Kyle's Rules of Bible Study #1- A Supernatural Book

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   Over the years I have developed my own set of "rules" for studying and teaching the Word of God. They are not meant as substitutes for established sound exegetical guidelines, but are my own personal addendum that help guide my studies.

   Rule #1: the Bible is a supernatural book.  Everyone who reads the Bible does so with some level of presupposition. It is simply impossible to approach God's Word, or any book for that matter, without some presupposition  This is not necessarily bad, and I would even suggest that some presuppositions are necessary. Think of a presupposition as a lens through which one views certain things. Everything that you see is done so through that lens. For example, those who believe that God is no longer working through the gifts of the Spirit (cessationalists) look at Scripture through that lens. Doing so will automatically cause them to see certain verses of Scripture differently than those who believe the gifts of the Spirit are still in operation (continuationists). Presuppositions are lenses that shape our "view" of Scripture.

   One presupposition that I passionately believe is fundamental to understanding the Bible is that of the supernatural. The Bible tells us that God Himself is a supernatural being, and His Word is a supernatural creation (see 2 Tim 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20-21).  God chose to reveal himself in "writing", so we apply basic rules of grammar and composition to understand the order and meaning of those words. And yet, the fact remains that there are some things in the Bible that just will not make sense if we rely solely on basic rules of communication. Without considering the supernatural, we are left to scramble for explanations. For example, Exodus 14:21 tells us that God parted the waters of the Red Sea, allowing the newly-freed people of Israel to cross over. One possible explanation I have read is that there was a combination of a strong wind blowing over a very shallow part of the sea.  Is that possible? Possibly, but it still does not explain how the Israelites walked across the sea bed on dry ground (14:22). Personally, I take God's Word at face value: God parted the waters.  Without this "lens", I am left trying to figure out how it's possible. The same is true for the story of Noah, the prophet Daniel in a den of lions, and even the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We cannot neglect the supernatural aspect of God's Word.

   I am all for education and diligence in Biblical studies, but the moment we cast aside the supernatural aspect of the Bible, and rely solely on natural aspects such as science and philosophy, is the moment we begin to distort the meaning of Scripture in a negative way. Some will send me nasty messages about how I am disregarding science and philosophy in Biblical study, but I have not suggested that all. I am suggesting that we must consider the supernatural if we are going to understand the writings and teachings as God intended. The supernatural should be a primary understanding, not a secondary one. Without this consideration, some stories cannot accurately be explained, and some principles will never be fully understood.  So, use philosophy, science, history, and any other considerations, but let those considerations take their rightful place. Those who approach the Bible primarily through philosophical or scientific understandings will ultimately miss the true meaning of it.






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