PDF Summary:How the Bible Actually Works, by Peter Enns

Many readers approach the Bible expecting clear, unchanging instructions for life—but the text itself resists this interpretation. In How the Bible Actually Works, Peter Enns argues that Scripture is defined by three characteristics: it's ancient, ambiguous, and diverse. These qualities aren't flaws but features that reveal how the Bible actually functions.

Enns explains that the Bible reflects the varied contexts and perspectives of its many authors across different eras and regions. Rather than providing a rulebook with fixed answers, Scripture invites readers into an ongoing conversation about faith and God. You'll learn how the Bible's ambiguity allows for adaptation across time, why reimagining God for contemporary contexts is a sacred practice, and how engaging with Scripture requires wisdom and creativity rather than simple obedience to rules.

(continued)...

Enns also believes the Bible encourages reconceptualizing God to address new circumstances. This creative act makes ancient tradition contemporary by adapting it to meet current realities. For example, those who wrote the New Testament reconceived of God to meet the demands of their gospel in its specific context. Their Jewish tradition's language about God was inadequate to fully explain what they thought God had accomplished through Jesus of Nazareth. Authors of the New Testament demonstrate how significantly fresh the Gospel of Jesus Christ is, yet they simultaneously emphasize the deep link between Jesus' story and the Jewish tradition that fostered it.

Enns argues that throughout its history, the Christian church has been characterized by reconceiving God in ways relevant to the present. Christianity has endured throughout different eras and societies because it can develop from past foundations while also breaking new ground.

The Dangers of Reconceiving God

One danger of reconceiving God to meet the demands of the present is that it can lead to remaking God in the image of whatever a given culture already values. For example, in the 19th century, some Christians in the United States reconceived God as a supporter of slavery, arguing that the Bible sanctioned the practice. This reinterpretation of God to fit the cultural norms of the time led to a distortion of Christian teachings and contributed to the perpetuation of an unjust system. Similarly, in the 20th century, some Christians in Nazi Germany reconceived God as a supporter of the Nazi regime, leading to the distortion of Christian teachings and the justification of horrific acts.

Implications for Reading Scripture

Enns explains that Scripture is not a rulebook but a wellspring of insight that invites exploration and reflection. It's not a rulebook with fixed, unchangeable laws. Instead, it encourages reflection, discussion, and debate as we live faithfully. This process reflects God's wisdom and keeps us involved in meaningful spiritual work.

(Shortform note: Try this: Each morning, read a few verses and then reread them slowly until you see how they illuminate one small choice you face that day. This practice, called lectio divina, helps you see Scripture as a wellspring of insight rather than a rulebook.)

Next, we’ll explore two facets of the implications for reading Scripture.

Adaptation Within the Bible's Text

First, Enns argues that the Bible adapts and changes over time to stay pertinent. It's a series of writings that captures an ongoing dialogue. As an anthology of wise teachings, it calls for ongoing adaptation by believers in diverse cultures and time periods. He implies that the Bible is less like a stone carving and more like a living organism. It's a river that beckons us to rejuvenate each day as we follow Jesus. The Bible narrates and assesses the past and offers a vision for the future.

(Shortform note: Enns’s view of the Bible as a living, changing organism is part of a broader trend in late-modern biblical interpretation. For example, theologian Kevin Vanhoozer describes the Bible as a dramatic script that the church enacts in history. This approach emphasizes the dynamic relationship between Scripture and the church, suggesting that the Bible’s meaning is realized as believers live out its teachings in their specific contexts. Like Enns, Vanhoozer sees the Bible as a living text that invites ongoing interpretation and application.)

Implications for Contemporary Interpretation

Second, Enns argues that the Bible encourages us to rethink God in terms of our era's context. It doesn't provide a singular, consistent depiction of God. Instead, it offers a range of diverse ancient depictions of how different biblical authors perceived God during their eras. These portraits illustrate the necessity of embracing the holy duty to question what God means for us now. Reimagining is the sole means to reach God from the past. Reimagining God isn't a challenge to overcome; it's an invitation to encounter God in the present and believe that God is with us as we do so.

How Reimagining God Helps Us Reach God From the Past

Reimagining God in terms of our era’s context helps us reach God from the past because it allows us to reshape the Bible’s ancient metaphors so that they continue to function as symbols that point us beyond themselves to the same divine reality across time. For example, the Bible often uses the metaphor of God as a shepherd. In ancient times, this metaphor resonated deeply with people who lived in agrarian societies and understood the role of a shepherd. Today, while we may not have the same direct experience with shepherds, we can reimagine this metaphor by considering modern equivalents, such as a mentor, guide, or protector.

Enns also explains that the Bible’s diverse portrayals of God demonstrate the cultural context of its writers. They used the language and ideas of their era to describe God in a way that resonated with them.

(Shortform note: In Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, John H. Walton explains that the Bible’s writers used familiar literary templates from their culture to describe God. For example, they wrote royal proclamations, temple hymns, and political treaties, but they put God in the central role instead of a human king or local deity.)

Engaging with Scripture

Enns argues that engaging with Scripture demands creativity and intelligence. Because the Bible is ambiguous and diverse, it doesn't provide clear instructions for living faithfully. Instead, it urges us to discover and find our own answers. This process requires wisdom, which Enns describes as an essence that was with God during the start of creation. It's accessible as we strive to organize the disorder in our lives. Wisdom encourages patience and offers guidance, letting us resolve things as effectively as possible. A faithful life involves seeking wisdom, which serves as a life-giving tree that unlocks a paradise-like existence and restores what was lost. As we strive to lead our lives guided by wisdom, we connect with the vitality God used to create the universe.

The Bible’s Clarity

Enns’s claim that the Bible doesn’t provide clear instructions for living faithfully is a controversial one. In Taking God at His Word, Kevin DeYoung argues that the Bible is clear enough for ordinary Christians to understand what they must believe and how they ought to live. He explains that God has spoken in a way that can be understood, trusted, and obeyed by his people. DeYoung emphasizes that while some parts of Scripture may be difficult, the essential message of salvation and godly living is accessible to all believers. This perspective suggests that Christians can find concrete guidance for faithful living directly from the Bible’s plain meaning.