12 Unhealthy Motives and Methods to Watch Out for in Bible Study
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“I can’t read the Bible anymore,” my new friend confided as we shared our life stories over coffee.
She’d known Jesus for a very long time, and she wasn’t walking away from him now. In fact, she loved him more deeply than ever. She made a practice of spending time with him and regularly opened her heart in worship and prayer.
Her problem was not with the God of the Bible. Instead, it was with how the Bible had been used in the circles where she grew up. Rather than helping her find life in God’s Word, her leaders used it like a weapon of shame and control. Because of this, simply opening the Bible and trying to read triggered a very real reaction in her, both physically and emotionally.
My friend is not alone. Many Christians, including myself, have experienced some form of spiritual abuse.
What Is Spiritual Abuse?
Rachael Clinton Chen of the Allender Center defines spiritual abuse as “a distortion and exploitation of spiritual authority to manipulate, control, use, or harm others, mostly through shame and fear.”
Sometimes this abuse is intentional. Other times, well-meaning Christians use spiritually harmful methods while trying to help another person. Either way, the effects are often similar.
All abuse is destructive and contrary to the heart of God. It dishonors those who bear his image and distorts his design for human flourishing.
Spiritual abuse is unique, however, in that it can be very difficult to recognize. What some might describe as “suffering for Jesus” is really just enduring harm in a religious setting. What others consider “forgiving seventy times seven” may actually be silent submission to something God never intended.
Spiritual abuse is especially destructive because it isolates the victim from their Source of life and healing, twisting God’s Word and misrepresenting his character. Yet spiritual abuse isn’t the only way Scripture can be misused. Sometimes we unintentionally mishandle it through lack of knowledge or neglect.
How can we recognize harmful or unwise uses of Scripture? Understanding God’s intent for his Word is a good place to start.
What Is the Bible’s Purpose?
In the Bible, God reveals his heart. Between Genesis 1 and Revelation 22, we discover a God who’s infinitely transcendent yet personal enough to number the hairs on our head. This is the Person we meet in the Bible. When he beckons us to his Word, he wants to show us his heart and mend our broken ones.
Studying Scripture is about connecting with this beautiful God. It’s about positioning ourselves to hear the silent voice of his Spirit through the pages of his Word. It’s about receiving grace and being renewed from the inside out.
God longs to give us life through his Word. Like any good gift, however, it can be misused. The motives we bring to our Bible study will often shape our experience with Scripture. Here are six motivations to avoid.
Unhealthy Motivations
1. Looking for “Marching Orders”
When we approach Scripture primarily to find out what God wants us to do, we treat Bible study like a transaction instead of time with a Person. First and foremost, God draws us to his Word so we can know him and be known by him. Through this relationship, our souls become deeply formed and our lives take on the character of Christ.
2. Building a False Identity
In the Bible, God shows us our identity as his beloved children. But when we base our worth and value on how well we know the Bible, we’re using it to build a false identity.
In Jeremiah 9:24, God instructs: “Those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things” (NLT, emphasis added).
Our ultimate call is not to know the Bible, but to know the God of the Bible. This alone leads to eternal life (see John 17:3).
3. Doing Our Duty
While duty and discipline have a place in cultivating our relationship with God, they’re not enough to sustain the abundant life. Checking spiritual boxes might help us feel like good Christians, but these disciplines alone can’t change our hearts or transform our lives. Only God’s Spirit using his Word can produce spiritual fruit.
4. Setting Ourselves up as Superior
First Corinthians warns us about a dark side to spiritual learning. “While knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes” (1 Corinth. 8:1-3, NLT).
If we study the Bible so we can feel more important than others, we’re missing the point. And if our interpretations lead us to pride, combativeness, or an abusive demeanor, we are in dangerous territory. God calls us to turn toward him, confess these wrong motives, and ask his Spirit to renew our minds so we can walk in love.
5. Proving Others Wrong
The Bible talks a lot about the importance of knowing what we believe (see Romans 14:5, 2 Timothy 2:15, and 1 Peter 3:15). God calls us to diligently study his Word, to seek his heart and live ready to explain the source of our hope.
Yet he also calls us to walk in humility. Wisdom allows space for listening to those who hold different perspectives and reminds us we always have more to learn.
If winning a theological debate is our motivation for studying Scripture, we’re hindering our spiritual formation and setting ourselves up to hurt others.
6. Controlling People
As we discussed earlier, using the Bible to control or manipulate is a form of spiritual abuse. While “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), this does not give us license to correct others in harmful ways. When we study the Bible, we must first submit ourselves to its instruction before seeking to help others apply it to their lives.
