I wonder – is our faith based on our ideals or are our ideals built on our faith? It’s a fair question that I think we could all stand to ask ourselves honestly. I know I have been guilty in the past of basing my faith on my own trendy, doctrinal or political ideals. I grew up in a conservative home and I believe most conservative principles to be true. But the moment I put those principles above the Bible, I have just deceived myself. The moment I say that the Bible is conservative (or a liberal says the Bible – or Jesus, for that matter – is liberal), is the moment I replace my faith in the One True God with faith in a political landscape that is shifty at best.

I’m either on the solid rock or sinking sand. Jesus made that pretty clear.

Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭25-27‬ NLT)

I learned a couple of fancy terms the other day: exegesis and eisegesis. These are opposite words that have to do with study and interpretation of scripture. Put simply, exegesis is a form of Biblical study and interpretation which involves letting the scripture speak for itself and then gleaning meaning from it; eisegesis involves bringing our own subjective interpretations to the table and cherry-picking scripture to back them up. Put another way, one is drawing out meaning, the other is putting in meaning.

These terms typically apply to study and as a result, delivery of sermons and Biblical teaching. However, as I began considering their consequences, I realized quickly that we ought to, as believers, wholly and honestly question whether we too (not just our pastors, priests, teachers and leaders) are looking for scripture to back up our already-formed beliefs or if we are allowing scripture to build our beliefs, tear down our pre-conceived notions, and change our minds.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ NLT)

Where do you stand? Are you, if you are a believer, letting scripture shape you or are you shaping scripture to suit your own notions and ideals? Whether conservative or liberal, Protestant or Catholic, male or female, spiritual or religious, if you are forming your Bible around your beliefs instead of forming your beliefs around your Bible, you are being deceived. It seems to me that more and more, people don’t like to be challenged these days. They don’t like being told they’re wrong, or told that they need to grow or change. People like to throw around words like “offensive” and fail to see where they could stand to learn something. If being called to change, to grow up and to better ourselves is offensive, then don’t bother becoming a Christian. And if the idea of letting go of erroneous thinking doesn’t sit well with you, don’t bother following Christ.

It’s easy to fall into the groupthink rampant in society today. I see it around me all the time. My conservative friends, my liberal friends, my Catholic friends, my Evangelical friends, my “spiritual” friends, my “over-saved” friends – we have all been guilty at some point of using the Bible as a weapon for our own battles, not God’s. And we have all been guilty, at some point, of disliking it when we are challenged on our own, basic beliefs.

The answer is to legitimately and honestly subject ourselves to God’s Word – God’s voice, as it were – and stop letting our own biases shape how we want scripture to sound, to feel, to apply. And the best way I’ve found to do that is by the power of the Holy Spirit, not the interpretation of our pastors or priests, our church doctrines, a non-Biblical author we like, a friend who seems convincing, a political ideology we adhere to, etc. If it’s not from God Himself, it’s most likely flawed, tainted, and/or biased.

Oh absolutely – go to church. Listen to your pastors and priests. Read books and commentaries. Study. Learn. Grow. But don’t ever take for granted that any one pastor, doctrine, church, interpretation, etc., etc., etc., is absolutely right. Only God is. Humans are flawed. End of story. Therefore human interpretations are inevitably flawed. So if we can learn to take what we learn and subject it to His Spirit, we can get to Truth.

And I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want anything but what God has for me. I don’t care if you call it spiritual or religious or conservative or liberal. I don’t care if it goes with what the world says is “fair” or “tolerant.” I don’t care if Oprah likes it or Dr. Phil teaches it. If it’s of the Word of Almighty God, it’s good enough for me.

To quote my husband, “And that’s my Christian opinion.”