Bible Studies

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The first thing to learn about the Bible is that it is incapable of human interpretation. It is unique in that respect out of all other books written by men. John 1:1 makes that clear: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being”. The Word is just not a collection of literary works; it is and conveys the Spirit of God-it IS God.

The Word of God is recorded in the Bible. The operative Greek word is “Logos” meaning “The Word”. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words partially defines Logos as: “…the phrase “The word of God” i.e. the revealed Word of God is used as a direct revelation of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15) of the gospel…(citations)… in this respect it is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power…The personal word is a title of the Son of God…His distinct super-finite personality…His relation to the Godhead, His creative power… (Page 1241-1242).

So the Word itself is God. Human interpretation or mental understanding is not God; the Bible can only be understood spiritually by revelation from God. John 4:23-24 says that "God is a Spirit" and we can only know Him or relate to Him in the spirit. The Word is literally God’s power and authority going out from Him and “made effective” to us through the Word. Christ is the Word, God made manifest. All things were created in and through Him. God created the heavens and the earth through a creative Word (Genesis 1:3-“let there be”).

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only [literally unique, one of a kind] begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Christ was the eternal, powerful, authoritative Word that revealed Himself and the Father. The entire Bible speaks of Christ. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;” (John 5:39).

The Pharisees, to whom He was speaking, were the eminent Bible scholars of the day. They knew the Word to the point of memorizing the entire book. They interpreted every “jot and tittle”. Yet they opposed Christ who was the fulfillment of the Word on earth. In other words, they knew the Word but they knew it without revelation from God. Otherwise, they would have recognized Jesus as who he was. Instead they hated and crucified Him.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Hebrews speaks of the LIVING Word of God. Living (Zao in Greek) means-to live; to have life, to be alive…spirituality [Galatians 2:20]; spiritually and eternally together (John 6:57)…applied to God who has life independently from anyone and from Whom all living beings derive their life and existence (New American Standard Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, Strong’s number 2198 for living, page 1830 in Bible). So we conclude that the Words of God are not mere words but are a living being, Christ.

Not only is the Word living, it is piercing, as far as the division of spirit and soul. Why is that important? Because man is a triune being, composed of spirit, soul and body. Since God is a spirit, the only way we can relate to Him is through our spirits (John 4:23-24). At the present time our human spirits are for the most part under the dominion of our souls. The Word, as expressed in the Bible, comes to separate the spirit from the soul so our entire being can fully relate to God.

The Study Bible mentioned above defines soul (Psuche) as: “that immaterial part of man held in common with animals…the lower region of man’s being… (p. 1888). Spirit (Pneuma) means breath or wind, as God breathed life into Adam; “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [soul] (Genesis 2:7). And: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again [literally “from above”]. The wind [pneuma, Spirit] blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:6-8).

The Word is so piercing and powerful that Paul uses joints and marrow as an allegory. The joints and marrow are so interconnected it is difficult to separate them. So it is with the spirit and soul of man. Yet the Word is able to do that, to separate the two until the freed spirit is able to relate to God and actually control the soul and its lusts.

How does the Word do this? John says (6:63): “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I [Jesus] have spoken to you are spirit and are life”. Taken literally, the Words of the Bible are not words at all but they are Spirit and life. The “words” are merely a conveyance of the spirit and life of God to us.

The natural man, the one who interprets the Bible with human understanding, is not aware of the spiritual realm where God lives. Paul said of such men: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural [literally unspiritual] man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for THEY ARE FOOLISHNESS TO HIM; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one” (1 Corinthians 2:12-15).

Then how do we read the Bible to obtain this spiritual knowledge that goes far beyond human wisdom? The Bible is not necessarily read for understanding alone. We must eat the words so that they become part of us. Ezekiel 3:1-4 contains an apt example:

“Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll.
He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body [inward parts] with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them”.

God gave Ezekiel the scroll (symbolic for the Word), he ate it and it filled him. As with many of us, the Word was sweet to the taste but it brings trouble in the way of persecution etc. Immediately after Ezekiel had digested the Word, God told Him to go and speak it. So it should be with us. We eat the Word and it becomes part of us. Only then can we go forth and speak the truth in love.

Similarly, Jeremiah said: “Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart” (v. 15:16).

In Revelation 10:8-11, John said: “Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
Likewise we don’t just read the Word for human understanding or theological interpretation but we read it to become it.

One of the foundational Christian principles, the communion, is based on the same process:
“And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:19-20; Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; 1 Corinthians 11:24).

Earlier, when Jesus introduced this principle, He said to the multitudes: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him". (John 6:53-56).

That was when many of His disciples left the Lord, because it was strictly against Jewish law to eat blood. They did not have eyes to see or ears to hear what the Lord was saying. It actually stumbled them; the truth of the Lord became a stumbling block to them in their blindness. So it is with anyone who reads the Bible without revelation. Many write volumes interpreting the Bible according to their own understanding. Many see in the Bible nice stories, history, seeming contradictions, perceived historical inaccuracies, fallibility due to the fact it was written by man and disbelieving the authenticity of the miracles recorded. The words recorded in the Bible, meant to be spirit and life, are only foolishness to them. As we said above the Bible must be read as: “not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. (1 Co 2:13).

So how do we eat the words so that they actually become a part of us, feeding our spirits and imparting the nature of Christ? First, we must read it with faith. The starting point in understanding the Bible is to BELIEVE IT IS THE WORD OF GOD. Without that, you have nothing but a confusing jumble of mere words you do not understand.

We have to believe the Bible is what God intended to convey to us, at the time we are reading it. There is no one correct interpretation good for all time. It is a living Word speaking what God wants to convey day by day. A commentary is useless as soon as it is written because by that time God has moved on. He speaks to us each day. While reading you don’t ask the Lord “What does this mean?” You ask Him “What are you speaking to me today, Lord?” What part of the living word is are You showing me now?

We’ll stress again: We cannot read the Bible with human understanding, from our minds. Paul says that the human mind is enmity to God, and is not capable of understanding Him (Romans 8:7). We must be open “in the Spirit”. We must have open hearts. We must be absolutely ready to let God into our hearts. We must eat the Word.

When I first became a Christian I read the Bible frequently but for the first 5 years I had no idea what it was talking about. Yet I continued reading it because I couldn’t deny that something was happening to me when I read. Years later the words I read without understanding were brought to my attention by the Holy Spirit and I realized that even as I read without understanding I was receiving from God. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance all things He said. The disciples themselves didn’t understand until the Holy Spirit fell on the Day of Pentecost. Yet thereafter, they carried the Word to the ends of the earth.

It is in almost a meditative state that we read the Word. As you read, with or without understanding, you will find the presence of God, the anointing, come upon you until you feel as if you are actually in His presence (you are). You must read the word until you reach that state. It is in the presence of the Lord that your nature is changed into His and that is what you actually want. The victory is not in overcoming circumstances in your life, living a good life or doing many good works.

2 Peter 1:4 describes this change of nature:
“…He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust”.

We must let the Word change us; we must be born again. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life”. There is no way, no truth or life apart from the person of Jesus. Let’s read the Bible with this central idea that we are becoming like Him and the Bible is our chief vehicle to accomplish this.


© Kenneth B. Alexander 2008

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