I have two reasons why it is easier to fall in the trap of overemphasizing

Respond to these two students with a reply in 135 words a piece

1.Joey Caldwell -Personally, I have found that it is easier to overemphasize the divine aspect of the Bible when interpreting and applying a passage of Scripture than the human. This would not have been the case ten years ago as I was graduating university as a new believer. My mind was still on the human, unwittingly placing myself in the seat of final/ultimate authority when it came to understanding Scripture. In fact, as I was reading for class, I found my flesh “awakening,” as it were, with the idea of being the final authority, the irony being that the natural, postmodern, supernatural, and dogmatic approaches all have tendencies–some stronger than others–to place man in the seat of authority over/equal to Scripture. Has that not been the struggle with humanity since Adam and Eve?

Depending on the subject or passage of Scripture, I have found myself leaning to the divine as I can easily begin hunting for hidden meaning in a text. After thinking about it for a moment, I do not believe that I do so in the hopes of gaining some sort of new special revelation. Instead, I am beginning to believe that it has to do with my (in)ability to accept the simplicity of the language of the Scriptures and the intent/meaning of the author. My inner skeptic is constantly looking for an angle.

I definitely resonated with McQuilkin’s quote in chapter three on supernaturalistic approaches. “Many Christians who are faithful in reading the Bible devotionally feel ‘blessed’ only when they find a surprising thought suggested to them by the text, a thought that bears no direct relationship to the intent of the author. To them, seeking to know God’s will through careful study to understand the intended meaning of the author seems dry and boring” (McQuilkin, 41).

If I am not watchful, I find it is easy for me to start wanting to “get something out of it,” instead of seeking to grow in knowing and enjoying God and find my time in the Word grows dry and boring. My flesh feels as though I need to “feel” something as I am reading and if I am not “feeling it” then I have yet to find the hidden meaning.

McQuilkin, Robert. Understanding and Applying the Bible. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1992.

2. Seungah Choe-In my opinion, it would be easier to overemphasize the divine aspect of the Bible when a Christian interpret a passage of Scripture. The supernaturalistic approach of the Bible interpretation is to seek a hidden meaning in the text rather than try to understand the message which the author intended to deliver. I think this approach is more common than realized. I can recall some sermons which took this way of interpretation, which I did not know it was not a sound way of interpreting the Bible. On the other hand, Naturalistic approach which overemphasizes the human aspect of the Bible can be easily discerned for a Christian who believes God is the ultimate author of the Bible and it does not have an error.

I have two reasons why it is easier to fall in the trap of overemphasizing the divine aspect. First, this approach does not require an agreement on the interpretation of others. Contrary to the approach of overstressing the human aspect, it does not need research nor study, but just the subject impression of the interpreter. This is hazardous because the interpreter can misuse the Scripture just to support his or her own idea, not the original message. It is so hard to be proven and reasoned that it is easy to abuse the Scripture according to the intention of the interpreter. Second, it is easy for the interpreter to fall in the trap of trying to impress people by presenting him or herself as more spiritual. I believe God sometimes can give a message to individuals through an impression or imagination. Yet when the preacher who represents the authority to teach and guide people through the Word can be easily tempted to overtake the authority of the Bible itself for his or her own good.

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