How (Not) to Discuss the Bible in a Bible Study Fellowship
We should study to know Christ more, appreciate His work for us, and love Him more.
Summary — principles to remember
1. God’s word is God’s word. Not our own to interpret as we please.
2. God’s grand plan is redemption through Christ.
3. God’s word explains itself.
Summary — what (not) to do
1. First, determine WHY you are discussing a portion of Scripture.
2. Discuss God’s word, not people’s opinions.
3. It should preach Christ and Him crucified.
4. Avoid unhelpful debates.
5. Resist the temptation to drift into ‘theological’ terms and phrases.
We must handle God’s word carefully. Because it is God speaking. And when God speaks, we must listen carefully. And tremble at His word.
Therefore we must remember a couple of things when we listen to God speaking. And when we share His word.
1. God’s word is God’s word.
God’s word is not our word to do with as we please. It is God’s word. So we cannot give it, or any portion of it, any interpretation we please.
Whenever God speaks, He is giving a specific message to specific people in specific circumstances for specific reasons and to achieve a specific outcome.
Can you imagine God speaking and thinking; “I’ll say this. But they can interpret it whichever way they want”?
That’s ridiculous.
God is specific.
The good news is that God has not left us to fruitlessly struggle with His word. The word of God interprets itself. The answers are right there in the Bible. We will explore this more later in the article.
2. God’s grand plan is redemption through Christ.
God planned every detail from the beginning to the end of time. Before the beginning.
His whole plan is Jesus Christ. And it is in Jesus Christ.
There’s no higher plan than that.
When you put together a device, you read the manual to find out the designer’s intention of how the whole thing, put together, should look like and work.
Similarly, when we study God’s word, we must keep looking at the big picture — redemption through Jesus Christ — to see God’s intention through each message.
God (and His word) is not haphazard. His word is harmonious end-to-end.
God’s word is many messages forming one big harmonious whole message — the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God’s grand plan comes in three levels. The global plan, His plan for His Church, and His plan for individuals — you and me.
His plan for you and me are expressed through His election of us by His grace through Christ. Everything else that happens in our individual lives feeds into His plan for our salvation.
Let’s explain that.
Is God planning to give me a spouse? Is He planning to make me rich? Will He cure me of this disease? What will I suffer?
I call these “micro-plans”. We do not know which micro-plans God has or does not have for us. We encounter them as life progresses.
For instance, I don’t know which trajectory my business will take next year.
Jesus told us not to live our lives worrying over micro-plans (Matthew 6:25–27). And later on James instructs Christians to make plans saying “If God wills” (James 4:13–15).
What God has made very clear, repeatedly, is that He is working for your salvation (2 Peter 3:9). That’s what He is most concerned about.
That’s His macro-plan for you.
Not that the micro-things don’t matter to Him. Every detail of our lives matter to the loving Father much more than we know. In fact, He has designed every detail.
But He has a greater plan for us. In Christ.
That macro-plan for you and me ties to the second level of God’s grand plan — which is His plan for the Church.
He purchased the Church with His own blood. The Church is you and me and all Christ-believing people in the world (1 Corinthians 2:1–2).
And that ties to the global plan — which is redemption through Christ.
3. God’s word explains itself.
If you see a “gap” in His word, there are two possibilities. Either the answer will be found upon careful study of the Bible. Or He has designed the “gap”.
The Bible explains itself. The answer to a question you have about one portion of Scripture is in another portion.
We do not need to go outside the Word to explain it.
Sermons, commentaries, books are all good resources. But nobody can explain God better than God Himself.
So it is better that we stick to the word.
SO HOW SHOULD WE (NOT) DISCUSS THE BIBLE?
1. First, determine WHY you are discussing a portion of Scripture.
In other words, what is the intention? What outcome do you want to achieve?
God’s intention for us regarding Scripture is that our hearts should be convicted each time to a response that draws us closer to Him.
Does your intention for discussing in a Bible study feed into that?
Or is it just for head knowledge?
Or to make us feel good that our opinions have been heard?
Is the discussion making the gospel clearer or obscuring it?
Here is a helpful exercise that I have found makes Bible discussions sharper.
Before the discussions begin, determine this:
What do we aim to achieve by discussing this portion of Scripture?
That helps discussants stick to the theme and drive towards the desired outcome.
