We're Only Scratching the Surface of Scripture

If you have a couple of extra hours, or even if you don't, you really should listen to this interview with Jim Hamilton on the Room for Nuance podcast (Apple Podcasts | Spotify| YouTube). It's about his new book on the literary structure of the Gospel of John. I listened while I was exercising and kept wishing I had a pen to write down some of the insights. The podcast blew my mind. Even though I've read the Gospel of John many times and have even preached through it, I saw things and made connections I'd never seen before.

I'm grateful for the scholarship of someone like Jim Hamilton and the insights he's given us. I can't wait to read his new book.

I've read through the Bible numerous times. Right now, I'm taking a ten-year deep dive through every book of the Bible as I work on my Big Idea Bible project. Yet, podcasts like the one I mentioned make me realize I could live hundreds of years and still only scratch the surface of the Bible.

No matter how much we learn, there's always so much more. This should lead us to two qualities: humility and awe.

First, humility. No matter how much we learn about Scripture, there's infinitely more to discover. Every time we open Scripture, we should start with the awareness that God is infinitely wiser than we are. His words are packed with so much that we'll always be kindergartners in the ways of the Lord. None of us are masters of Scripture; we're all beginners. This should give us appropriate humility as we approach his word.

Augustine was right: “The Bible is shallow enough for a child to wade in, but deep enough for an elephant to swim in." Anyone can pick up the Bible and begin to understand it, but nobody, no matter how brilliant, can exhaust its riches. We’ll always have more to learn, and the more we learn, the more we’ll see that we have to learn.

Realizing this should lead to humility, but it should also lead us to awe. Rather than seeing Scripture as the work of primitive people who didn't know very much, we should see it for what it is: skillfully written, beautifully crafted revelation from God through human writers. Picking up the Bible gives me a sense of wonder at God's infinite wisdom, who wrote something beyond human understanding.

Really, listen to that podcast interview with Jim Hamilton. I think you'll like it. If it has the same effect on you, it will fill you with humility and wonder and help you understand the Gospel of John better than before.

But even better, pick up the Bible. Devote yourself to a lifetime of reading and studying. Piggyback off the efforts of brilliant scholars. Ask for the Holy Spirit's help. Listen to good preaching. Keep making connections and keep digging.

Fill your mind with wonder not only at the beauty of Scripture but at the greatness of our God.