8: What should we look for when reading the Bible?

Episode 7 discussed disagreements over how to understand or interpret a passage of scripture. I want to pick up on that theme again today. It's very difficult to approach reading or studying the Bible without preconceived ideas of what it says. That often leads to wrong conclusions. Another problem is that we encounter passages we don't like or that we don't want to obey. We're tempted to look for a way of thinking about that passage that gets us off the hook. Properly understanding what the Bible says requires that we approach it wanting to know what God has communicated. So we read the Bible carefully and prayerfully, seeking to know exactly what it is that God wants to say, and what he wants us to do as a result.