Michael Patton says, “What does it mean to you? This, I believe, is the most destructive question that one can ask of the Scriptures. The implication is that the Scriptures can mean something to one person that it does not to another.”
He has a good point, but I don’t think starting with this question or the subjective angle is bad for some groups. Starting with what a passage means to each of us gets us involved and thinking more than we were before. If you leave it at that, you won’t teach any truth, but starting there just puts ideas on the table.
Starting with this kind of question also respects the words of the Bible and intelligence of the readers. If someone suggests a ridiculous meaning for a verse, the group should naturally see it as ridiculous. The leader may need to help that understanding, but it can be done naturally without directly contradicting the one who suggested it. This is the idea behind a John study or a group discussion of the Gospel of John. The group gathers to discuss what Bible says about Jesus.
(via Kingdom People)
I agree.
I would never promote a Bible Study that uncritically applies the “what does it mean to you” question to all the Scriptures.
But I think that one thing most all Bible expositors can agree on is that no fallen human will ever fully understand Scriptures. One famous theologian is pretty sure that a third of the details of “his” theology are wrong–he just doesn’t know what third. As Paul says, “a mystery has been revealed to you.”
A process that highlights the subjective experience of Scriptures and God’s active working in Christians is healthy. “What does this mean to you?” challenges the answerer to bring his or her possible insights before others. It emphasizes the fact that every Christian has a bit of a different view of the truth, and none sees all of it.
Of course, when such questions come up it is imperative that they be balanced by the historical and Scriptural orthodoxies of Christianity. There are things that are, quite simply, true or false, right or wrong. And one of the central themes of Scripture is the need to submit our individual (self-centered, sinful) perspectives to the control of the (God-centered, sinless) Holy Spirit.