James Wibberding

In a previous post, I suggested that appropriate Bible study let’s Scripture set the agenda. Let me explain what I mean. Much of Bible study is done to establish doctrine, which means that we look for specific answers when we open our Bible’s. This may be church doctrine or a personally relevant biblical doctrine. This, however, can blind us to the real biblical themes and cause us to see only what we choose to see. It can lock us in to our preconceived framework of truths and leave us without large pieces of the puzzle that will change the picture entirely. We should, instead, sit at the foot of Scripture and let God tell us what matters most to him. There may be times when we need to study specific topics but this study will be fruitful only if we have first let Scripture set the agenda and build the framework for our understanding.