On Simplicity and Scripture: Struggling with the Word

One thing I've noticed over the years of being involved and associated with different ministries and programs is this: we¹ seem to crave simplicity. Not that I have a problem with simplicity, it's just that, in certain contexts, it becomes dangerous.


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Let me explain via a couple of scenarios that I find quite common:

1. I attend a church service in which the preacher's text is a single verse. And from that verse, the speaker (who is usually quite gifted), paints a beautiful and complete picture of the Christian life. He points out things I have never seen, he reveals things hidden in the original text (because the rough accent mark is used, this word is inverted, giving the word a completely different meaning, etc) Life is g0od. I am enlightened. Until a few days later I try to explain my new-found knowledge to a friend. Questions are raised. The puzzle pieces which fit together so neatly a few days ago now have imperfect edges. I explain that I must have missed some of the points. I assure my friend, the fault must lie with me.
2. I come across a difficult passage in scripture. I re-read it. I re-re-read it. I consult Strong's for each word in the passge, including "the". I check different translations. Finally, I stumble across a translation that abstracts away enough of the text that I make some sort of sense out of it. I am elated. I mark the verse down as "Assimilated" in my Conquer the Bible Diary.
   
3. My wife asks me a question about a verse or a passage of Scripture. I begin answering her as best I can. My answer is incomplete and only raises more questions (But if that is true, then wouldn't that mean...). I grow exasperated. She becomes frustrated. I finally answer the question with an answer to this effect: Well it sort of works like this, blah, blah, and somehow works together with blah, blah, and I'll look into it and get back to you. I never exactly get around to answering the question.

I hope you can see the common thread that runs through each of these examples.

1. A speaker takes a single verse and builds a system around it.
   
2. I, in my desire to "understand" God, am willing to trade away his word.
3. I, in my desire to end my wife's questioning or to get back the television show I am watching or to avoid having to change my life due to the implications of Scripture, simplify the word of God, and in so doing, show contempt for it's authority

This is where I see the danger in desiring simplicity. God did not give us a single verse, he gave us his complete word. God did not give us 500 translations to pick and choose from, there are good ones and there are bad ones, and we are to seek HIS meaning, not the verson that is simplest or the most expedient or the most culturally correct. God did not say that every verse would take five minutes to explain, he did not say that his teachings would fit in an email tag line or on a T-shirt. We are to struggle with the word, we are to wrestle with his meaning. No single verse can give us a complete understanding² of God. No ten minutes of study will equip us for life's battles. No man-created system can ever replace a dynamic relationship with Him.



¹ Look up "we" in the lexicon
² By this, I don't mean that single verses aren't important, or that a single verse can't express a black and white concept. What I do mean, is that even the verse "Thou shalt not kill", while crystal clear in its stance on killing, is still fleshed out by the rest of scripture on issues such as being a soldier in a just war, defending your family, etc.