von Staupitz. Luther wrestled with spiritual uncertainty. He was always conscious of his sin. He knew that he could never be good enough. He doubted his salvation. Von Staupitz asks him, “Have you ever read the New Testament?” Luther answers, “No.” Von Staupitz informs him that he should study for his doctor’s degree which would ultimately mean he would replace von Staupitz as the Bible chair in the University of Wittenberg.

What is striking is that Luther had never read the New Testament! He had grown up in a religious home. He had studied to become a lawyer, and after a spiritual crisis, he became a monk. The New Testament had been available in Latin and Greek, but as Roland Bainton notes in his biography of Luther, “…the Bible was not the staple of theological education.” And the New Testament was certainly not available to the common man. Bainton reflects, “One is tempted to surmise that [von Staupitz] retired in order unobtrusively to drive this agonizing brother to wrestle with the source book of his religion.”1

Luther’s wrestling with the source book ignited the Reformation and brought him in conflict with church officials. At the Diet of Worms, he made his famous confession, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God.” Those were dangerous words in 1521. Frederick the Wise, elector of Saxony, took Luther to the Wartburg Castle for safety. While there Luther translated the New Testament into German (1522). The entire German Bible was completed by 1534. With Luther’s influence, William Tyndale produced the first printed English New Testament in 1525. The Bible was given back to the common person.

The home I grew up in had several Bibles. I’ve had my own Bible since early elementary school. I read the New Testament as a teenager. Ninety-two percent of all Americans have at least three Bibles at home. I marvel at the technology that allows me to carry a Bible (actually multiple translations) around in my shirt pocket. We live with a surplus of Bibles, but history reminds us that it hasn’t always been that way.

With the surplus of Bibles, it is easy to take them for granted. In fact, we have so many physical blessings; it is difficult to count them all. But the lessons of history cause me to reflect. My greatest physical possession is my Bible. It is my greatest treasure, because it teaches me the words of life.

1Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, p. 60

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Posted by Russell Holden

The Needed Directions

January 20, 2012

I was putting an appointment in my calendar one day, and I had the name of the place where I was to go but lacked the address. I like to put address and information on directions with the appointment, so I did what many people would do. I googled the name of the place. Google brought up the web site for the place I wanted, and I clicked to a very professional looking web site. It had all kinds of information on it. It had a description of the place, a photo, and a very nice history. In fact, it had everything but what I wanted to know — the address. The web site told me everything but how to get there.

Occasionally, we will receive a flyer for some event that commits the same error. The flyer will have a nice layout. It will contain information about the event, for example, who is speaking or what singing group will perform. It will give date and time and other important information, but it will omit the address.

It’s a very human failing. I can certainly relate to it. I’ve put together a flyer or two through the years as well as a few web sites too. You have all these things that you want to say, and unless you organize your thoughts a bit, you can leave out something important. I’ve experienced a proofreader’s second set of eyes pointing out something that I had missed.

I’m glad that the Lord does not have this human failing. On the night of his betrayal, Jesus speaks of the place he will prepare for his followers (John 14:1-3). This naturally leads to Thomas wondering about the directions: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5, ESV) Jesus gives this tremendous answer: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. “(John 14:6, ESV) Yet, I must confess that we might still be perplexed if that was the only answer. This discussion leads to Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit. I think it contains a special promise to the apostles, the “you” of 14:26.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26, ESV)

I am thankful for the divine guidance given the apostles. They were spared the human failing of forgetting something when it came to the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints, so we have the assurance that we can be thoroughly equipped for every good work. God has provided everything we need for life and godliness. Since it is the most important destination, I’m thankful that we have the needed directions.

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Posted by Russell Holden

How to Read Psalm 119

October 28, 2011

To be a Bible reader is to read poetry. Someone has estimated that sixty percent of the Old Testament is in poetic form. Poetry also occurs in the New Testament. The basic marker of Hebrew poetry is parallelism. The two parallel lines will say the same thing in different words, or say contrasting things, or sometimes the second line will build on the first.

The longest poem in Psalms is Psalm 119. I have to admit in the early days of my Bible reading I would feel a little dread of Psalm 119. It is so long! It is twenty-two stanzas and 176 verses long. Even then, it was easy to recognize some high points in the psalm:

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. Psalm 119:9, ESV

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11, ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105, ESV

Yet 176 lines is a long way to go for a few choice nuggets. I recognized some familiar trees, but I didn’t have a sense of the beauty of the entire forest.

I wasn’t alone. Some unkind things have been said about the psalm by commentators through the years. Some have felt that the poem is disjointed. Yet to be a Bible reader is to read and to read again. In time, I’ve come to appreciate the psalm as a whole and to see its beauty.

Psalm 119 is a tightly structured poem. It is an acrostic poem. The twenty-two stanzas of the poem are usually marked in English with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Hebrew has only twenty-two letters in its alphabet. That means that each of the eight lines in the stanza begin with that letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Eight lines beginning with the same letter and a stanza for each letter of the alphabet is a challenging task. The poem uses the word law (Hebrew torah which also means instruction) and seven synonyms for law. Likely the reason for 8 lines per stanza is the fact that the psalm uses 8 words for law. One of these 8 words for law occurs in every line except four, but in five lines of the poem a synonym for law occurs twice.

What helped my reading of this psalm? Read through the psalm and look for the circumstances of the psalmist. Read through the psalm and look for the petitions of the psalmist. Read through the psalm and look for the things he says about law or instruction and its benefits. Read through the psalm and look for praise of God. Do this and I think your appreciation for the psalm will grow. You will see its lament, wisdom, and praise. You will see how the whole psalm fits together in a wonderful way.

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Posted by Russell Holden

Not Bound

November 12, 2010

Timothy was a traveling companion and fellow worker with the Apostle Paul. He receives two personal letters from Paul that are a part of the New Testament. The two letters address him as he does the work of evangelist in the city of Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3, 2 Timothy 4:5).

Paul breaks out into good news and writes:

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! (2 Timothy 2:8–9, ESV)

In one sense it may seem odd to say to a preacher of the gospel: remember Jesus Christ. Isn’t he going to anyway? Yet, the two thoughts that follow it make the statement much more understandable. Remember Jesus even when there is suffering attached. Remember Jesus because the word of God is not bound.

I need that last reminder. The sharing of the good news can at times be discouraging. Paul is reminding all of us that the power is in the message not the messenger. Paul may be bound and in prison, but the word of God isn’t.

Other passages remind us of the same great truth.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8, ESV)

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ” (Isaiah 55:10–11, ESV)

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:6–7, ESV)

I need reminding that the power is not in the messenger but in the message. It is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation. The word of God when presented will have its effect. It will not return to God void. The word of God is not bound.

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Posted by Russell Holden

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