What Is Shaping Your Understanding of God?

Day 2 — What Is Shaping Your Understanding of God?

Read

Read Acts 17:10–12 and 2 Timothy 3:14–17 slowly.

Acts 17:10–12 (HCSB)

10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.

2 Timothy 3:14–17

Paul reminds Timothy to continue in what he has learned and firmly believed, remembering those who taught him and how the Scriptures had shaped his life from childhood. He then explains that all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, equipping believers for every good work.

Reflect

One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves when it comes to Scripture is this: Who or what has shaped what you know and believe about God?

Was it your own personal study? Was it a pastor, a friend, or your family? Maybe something you watched on YouTube or saw on social media. Or perhaps much of what you believe has been shaped by your past experiences.

Our past life experiences tend to guide our present opinions, traditions, and decisions. Some experiences are positive, while others are negative. We learn from our mistakes, and often those lessons influence how we approach life moving forward. But sometimes we allow relationship mistakes, bad decisions, toxic upbringing, church hurt, and a plethora of other experiences to guide our thoughts, words, and actions today.

And without realizing it, we can allow those same experiences to shape how we understand God and interpret His Word.

The danger is that too often, misinterpreted Scripture guides us because we haven't taken the time to study it and know it ourselves.

We have access to more biblical teaching than perhaps any generation before us. Sermons, podcasts, devotionals, Bible studies, and social media content are available almost everywhere. But access to Scripture and engagement with Scripture are not the same thing.

If we're not personally studying Scripture, examining what we're being taught, and allowing God's Word to shape how we live, then we have to ask ourselves: What is shaping our understanding of God?

Here's where we need to be careful.

If you rely only on your own interpretation, you can misguide yourself. If you rely only on what your pastor shares from the pulpit, without ever opening your Bible to examine it, you can be misguided. And if you're only allowing friends, family, or social media influencers to shape your understanding of Scripture without testing what they say, you can also be misguided.

There must be a balance of individual study, pastoral preaching, and community discussion.

This is why the local church is so important. We need pastors who faithfully teach God's Word. We need other Jesus followers who will encourage, challenge, and correct us. And we need to be students of Scripture ourselves.

Look at what happened when Paul and Silas visited Berea. The people welcomed their message with eagerness, but they also examined the Scriptures daily to see if what they were being taught was true.

They didn't reject Paul's teaching, but neither did they blindly accept it.

They examined the Scriptures for themselves.

And if the Bereans examined the teaching of the apostle Paul against Scripture, shouldn't we be doing the same with every pastor, teacher, influencer, and even our own understanding?

This isn't about becoming suspicious of everyone who teaches Scripture or assuming we have to figure everything out on our own. It's about developing a love for God's Word and a desire to know His truth.

Whoever you allow to shape your understanding of Scripture, always check the validity of someone's teaching on Scripture with Scripture.

The more you study God's Word and know it, the better equipped you become to recognize misguided teaching. But the purpose isn't simply to gain enough knowledge to correct other people. Scripture is also meant to correct us.

Because knowledge of Scripture isn't meant to remain knowledge. It must move toward application in our lives.

We don't just know the Bible to know the Bible. We know it to live it.

Respond

Think about the people, experiences, and influences that have shaped your understanding of God and Scripture. Which of those influences has had the greatest impact on what you currently believe?

Have you ever discovered that something you believed about God or Scripture wasn't actually supported by what the Bible teaches? How did you respond when your understanding was challenged?

Consider how you engage with biblical teaching today. When you hear a sermon, participate in a Bible study, or encounter someone sharing Scripture online, do you take time to examine the passage for yourself? Or do you tend to accept what you're told without further study?

Today's challenge: Return to one of the passages referenced in Sunday's sermon. Read the surrounding verses, consider the context, and ask whether you understand what the passage is teaching and how it should be applied to your life.

Pray

Lord, thank You for giving us Your Word so that we can know You and understand Your truth. Forgive me for the times I have allowed my own experiences, opinions, or the teachings of others to shape my understanding of You without examining Scripture for myself. Give me the humility to recognize when my understanding is wrong and the wisdom to seek Your truth. Surround me with faithful teachers and other believers who will encourage and challenge me, and help me become a faithful student of Your Word. Most importantly, don't let my knowledge of Scripture remain knowledge alone. Help me live what You are teaching me. Amen.