In our Western evangelical tradition, one is probably most attuned to the analytical approach or informational approach when it comes to reading God’s Word. This approach is geared towards in-depth Bible study, exegesis, hermeneutics, original languages, genre, and cultural context. Most people of the West would not be familiar with a formational approach to reading Scripture. Reading the Bible with a formational focus was defined by Muto (2012) by saying it “is reading Holy Scripture and the literature of spirituality in such a way that these texts help us to tune into the inner life form or direction meant for us by God from Eternity” (p. 101). This approach to the Word of God has formed a way to interpret the text called the Lectio Divina and composes of four steps: reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation (“Grand Canyon University,” 2015). These four steps are outlined in detail below.
When reading the text or while one is in Lectio, one becomes alive in the text imagining what it was like to hear these words as a member of the audience. One is not trying to only understand the meaning at this point but instead trying to experience the passage. Reading slowly and at times vocalizing the text helps in this process and reading the text over and over places one in Lectio (Issler, 2012). Muto (2012) describes reading “not just with eyes and mind but also with the heart by reading and reflecting, and re-reading” (p. 151).
Meditatio is to meditate on the text and one is more focused on the meaning and significance of the Word (“Grand Canyon University,” 2015). Sadly, meditation has been tied up with New Age or Eastern mysticism, and most Christians have failed to learn the beauty that comes from meditating on the Word of God. Scripture actually promotes the value of meditating on God’s Word and can be found coming from the lips of people like Isaac, Joshua, and David (Gen. 24:63; Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2; 53:5-6; 143:5; Strobel, 2013). To meditate on a passage, it simply means to “intently focus our mind on a spiritual issue” (Strobel, 2013, p. 126). In addition, meditation is wrestling with God and His truth, it is exposing your own temptations, sins, and hidden secrets to the Lord while discovering His true truth for your life (Strobel, 2013).
The next stage of Lectio Divina is called Oratio, and its focus is on prayer. One is to take the text humbly to the Lord and seek what God is trying to teach them at this point. Illumination by the Spirit is vital here if one is unable to see what God is trying to reveal to them.
The last stage is Contemplatio which is contemplation. Contemplation has been defined as “the action of beholding or looking at with attention and thought” (Cross & Livingstone, 2005; Strobel, 2013). During contemplation, one’s mind is captivated by the object of beauty who is Christ, and all concentration is made towards receiving this beauty (Strobel, 2013). Pause, be still, wait on the Lord, bow before the Lord, and wait to experience the wonder, mystery, awe, and reverence of God (Issler, 2012; John 14:21; 23; Ps. 62).
It is during formational approach that one can expect to be made aware of their sinfulness and be taken into the space of God’s holiness (Issler, 2012). It is during this approach that one patiently waits and listens for God to speak to them personally (Issler, 2012). In this approach, one makes space for God to touch them in the very depth of their emotional life, not just their intellectual life (Issler, 2012; Phil. 4:6-7). Issler (2012) goes on to say, “we place ourselves in a context of openness to the mystery of God, with no real agenda, as he seeks to touch our lives in the deep places” (p. 123).
Summing up the importance of formational reading of the Scriptures, one Pastor reminds us of the danger that often times the analytical/informational approach leads one into; that is pride.
Most of the books on interpreting Scripture that I have read lead you to believe that the key to understanding the Bible lies in your mind. The best interpreters know the original languages and historical backgrounds of the Bible. They understand literary structure, systematic theology, and many other things. Scholarship can be a great blessing. Every time I use a concordance, a great biblical commentary, or a carefully thought-out theological monograph, I am benefitting from someone’s scholarship. What I am objecting to is the intellectual pride that is too frequently in biblical scholarship, and the pride that makes the mind the key element in our effort to draw close to God. The mind certainly has a role to play in this pursuit, but it is not the chief role.
According to the Bible, as far as human responsibility is concerned, the key to interpreting all forms of divine revelation is found in the heart, not in the mind. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day studied the Bible more than anyone, but because of the condition of their hearts they never heard God’s voice at any time (John 5:37). Humility, not intelligence, has always been the heart quality that moves God to speak to us and enables us to hear him clearly. It is the humble, not the smart, that God guides and teaches. (Deere, 2001, pp. 89-90; Ps. 25:9)
“The main aim of Lectio Divina, or the formational reading of Holy Scriptures, is less an explanation of concepts and more a penetration of the heart” (Muto, 2012, p. 100).
References
Cross, F. L., & Livingstone, E. A. (Eds.). (2005). In The Oxford dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed. rev.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.
Deere, J. (2001). Beginners guide to the gift of prophecy. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publication.
Issler, K. (2012). Approaching formative Scripture reading with both head and heart. Journal of spiritual formation & soul care, 5(1), 117–134. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=76118145&site=eds-live&scope=site
Lecture 4. (2015). MIN-320: Christian Character Formation. Phoenix, AZ: Grand Canyon University.
Muto, S. (2012). The art and discipline of formative reading: Revisiting Holy Scripture with humble receptivity. Journal of spiritual formation & soul care, 5(1), 100–116. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=76118144&site=eds-live&scope=site
Strobel, K. (2013). Formed for the glory of God: Learning from the spiritual practices of Jonathan Edwards. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.