How are we to Use the Bible Rightly?

2 Timothy 2: 15 speaks of “rightly handling the word of truth”. To help us gain the best perspective in reading the Bible we identify some major principles.

The reason that the bible exists is that God has spoken to us.

He has spoken because of his plan to rescue and restore us, as well as the rest of fallen creation.

God made himself known to us in the person of his eternal Son, Jesus, and in what he was sent to do that was necessary to restore and save us.

It was what Jesus did on the Cross that made our rescue possible.

The Gospel (see last edition of The Flame) is God’s proclaimed message to us that calls for a response. The Gospel cannot be changed, added to or subtracted from. Without the Gospel we would have no understanding of what Christ did, and we would have no way to respond. Without the Gospel we would all stay lost. The Gospel tells us that if we do not respond to the Cross by repentance and faith, we cannot be ready for the return of the resurrected Christ as King.

The whole of the Bible serves a Gospel purpose. Its whole structure centres around it. It starts with Creation and the Fall. It concludes with the completed Re-Creation and full presence of the Kingdom of God. Most of the Old Testament is about the promise of ultimate salvation., It points forward to Christ. The New Testament focuses on the fulfilment of that promise.

It follows that nothing in the Bible really has a lasting purpose unless it highlights the Gospel, but the whole Bible is the word of God. It follows, therefore further, that properly to understand, interpret and apply the Bible requires us to show how a passage or incident helps us to understand the Gospel and live by it.

A useful test for interpreting and applying a part of the Bible is to ask how it helps us with understanding one or more of the following:

1 The Created order

2 Evil and the Fall

3 God’s promises

4 The Incarnation, Cross, Resurrection and Ascension

5 The Ultimate Fulfilment of God’s Plan, the Return of Christ and the full presence of the Kingdom

6 How to follow Christ as Saviour and Lord as we await his return

7 How to help others follow Christ as Saviour and Lord

Lindsay Johnstone

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