While perusing Facebook, I noticed a post from a colleague that gave me pause. The statement was simply, “We read the Bible through the lens of Jesus.” Now on the surface that sounds right, simple and true. But scratch the surface and, well, this statement doesn’t work and can lead to problems.
The first question for me was, “If you don’t know Jesus, how do you read the Bible though the lens of Jesus?” I have been leading the staff through the doctrines of the church and the Doctrine of Bible is one that is covered in the book by Max Anders. While simple in explanations, it does state the core doctrine in 4 words and then elaborates on those words. The first word in the Doctrine of the Bible is “revelation.” You simply cannot read the Bible from the Lens of Jesus if Jesus is to be revealed to you, newbie at this or not. There is no revelation if you have already determined who Jesus is and how Jesus should act. Which leads into my second thought process.
What if our lens of Jesus is wrong? That can sincerely distort the Bible’s revelation of who Jesus is and his message. For example, a distorted view of Jesus will distort much of what is said about Jesus and what Jesus did. The church over the last 50 years has made Jesus rather wimpy. All love and justice, no wrath or judgment. It emphasizes one set of attributes of the other. Why? Because no one wants to hear they are going to hell because they are not good enough. You do know that unless you are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, believing that he alone makes you right before the holy and perfect God, you don’t get in? Jesus speaks of this often. But you might miss this if you do not have that lens of Jesus.
John Wesley said The Bible is revelation of God/Jesus to us. When perplexed by passages, use other passages to determine the meaning. And if that is not helping then refer to the traditions of the early church, i.e., Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed, early church father writings. The Bible is the revelation of who God is, who we are (humanity) and who Jesus is and why we need him. It reveals the plan of how we were created to live in harmony with God and each other. It reveals how we messed things up and how God worked His plan to fix it throughout history. It reveals how God offers salvation to everyone through Jesus and why (John 3:17-18)? It reveals how we can be made righteous before our perfect and holy God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
So, my advice is to try not read the Bible through a specific “lens.” We all have a lens we bring to the table but be aware of that and open yourself to the possibility your lens is wrong. Best practice would be read the Bible and let God the Holy Spirit reveal to you what he wants you to know. Then get in groups and talk about, debate it, and turn back to the Holy Spirit to guide you. We are still going to get it wrong from time to time but will probably have a much deeper understanding of the revelation that comes from reading our Bibles when we make revelation from God our priority.
While perusing Facebook, I noticed a post from a colleague that gave me pause. The statement was simply, “We read the Bible through the lens of Jesus.” Now on the surface that sounds right, simple and true. But scratch the surface and, well, this statement doesn’t work and can lead to problems. The first question…