Dear Rick,
I want to share part of an article with you written some years ago by a friend of DTS that is still so applicable to the way we study our Bibles today.Some years ago a friend received a prayer letter about a "Miracle Healing Revival." An enclosed Miracle Prayer Request Sheet included the following instructions: "Take the prayer sheet I have sent you and write your name on it, and as you do, lay hands on it. We must have your prayer requests back from you so we can touch them and pray over them for 'if any two agree touching anything, it shall be done.'"By misunderstanding the King James Version, the well-meaning Christian who wrote this letter hit a new low in biblical interpretation. The word "touching"—so crucial to his viewpoint—does not even occur in the Greek text, as the NIV translation makes clear: "If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven" (Matt. 18:19).Though perhaps extreme, this example illustrates the unusual ways the Bible is sometimes interpreted and applied. One of my seminary professors, Howard Hendricks, once said, "Many applicational elephants dangle from interpretive threads!" To properly interpret and apply God's Word, we must be aware of what call the "seven deadly sins" of Bible study. Interested in reading more? You can read all of these "seven deadly sins" of Bible study in this article, The Careful Handling of the Word, from author Jack Kuhatschek on the DTS Voice.
Enjoy! I hope it challenges the way you handle the Word of God in your time in the Bible.
| Blessings, Mark M. Yarbrough, PhD  Dallas Theological Seminary 3909 Swiss Avenue Dallas Texas 75204 |
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