Today was the video feed sermon for the General Conference of Elders for the church organization I attend. In watching the video, I had two fairly substantial concerns with the way the second message in particular went. For one, the sermon made a negative comment about bloggers, and about bad attitudes, and I am not sure whether certain critical and negative blogs were meant or if it was a broad statement of hostility towards member-written blogs like this one; it is a situation where additional context would have been better. Second, there seemed to be an overall tension between a desire to encourage people (especially ministers, but also members) to be better connected and immersed in the word of God, but also a feeling that there was a broad consensus on sufficient fundamentals to make the suggestions of others concerning doctrinal matters to be at best unwelcome and at worst evidence of heretical beliefs and a bad attitude. If there is anything that is fatal to one’s longevity in a congregation or organization, a bad attitude would be it. Almost anything can be forgiven, so long as one is not considered to be a ne’er do well and a malcontent.

Nevertheless, there is a way in which a basic understanding of what God explicitly commands or prohibits can benefit from additional study. This way, it should be noted, was not explicitly spoken of in either of today’s messages, but it nonetheless provides a way to bridge the tension between confidence in possessing the fundamentals of knowledge while at the same time seeking to motivate additional study. In order to understand this, we need to be aware of the fact that there are multiple layers to what we understand in the Bible. The primary and most fundamental level to understand is that which the Bible says directly. Obviously, no fruitful understanding of God’s word can take place unless we grasp the surface level plain meaning of the text, and equally obviously there are some principles that are necessary to understand this, including the principles of continuity and non-contradiction, so that we do not do violence to the text but rather read it as a consistent and coherent narrative with relevance to our thoughts, words, and deeds. Clearly, that which is consistently commanded by God is to be done, and that which is consistently and expressly forbidden by God is to be avoided, without demur.

Beyond this, though, there is more to be gained by study and application. After all, if we compare different scriptures about the same topic, we can come to understand inferences that are not immediately clear when scriptures are taken in isolation. In conducting such a broad and in-depth study of scripture, we can come to better understand the heart and mind of God, the spirit of His laws, and the connection between His ways and our behavior. One short example, among many, should suffice. Nowhere, for the ordinary member, does the Bible prohibit polygamy, although the qualifications for being a deacon or elder include being a one-woman man, and that for a deaconess involve being a one-man woman. That said, when anyone one reads about polygamy in the Bible, it is never a happy story. There are crying women squabbling over their sons and over their own time with their husband, there is drama, there are broken relationships. No one, reading the context of the Bible’s plain and open discussion about the family lives of its characters, would want more than one wife even if it was allowed, if one wanted a happy life that was free of suffering as much as possible.

This is where the Bible’s clear inferences, the second level of understanding from a Bible, comes into play. By reading the Bible for broader patterns, often subtly understated, we can come to some understanding of what God favors and what God disfavors, what brings success and what brings difficulty, what brings happiness and joy, and what brings consistent sorry. In coming to understand these larger implications and inferences from scripture, we come to grasp more deeply the heart and mind of God, so that we can gain greater wisdom and discernment through the indwelling and promptings of His spirit upon the Word of God. Speaking personally, most of my problems in life come from a lack of wisdom or discernment in a given situation or a given area of life, areas where the direct “Thus saith the Lord,” is not in question as much as being wise, an area where we all struggle in life.

So, ultimately, a deep and intense and consistent study of God’s word pays off long after we become familiar with the Bible’s message on a surface level, in isolation. It is in connecting verses and passages together and understanding overall context and patterns where our wisdom increases and our maturity deepens. When this happens, our behavior becomes more wise, more discerning, more loving, and we all become the better for it. If we can become immersed in the Bible 24-7, not only in reading it, but reflecting upon it and seeking to connect it together in its larger patterns and organization, as well as a firm understanding of its meaning, the best days of life are ahead of us, because we will be living better lives, and serving as better examples for others, and being more gracious and loving people to others, all of which will not only make life better for us, but for everyone else who we happen to be around. Is such a life beyond our grasp, with the help of our Father above and our Elder Brother Jesus Christ? Certainly not!