Today's interview is with Stan Guthrie. Stan is a writer, speaker, and editor. His most recent book: God's Story in 66 Verses: Understanding the Entire Bible by Focusing on Just One Verse in Each Book comes out in January 2015. We spoke with Stan about the book and the benefits of seeing the Bible as one unified story.
1) Most Christians have a favorite verse, or "life verse," but I wonder if most of us really know the full context of that verse and its place in the grand gospel narrative. Is that a problem you are trying to address with this book?
I don’t believe I have a life verse, although Hebrews 12:1-2 comes close! My sense, after years of observing and participating in the evangelical community, is that most of us don’t really grasp how a given verse fits in the larger story of the Bible. I believe many of us could use a course in biblical theology and another in hermeneutics.
I benefited from a great couple of years at Columbia International University learning some key principles, such as “context is king.” I don’t believe you have to go to grad school or seminary to be able to rightly interpret God’s Word, although an advanced education can be a huge help.
I am hoping to address this lack of knowledge in an accessible, arresting way. I believe that a good grasp of context can make reading the Bible a lot more interesting—even fun! Knowing the key events of biblical history and how they fit together, knowing something about the geography of the biblical lands, and knowing that the Bible is a reliable interpreter of itself are huge helps. As the book says, it’s a story. Learning this takes an investment of time and effort, but it pays huge dividends.
2) Why do we struggle to put together the Bible as one story?
Sadly, I think a lot of our evangelical churches aren’t doing the hard work of preaching and teaching. Too often, we learn a piecemeal approach. Do our children’s Sunday schools present a series of disjointed stories and characters, or do they present the plan of salvation as Jesus did, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,” explaining how it all points to him? The same thing goes with our preaching. Are we presenting the whole counsel of God, or are we cherry-picking favorite or popular topics?
My sense is that most of us don’t really grasp how a given verse fits in the larger story of the Bible.
3) Choosing a single, encapsulating verse from every book of the Bible seems a challenge. Were some books harder to define this way than others?
Oh, yes! Because I chose a single verse to summarize each book, the books that focus on a single story or have a unified theme were easier. For example, Genesis has lots of stories—creation, fall, the flood, Joseph being sold into slavery, and so on—but it also has a common thread: God raising up a people to bless the nations. Abraham, of course, is the father not just of the Jewish people, but of all who receive God’s blessing by faith. So it makes sense to hang the whole book on 15:6, because that is the message of the gospel. I interpret all the Scriptures Christologically. (I’m in pretty good company. Jesus did that, too!)
What do you do with books that are more spread out thematically? The Psalms are a particular challenge. As I note in the book, there are various kinds, for various uses. I also try to answer the question, what’s this book all about? As I say in God’s Story in 66 Verses, “Whatever the subject and structure of the Psalms, the life of joy runs through the book like a mountain stream.” That being the case, which verse best encapsulates that joy? For me, it’s Psalm 16:11.
4) We have more Bible study tools at our disposal today and yet many lament widespread biblical illiteracy. Why this paradox?
There are a lot of great resources available to help us get closer to Scripture’s meaning: Bible dictionaries, concordances, study Bibles, and on and on. Our problem is not a lack of tools with which to engage the text; it’s generally a lack of will to use them.
Part of this has to do with our culture. A lot of us are busy and tired. We feel lucky just to get food on the table after work. Working hard to understand the Scriptures is the last thing we want to do. And isn’t that what we pay ministers for? We forget that Paul told Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). I think that message includes us. Many of us love the Reformation idea that God’s Word is not just for the religious professionals; it’s for all of God’s people. But we forget that this privilege comes with responsibility.
God’s Word is not just for the religious professionals; it’s for all of God’s people. But we forget that this privilege comes with responsibility.
5) If you could advise pastors and church leaders on how to help their people better understand the whole story of the Bible, what would you say?
I’m a fan of expository preaching through the whole Bible. I fear this is becoming a lost art. We also need to systematically teach the whole counsel of God. We need to expose our people to the whole story of God’s saving grace. The focus needs to be on him and his plan for the world, not always on us and our individual needs. Our leaders need to not only know God’s Word, but know how to communicate it with clarity, excitement, and power. We must hold people accountable to actually learn the Word of God—and then live it.
