Slide 0 The Lens of Glory

Slide 11 Consider how someone who does not believe in the supernatural will interpret the Bible. Read John 6:1-14; Matthew 28:1-10 What conclusions would that person draw?

Slide 12 It is easier to see an incorrect method for interpreting the Bible on the part of someone else. What are some possible incorrect approaches on our part?

Slide 13 Consider Pastor Rick Warren’s words from the CBS Morning Show: “What’s the most important thing in the Bible? He said “Look, I’m going to summarize the whole Bible in two sentences…” then references Matthew 22:37-39.

Slide 13.5 Consider Pastor Rick Warren’s words from his address to the 2010 Desiring God Conference: “Would you write this down? You only believe the part of the Bible you actually do.”

Slide 14 Let us apply what we have been told by Rick Warren: Read Matthew 22:36-40 Is our belief in the truth of these verses related to how we do them?

Slide 15 Let us further apply what we have been told by Rick Warren: Read Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-4

Slide 15.5 Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-4 Is our belief in the truth of these verses related to how well we do them? How well have you obeyed Genesis 1:1 or John 1:1-4?

Slide 16 Matthew 22:36-40 In this passage, the Lord is asked for the greatest commandment in the Law, not the most important thing in the Bible If you see the Bible as law (instruction), you might mistake a summary of the Law as a summary of the Bible.

Slide 16.5 Rick Warren’s advice leads us to conclude that he sees the Bible as merely an instruction book. In this view, the Bible exists for the purpose of mining it for instructions on how to live a godly life. It is based on an incomplete view of what the Bible tells us To regard the Bible’s contents as instructions only is a category error (i.e. mixing descriptions which are different in nature; “That milk shake tastes blue to me”)

Slide 17 The Bible contains several types of statements Interrogatory – A question: “Is today a Sunday?” Indicative – A statement of truth indicating what is: “The sky is blue” Imperative – A command to do something: “Pick up the book”

Slide 18 In our examples, Matthew 22:36-40 is a set of imperatives Genesis 1:1 & John 1:1- 4 are indicatives

Slide 19 A distorted “lens” in reading and understanding the Bible will happen if we misunderstand/forget that The Bible contains indicatives and imperatives The imperatives (what we do) must flow from the indicatives (our belief in what God tells us is) Colossians Chapters 1-2 (primarily indicative) Chapters 3-4 (primarily imperative) John 6:28-29 & Hebrews 11:6 provide us with a corrective (emphasis on belief/trust in indicatives; Imperatives flow from these

Slide 20 Other models of biblical interpretation are not necessarily wrong The Bible presents us with a model for interpretation. Not so much a “how” but a “who” That model (“lens”) of interpretation is Jesus Christ

Slide 20.5 Which way is the pointer going? Some seem to believe that Jesus points us to great Biblical truths that we must follow as a pattern for living a life of obedience Rather, we see that the Scriptures (Great Biblical Truths) point us to Christ