Saturday, April 14, 2007

This is a Bible we all need

I literally thank God that this Bible (ESV Literary Study Bible) is soon coming out. Why? Do we really need another study Bible? YES, we do need this particular study Bible. The reason is simple. The Bible is literature.

Before anyone panics over this statement, please relax. The Bible is literature, but it is also true and authoritative. Just because it is literature does not mean that it has to be fiction.

The Bible was written down at certain times, in certain places, by Holy Spirit inspired men. These men, in turn, wrote down the text as literature. God's Word, then, was designed to be understood in this way. Far too often, we pick certain verses or passages out of context in order to fit our already established ideas. What we should all be doing is striving to understand what God has said, what He has commanded, what He has willed, and what He desires. In order to do this, we must view the Bible as He intended it. Analyzing the scriptures in their literary forms helps us best accomplish this task.

Thank you God for this study Bible!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Seems like this sort of thing is in the air. I've certainly caught the bug!

Eric said...

Thank you for your comment. I can't wait to get the study notes from this new Bible. It makes sense that if God's Word was written in literary form that we should try to understand it that way.

I like your idea of blogging the Bible. I think it is always positive when we try to engage the biblical text in a thorough manner and try to understand what God is really saying. Keep it up!