Picking and Choosing in the Bible

Scripture Verses that caught my attention today: 1 Peter 3:1 Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct,

AND

1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.

Observation: It’s admittedly murky territory, but when dealing with Biblical advice, one does have to discern between advice that is appropriate forever and that which was appropriate for a time. Verse 1 was clearly rooted in the social mores of the day and was offered with good intention. Verse 9 appears to be worthy of broad application today as much as ever. But how do we make such determinations? And doesn’t that put us all at risk of simply accepting what we like in the Bible and rejecting what we don’t?

Application: These are the kinds of questions that peppered my first year of seminary. I’d grown up in a home that was filled with authentic faith and trust in God, but not so much actual Bible study. I knew many of the stories from the Bible quite well and could recite a good number of verses by heart. But I had never really taken a step back from the Bible to see it on its own terms. I hadn’t noticed that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not always agree on all the details. I hadn’t noticed that there are two accounts of creation in Genesis. It somehow never occurred to me that not only was the Bible written a long time ago, but also that parts of the Bible were written to specific communities of people in specific circumstances, some of which apply similarly today and some of which do not.

At first I sort of recoiled at the idea of bringing up questions about the Bible. I wondered if we were taking it seriously. I later began to realize that just the opposite was the case. We were learning to take the Bible even more seriously—examining it on its own terms, allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, taking to heart Martin Luther’s insight that everything in the Bible is to be interpreted around God’s ultimate work of reconciliation with humanity through Jesus Christ.

One of the things I appreciate about the Bible is that, even when dealing with situations that may no longer apply today (women submitting to men, for example), there is often a wholistic point still to be made. In verse 1 above, even though it was socially acceptable and even expected for women to be submissive, the Biblical writer saw in that social custom an opportunity for a greater purpose—to win over the husband to the Word of God. And so, ironically, the writer of 1 Peter saw the woman’s perceived weakness as a strength. Makes me wonder what perceived weaknesses in today’s society might actually be strengths in disquise.

Prayer: Lord, whenever we read the Bible, help us to enter into your world, not only the one of long ago, but also the world of today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scripture Readings today included: Isaiah 40-42, 1 Peter 3)