There’s no standard answer. But the answer needs to be clear and specific. Answers could sound like this:
To understand how Christ was both God and man.
To see the seriousness of adultery.
To understand what grace means.
Those answers are outcome-based.
Worrying answers are output-based. Like those below.
To cover this portion of Scripture.
To finish the book of John.
To cover the material.
To discuss.
Also avoid vague or general goals, such as:
To be better Christians.
To be more loving.
Let’s explain the latter point. “Better Christians” and “more loving” are beyond the outcomes of a bible study.
I mean, we cannot make people better Christians or more loving.
But we can help them see how biblical love looks like. And we can help people see how daily meditation on God’s word helps us live biblically.
Those are better outcome statements than the general “to be more loving” and “to be better Christians”.
Without a clearly defined outcome, the discussion will veer in every direction.
And though the discussants might leave feeling good that they had a lively discussion, there will be no real transformation — causing conviction.
2. Discuss God’s word, not people’s opinions.
When God speaks, what matters is what God is saying. Not what we think.
“I think”, “I feel, “I believe” should be replaced with “it is written”.
Yes, we all have opinions, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. We want our brethren to hear and appreciate them.
But a Bible study is a study of the Bible.
When we have points, questions or objections, we should refer to Scripture to guide us.
For example, when I opine that Christians should actively fellowship with brethren, it is not enough for me to say:
I think Christians should actively fellowship with brethren. I think it is a good thing.
It is more authoritative and edifying when I say:
God instructs Christians to fellowship with brethren. We see that in Hebrews 10:25.
When a discussant expresses an opinion, they should be encouraged to support it with a clear biblical text.
The discussion leader (and fellow discussants) should feel free to ask, “Where do we see that in Scripture?”.
This will encourage discussants to engage in more bible-led, bible-driven, and bible-guided thinking.
Let us be like Master Jesus who always referred to Scriptures when discussing matters of faith.
And the Bereans.
The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:10–11, ESV)
A Bible study is a solemn time. It is a great opportunity for God to speak to us. We should therefore leave God, and God alone, to speak to us by sharpening each other’s understanding and conviction.
3. It should preach Christ and Him crucified.
Does the discussion draw constant inspiration from Christ and Him crucified? Does it constantly point to Christ and Him crucified?
Or does it often point to us, our own knowledge, our zeal, our effort, our conquests?
As we saw, there is no greater plan, and therefore nothing in the faith, beyond Christ and Him crucified.
Paul’s attitude among the Corinthians serves as a lesson to us.
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1–2, ESV)
A discussion among believers must be different from a discussion among non-believers. We are all about Christ and Him crucified.
That’s our foundation, our pride, our philosophy, our wisdom, the way we think, and the way we talk.
Christ and Him crucified is the most important phenomenon to God. So it must be to us.
4. Avoid unhelpful debates.
Anything that does not glorify Christ and Him crucified is extraneous.
Extraneous debates are unhelpful.
Examples of unhelpful debates include: Theological stances (like Calvinism vs. Arminianism), the beliefs of individual teachers / preachers (for instance Piper vs MacArthur), denominationalism (for instance Adventism vs Catholicism).
Remember that the bigger intention of bible study is for us to see Christ and to produce in us a response that draws us closer to God.
That will not be achieved through extraneous debates.
Extraneous debates cause tensions and divisions. And they distract us from the main point — Christ and Him crucified.
Let’s see the attitude the word of God has about extraneous debates.
For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:4–6, ESV).
Whenever a discussion is turning into such a debate, bible study leaders need to step in and steer the conversation back to the main idea.
But how can we spot an unhelpful debate?
I often find this to be a useful test:
Will it help us to see how sinful we are, and therefore the extent and glory of what Jesus Christ has done for us? Will it teach us to live like Christ?
If it does not pass that test, it is often unhelpful.
5. Resist the temptation to drift into ‘theological’ terms and phrases.
As much as possible, be simple and direct.
Theological terms and phrases tend to compound biblical text. And make a select few seem smarter than everyone else.
Which is not the intention of a bible discussion.
Unless the discussion is among scholars and theologians, if something can be expressed in plain language it is better expressed in plain language.
Let us strive to be like Jesus. He taught in a manner that convicted both the “lay people” and the “learned”.
With love,
Sam.
