I love Star Wars! Many people do, but it's fair to notice how big a franchise it's become. Over the years, so many different storytellers have added stories of massively different styles, tones, consistency and quality to this saga. So when I say "I love Star Wars," what do I mean?
There are some who dogmatically hold to accepting and embracing everything that gets released under the name of Star Wars as part of its canon, which is legally correct to do. But others like to pick and choose which parts of Star Wars they embrace in their own head as "their" Star Wars that they love, ignoring that which they don't, which they are at liberty to do.
But what is the truth? There is, after all, an author of Star Wars, and you may cut off that definition with the works of George Lucas, or you may pass the torch to the corporation of Disney as he did. Putting aside our preferences, however you define it, there will be a distinct truth to what canonically is Star Wars, and while we're free to our opinions of each of its works, that boundary line will inevitably include things we aren't so keen on and exclude things that we'd like to embrace.
When studying the Bible as the word of God, you really need to enter into a kind of unspoken contract about what it is you are reading. This is not a science-fiction+fantasy franchise. There are some who might treat it like that, but when you sincerely believe in the God of the Bible, in Christianity, you need to embrace the truth of the Bible in a similar way. We cannot let our preferences overwrite God. If we try, we will fail at great cost.
So here's a simple list to remind us what the Bible is:
The Bible is authoritative.
"...have you not read in the Book of Moses...?" - Jesus, Mark 12:26
"This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands." - 1 John 5:2
You might have heard 'Sola Scripture' before: Scripture Alone. You may not believe it, but it's a principle that teaches that the Bible is the only authority we need to follow God's word. We shouldn't only submit ourselves to that authority in our lives, but it is the essential compilation of God's truth that teaches us everything we need to know, including what other authorities we should also submit ourselves to. It is the highest authority that disciplines us in God's ways.
Even putting Sola Scriptura aside, we do not approach God's word with a desire to define it with subjectivity. God does not suggest morality and wisdom to us in the Bible; he instructs us. The Bible is the creator of the world stepping in and teaching us everything we need to know. It's in an old language so interpreting it correctly is valuable, but there is a correct interpretation and there can be false interpretations. We need to be discerning and wise in understanding which is which so that we can obey.
The Bible is not a self-help book by fellow man. It is the word of God. It will help us, but it doesn't do so with anything less than divine authority. So interpret, yes. Rewrite, no.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17
"Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." - 2 Peter 3:15-16
Following on from the last point, it's shocking how many people calling themselves Christians lack so much faith in God that they will argue that His Word is 'outdated' and 'contains errors'. People dismissing the words of the Bible because "Paul said that, not Jesus" is a shamefully common one.
No matter how you slice it, this argument submits to a belief that God was at the mercy of humans when writing His scriptures, not the other way around. It assumes that God expects us to contradict His own holy book with individual discernment based on the authority of our own hearts that in itself goes against what His word teaches (Genesis 6:5, Proverbs 3:5-6). It is inconsistent, illogical and blatantly corrupt.
Accepting the whole Bible as true may mean needing to swallow some hard truths, but it does paint a consistent picture of a God who is always in control, is absolute in His authority and provided this very Word to aid us in our salvation. It's no coincidence that the Bible is so accessible, so often translated, even so often rephrased to better mix and match interpretations and pick up on the unquestionable consistency that can only come from believing in God's sovereign fingerprints assembling these many works over thousands of years. It was written by humans but God is the author. All of it.
The Bible is inerrant because God doesn't make mistakes; we do.
If you believe the Bible is in error, it isn't; you are.
"For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." - Proverbs 2:6
"The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
“‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’" - Jesus, Luke 8:9
Having said all that, the Bible has a lot of context that is best understood when applying it. Again, we make mistakes, so it's easy to pluck out all kinds of verses devoid of their context and use it to warp or twist God's word into whatever message we want it to say. Understanding how to apply the Bible means understanding how to study the Bible in whole.
