Why I Don't Post Bible Versus (and I don't think you should either)

I hate seeing Bible verses on bumper stickers, Facebook posts, tweets, desktops, etc.  And it's not because I hate the Bible or I'm embarrassed to share my Christian faith.  On the contrary, it is because I LOVE the Bible and I LOVE my Christian faith.

You see, here is the problem...
(1) The Bible is Contextual
The Bible is a literary form of language, which means that is not only conveys an idea from a particular person/culture/vantage-point, but it also can be translated by a different person/culture/vantage-point in a way completely different from the original intention of the transmitter and still be "true."  This is a great feature because it ensures the legitimacy and relevancy of the Bible for eternity, so long as people read it and attempt to adapt and apply what they interpret.  However, on the flip-side, this ability to be contextualized also makes the Bible susceptible to abuse, misinterpretation (different, and sometimes even contrary to the author's intent), and idolatry (psuedo-absoluteness, i.e. "The Bible says so...").

(2) The Bible has been Given Away
You might be saying, and rightfully so, "Well, Jesus, Paul, John the Baptist, and all the other NT guys quoted Scripture.  Why can't I?"  First of all, "You can," but if you don't do it like they did, then you've lost your argument. The NT characters, and the NT writers, understood that their audience was a particular audience.  They were not writing for "all the world to hear" without a very specific presupposition regarding the ownership and intention of their writings.  Their story was, in fact, their community's story.  In our day, we've given ownership and the intention of the Bible away to "whosoever."  This is wrong, in my opinion, and for good reason.

OK, so here is the deal....
(1) The Bible needs the Bible
Because the Bible can be contextualized to mean anything a particular interpreter wants it to mean, the best way to guard against this is to only attempt interpretation of a verse, chapter, story, in light of the whole.  John 3:17 is great, but it means something completely different when you interpret in light of John 3:18...and the difference is huge!  (The same for Romans 10:13 in light of Romans chapter 11.)

But what about the Psalms and Proverbs?  They're one-liners.  Surely, I can post those by themselves, right? No.

(2) The Bible Needs a Specific Audience
Here is where you might get upset, but that's OK.  The Bible is a specific story, written by a specific group, to achieve a specific result - a shared faith.  When the Bible story was being transmitted orally (Old and New Testament times), it was being shared by people who shared the same presupposition that the stories were true and were to be used to confirm and enrich an already intended faith.  When it came time to write these stories down, the intentions remained the same: this is OUR story.  There existed an shared and intended filter for all interpretation, single verse or complete story.

Evidence of this exists throughout both history and the Bible. (a) Internal evidence: the Gospels and the Book of Acts.  "These things are written that you may believe..." John 20:31; Mark 1 gives no evidence on who or why Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, or what the Gospel is.  He just assumes the reader already knows and believes.; Acts 8:30-31 tells of an unbelieving Eunuch who cannot interpret the Scriptures, despite being a learned man.  Only Phillip, who believes, can give him the answer!; The missions of Paul in Acts consistently demonstrate that despite all of Paul's genius reasoning, the unbelievers still don't get it.  The point is that you must FIRST believe in order to understand!

Now, I know this irritates all of us Western Enlightened folks, but get over it.  We all would be just as irritated if someone from another family came to our house for Thanksgiving and began interpreting our family stories, traditions and behavior's in light of their own.  Rightfully, we would refute their interpretations with our own shared and presupposed intentions/meanings.  The point is that only the Bible community can rightfully interpret.  Outsides might have clever insights and interpretations, but they will never fully replace the proper interpretation of the intended community.

So, how can we share our faith and the Bible?  Easy.  Tell the whole story with the specific intention of a shared, historical (meaning agreeing with all believers of the past), and active faith!  In other words, live it out in community and express it in community.  Invite people INTO your faith and story....don't broadcast generic quips.