"Hard Verse" Follow-Up
Yesterday's experimental post about John 8:42 was a smashing success. It's not that the post itself was anything special, but the discussion and responses it generated were, and I'm very appreciative of you who took the time to share your thoughts about not only that verse, but the greater -- and much more important -- context into which it fits.
I feel your comments are valuable for several reasons. First, studies focusing on that verse are really hard to come by. Your discussion thread will fill in that gap the next time someone is seeking some insights on the web about John 8:42. I think that's pretty cool.
More importantly, not everyone who drops by here is a Christian, and some who are undoubtedly haven't spent much time considering some of the issues you discussed so eloquently. I hope that the comment thread serves to encourage, enlighten, challenge, or even convict a visitor to this site. Who knows what the eternal consequences might be?
Reading your responses to my questions also reminded me of a couple of principles that I sometimes forget when it comes to studying the Bible. I don't profess to be a Biblical scholar, but there are a couple of practical things that help me in that area, and maybe they'll be useful to you, as well.
First, we need to beware of the tendency to bend a passage to meet our own notions of doctrine or theology. Start with the premise that the words on the page say what they say...and then try to figure out the context, and how they fit. (It's harder than it sounds.)
Second, when a verse or a passage is puzzling and seems contradictory, we'll probably discover that we're giving insufficient consideration to the larger context. Scripture does not contradict itself, and if we think it does, we've gotten off-track somewhere.
Finally, regardless of where you are in your journey with and through the Bible, be aware of the opportunities to find gems like John 8:42 that are easily overlooked. Those gems can lead you to places that will enrich you in amazing ways if you're not afraid to wander off the beaten path for a ways.
Hey, that would be a great post, Eric. I'm curious too about the historical significance of this race. I know the French have always been much bigger bicycling enthusiasts than Americans so the race has been around a very long time and the course is especially challenging, so the bigger purpose seems to be no different than the "purpose" of the Ironman competition or any number of other supremely physically challenging competitions...i.e. to prove it can be done and then to prove it can be won 8 times, or whatever Lance did (I agree with your comment that it will make it interesting to see who steps up to the plate). I've always enjoyed watching it, but that's partly because my brother raced for many years (he trained with Greg LeMond...remember him?).
Posted by: Gwynne at June 15, 2006 09:43 AMOops, I did it again...commented on the wrong post. Can you fix that? Or delete my comment, or something? I'm sorry.
Re: the post at hand, I really appreciate posts like that which you did on John 8:42 and look forward to more. Perhaps I need to do the same. One thing is for certain, the Bible never lacks for content. ;-)
Posted by: Gwynne at June 15, 2006 09:46 AMAbout the publisher
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An excellent sum up Eric! What you've said is so true.
Posted by: Rachel at June 14, 2006 10:19 PM