Though I’d grown up in the church and had earned my share of Scripture memory badges in Sunday School, I was an adult before I realized I didn’t actually understand much of the Bible. I knew how to pull out a verse of encouragement when I needed hope, and I knew how to identify sin in myself and others, but I hadn’t really learned much about who God is or what he might be trying to communicate to the world through his Word. In Part 1 of this series, we talked about three common mistakes I’ve made when reading the Bible and how my relationship with God benefitted from changing those things. The first mistake I made was approaching Scripture with a lens for myself instead of a lens for God.
The main thing that helped me shift my perspective was asking myself five questions every time I read Scripture. I tried to read through the questions before I read, then again afterward. Sometimes I’d forget what I was looking for and fall back into my old patterns, but over time, these questions started to come naturally.
Question #1: What does God say or do in this passage?
This kind of question will be easy to answer when the verse says something like, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” (Genesis 1:1 ESV) or “[Jesus] took the bread and blessed and broke it,” (Luke 24:30) or “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4), but it might be more challenging in places where God’s action isn’t expressly mentioned.
Here are two examples of passages where God’s actions might be more challenging to find. First, Matthew 6:33 notes, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” What action is God taking in this verse? At first, it may seem like he’s not doing anything at all. But who is doing the “adding to you” part? God is the one doing that! Next, in Paul’s second letter to the church at Thessalonica he says, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). The people are growing together in faith and love, Paul is thanking God—but what is God doing? Here’s a hint: who is Paul thanking for their growth and their love? He’s thanking God! Paul recognizes God as the active agent in the church’s growth and their love.
Question #2: What does this reveal about what God loves?
Sometimes Scripture states outright what God loves, like “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7), but sometimes it’s evident in what the passage implies. For instance, Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD.” This passage conveys not only God’s love for the poor but also for a heart of generosity.