And when we share what God teaches us, let’s be careful to reflect the heart of him whose “kindness is intended to turn [us] from [our] sin” (Romans 2:4, NLT).
Once we’ve prayerfully evaluated our motives and responded to the Spirit’s conviction, we’re ready to approach Scripture with an open heart. Next, we should consider the methods we use in studying the Bible, looking out for the following.
Unwise Bible Study Methods
1. Proof-Texting
The Bible is one large story, with lots of smaller stories supporting the overarching narrative. To read Scripture well, we must keep its big picture in mind. It’s also important to read individual verses in light of the book where they’re found. We should read enough of the passage to understand the author’s flow of thought and see the whole picture.
In addition to honoring the Bible’s literary context, we must also consider the cultural and historical context in which it was originally written. Scripture is an ancient text, written for us but not to us. We should, as my pastor often says, “Read over the shoulders of the original audience.” What was going on in their world when the words were first penned? How might their culture have impacted the way they received and applied what they read?
Failing to consider these details can lead us to the harmful practice of proof texting — pulling out a single verse to prove our own point, rather than reading the text the way it was intended.
2. Redefining Words
Using Bible dictionaries to look up biblical words in their original languages can be fascinating. While our English translations are very good, we sometimes discover important nuances or glean helpful word pictures when we study the Hebrew or Greek definitions.
It’s important, however, to keep context in mind. Just like in English, Hebrew and Greek words may have more than one meaning. In such cases, the surrounding verses determine the word’s meaning. Faithful study requires us to choose the one definition which best applies in the passage we’re reading.
3. Confusing Prescriptive and Descriptive Texts
Before applying Scripture to our lives, we need to understand the biblical author’s original intent. That is, we must consider what the Spirit-inspired humans meant to communicate to their specific audiences in their particular settings.
Sometimes, instructions given or stories told are simply meant to describe life in those times. They tell us what happened or how people lived.
When this is the case, God does intend to teach us through these stories, but he does not expect or even want us to copy them. We can do a lot of damage by failing to discern the difference between prescriptive and descriptive passages.
4. Russian Roulette
Russian Roulette Bible study treats God’s Word like a magic book, as if opening to a random passage automatically gives us direction from God. While he absolutely uses Scripture to show us his will, God wants to do so within the context of relationship.
He reveals his heart as we spend time reading the Bible conversationally with him. In this process, we receive practical direction and personal transformation.
5. Lone Ranger
In our individualistic culture, it’s easy to forget our need for the whole Body of Christ. We emphasize personal Bible study, and rightly so. But God also intends to teach us in the context of community.
Listening to and learning from other believers is vital to our spiritual health.
6. Forgetting the Holy Spirit
Jesus described the Holy Spirit as our Teacher. Paul reminds us that spiritual truth is spiritually discerned (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:10-16). Our minds can only be renewed by God’s Spirit.
So, as we read the Bible, let’s ask him to teach us, to help us understand and accurately apply what we read, and to renew our minds and transform our lives.
Tips for Re-Engaging with Scripture after Spiritual Harm
If you struggle to read the Bible because of past harm, God has deep compassion and grace for you. He’s a gentle Savior (Matthew 12:18-21). He longs to restore to you the Bible as your source of life.
To begin re-engaging with the Bible, here are some practical tips you might try:
Practice Embodied Faith
God created us as complex human beings and he wants to meet with us holistically. He doesn’t expect us to disconnect from our bodies or emotions in order to engage with him spiritually. When he says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30), he’s inviting us to embodied faith.
As you approach your time of Bible reading and prayer, begin by noticing what’s going on in your body. Where is there tension, discomfort, anxiety? Talk to God about these things, knowing that he welcomes your honesty and never pushes away those who come to him (John 6:37).
You might even engage your imagination by picturing him sitting next to you, singing over you with delight, smiling at you in love.
Listen to an Audio Bible
Sometimes listening to the Bible feels different than reading it ourselves. Consider downloading an audio Bible and listening through various books of the Bible. Ask God’s Spirit to help you receive what you hear the way he meant it and to reveal his heart as you listen.
Choose a Different Translation
As English speakers, we have a wide variety of translations available to us. If one is particularly triggering for you, try reading or listening in different translations.
God has given us a priceless gift in his Word. Through it he reveals his heart and invites us to open our own hearts to him. May we study his Word well and share it in life-giving ways.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Sergio Yoneda
