THE
BARONE’S AND THE BIBLE
Steve W. Reeves
Searcy, Arkansas
In the
popular sitcom, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” one episode feathered the daughter
asking her father about the purpose of life. The father, Raymond, fumbled badly
in his answer and the entire Barone family soon joined the conversation with a
bevy of outlandish comments. As the discussion continued someone suggested
looking for the answer in the Bible. After a lengthy search a Bible was found
and the grandmother randomly thumbed through its pages before reading an
obscure verse from Leviticus that had no pertinence to the question. The “not
so subtle” message was that the Bible has no relevance to modern life.
The authors
of the sixty-six books in the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy
3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21) to address the people of their day. They did so by using
their unique languages and customs. The relevance of Scripture is demonstrated by
the way its message transcends cultural, geographical and historical barriers
to speak to all people of all time.
The
apostle Paul instructed the young evangelist, Timothy, “Be diligent to present
yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,
accurately handling the word of truth” (2Timothy 2:15 NASB). How can you and I
accurately handle the word of truth?
1. Make Bible study a priority or life. Do
not accept what others say about the Bible
(pro or con). Investigate it for yourself.
Put forth effort to learn about the
background of each book. Who was its
author? What was the historical setting in
which the book was written? What type of
literature was used (narrative, history,
poetry, prophecy)? There are many wonderful
resources such as Bible
Encyclopedias, Dictionaries and Atlases
that can provide background information.
2. Be careful about reading your
presuppositions into the Biblical text. Years ago
a woman asked me for the location of a particular
statement in the Bible. When I responded that no such statement existed she forcefully replied, “I know it does. I’ve
believed it all of my life.” All of us are influenced by the people, places and
perspectives we have encountered in life. We must seek to study the Bible as
objectively as possible.
3. Do
not “proof-text.” Many people pick out a verse and use it without any idea of
its
context, background and relationship to the
rest of the Bible. It takes time and effort to investigate these things but the result will be a deeper understanding and
appreciation for the inspired message.
The
perceived irrelevance of the Bible is a far greater commentary on our own lack
of study and understanding than on the book itself.
