Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Look for verses that tell what God has promised. Look for verses that indicate God’s commands. Look for verses that will prove a particular doctrine. Look for verses to control and/or correct others.

Frank Viola said, “Notice how each is highly individualistic. All of them put you, the individual Christian, at the center.... Each of these approaches is built on isolated proof-texting. Each treats the New Testament like a manual and blinds us to its real message.” 40 In addition, most Westerners assume that proper understanding of the Bible demands linguistic expertise or formal education, rather than the spiritual wisdom and discernment available to all the saints. This is curious, given the Reformation’s emphasis on the priesthood of the believer. For some, knowing the Bible is a source of competition and pride; a way to gain notoriety for knowing Scripture better than others. For them, “knowledge is power,” and acquiring facts about the Bible can take the place of actually knowing Christ.

Rationalism can also leave believers thinking the Bible is boring, dry, trivial, or irrelevant, rather than allowing the Word to stir their hearts toward devotion to Christ.

The Drive for Personal Application Christians are taught to find a direct line of application from the Bible to Self. The continual hunger and thirst for direct personal application to one’s daily life can twist the meaning of the classic Bible study

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