God is unchanging, but how He's worked in the world, from Abraham's family, to judges, to prophets, to kings, to Jesus and up to the present day in the church, has all been part of an evolving plan and narrative that fulfils His purposes. Covenants, laws, ceremonies, history, prophecy, exiles, missions, churches and the many songs and teachings contained throughout them all. There's a huge amount to cross-reference and a lot of it is hard to understand, some of it can only be understood when placed in the correct context, which may be geographical, cultural, historical or even potentially just personal.
But all of it is there for a reason. Again, this is God's word and He gave us this compilation with all of its pieces so that we would have the full picture. Yes, there's a core gospel message that matters above everything else and that takes priority. But that doesn't mean the rest of the Bible doesn't matter. Also again, there is always a correct interpretation of what God is communicating to us.
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:17
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12
Twice in Scripture is the imagery of a sword used for God's word. It is here for us to be our weapon, our equipment, and our tool. (Maybe someday we can do a study on if Jesus wasn't partially alluding to this when he tells his followers to buy a sword in Luke 22:36.) The application of using God's word is preparing for combat. We will come up against lies, hardship, pain, persecution, hatred, and even enemies who would see us dead. We are in a battle with the world for the name of Jesus, some conflicts small and quiet, while others can cost us everything. In all of these things, the Bible is our greatest weapon.
When we read the Bible, God speaks to us. When we apply the Bible, God speaks to others through us. That's a responsibility that once again calls us not to fall into the trap of incorrectly defining the Bible as contrary to the prior points, and honouring that responsibility means equpping ourselves with the Bible's perspective over our own.
To grow properly as a Christian doesn't mean dogmatically reading the Bible daily out of obligation, but it does mean regularly coming back to the Bible to seek wisdom and truth. It is our daily bread, a form of sustenance that feeds our spirits. If we desire to follow Jesus, we should year to better understand the word that shows us who he is. On that note:
"He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." - Luke 24:44-45
"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." - John 20:30-31
I think a mark of distinction that can separate an okay church from a great church is when the preachers of that church understand that the whole Bible points to Christ, not just the gospels or New Testament.
It's all well and good to identify good behaviours to follow, even good and godly faith principles to honour, when we see Moses intercede for the Israelites, or we see David overcome a giant, or we see Elijah perform incredible wonders, or we see Daniel survive a death sentence he received for his obedience to God. But we should also recognise the patterns. The lessons that aren't only found in that person of the Bible. The cases of what those in the biz call "fore shadowing" but also the cases that directly indicate our need for a solution that was only found in one man.
The Bible is important to understand and interpret correctly not only because it's full of moral wisdom, cautionary tales, significant history and beautiful stories, but because all of those things serve the primary purpose of pointing us to Jesus. They reveal the character of God and as such reveal the character of Jesus Christ, our messiah, king and friend.
It's not all a matter of safeguarding ourselves in death as some would mainly seek. In fact, it's about recognising that eternal life starts now in Christ. We live that life out by aligning ourselves with him, identifying in him and repenting of our sins. The extremities of all of this are displayed in the Bible, all of it guiding us to that truth, that character, that heart and that glorious saviour who redeems us where we cannot redeem ourselves.
That's why studying the Bible correctly is so important. Not to 'be good' but to draw closer to the only one who is 'Good'.
There's debate about what counts as canon in Star Wars - what do you expect from such a long story made only by humans? The Bible has been debated too, naturally, but the core canon 66 books of it are the ones that have stood the test of time throughout the ages. Its authorship is not up for debate, its consistency is clear and its message is complete. The more you see that, the more clear God's communication to us through it becomes.
When we study the Bible, we must:
Look for Jesus, not ourselves
These are the theological keys to good Bible study and are principles I hope to apply and encourage here on this website. Respecting God's word is not a matter of subjectivity or personal preference - treating God like that results in doom. His Scripture reveals his Word, the Word that died on a cross for our sins. It's all part of the same divine plan, orchestrated by the ultimate composer who, being nothing less that perfect and almighty, can do nothing less than equip us with everything we need in a tome that to this day holds up to test and scrutiny for the glory of this revelation - the Son of God, Jesus Christ.