Confirmation Bias and Bible Study

[Dave G]

Confirmation bias (also confirmatory bias, SNIP) is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values.

To revisit your opening statement:

To me, what you've said in the above assumes that everyone who reads the Bible brings in ( and never discards ) their own prior opinions and teachings, doesn't it?
But God's people don't do that, Van...
They let what He says ( and Him alone ) become the foundation for what they, in turn, end up believing.

Regardless of prior teachings and religious influences, they approach the Bible with a mind-set that says, " You teach me, Lord"...
And He does.
They are "taught of God" ( John 6:45 ) in the sense that He teaches them the truths of His word, not men.

Going back to what I stated in my prior post about there being such a thing as absolute truth:
Paul told Titus to speak those things that "become", or end up being, sound doctrine ( Titus 2 ).
He also told the Ephesians that teaching, preaching, and other responsibilities are given to God's people until those that are saved come into the unity of the faith ( Ephesians 4).

There is unity in the truth, there is Biblically sound doctrine, and it can and does exist today....
Even amidst the ever-growing confusion of the denominations.
It may be increasingly hard to find, but there are people out there who know it and declare it.


May God bless you sir.

 

[JesusFan]

I agree in part.

If someone has novice level understanding of biblical languages, they should not be rejecting the opinions of scholars to give a contrary understanding of BIBLICAL LANGUAGES, context, traditional understandings of scripture unless they have a better reason than they read it n a lexicon as a possible meaning.

So, I agree no understanding of biblical languages is necessary to understand scripture, but some folks rewrite scripture based on a flawed understanding of biblical languages to make it fit their beliefs.

Do you see what I am saying?

Peace to you

Think that if one can learn to use the original languages texts and tools, will enable them to be more profitable as preacher teacher pastor, but must also be doers of what they have learned and be walking in the Spirit

 

[JesusFan]

If this is how you read into our text, the natural man receives not "any of" the things of the Spirit of God, have at it. It is nonsense.

Fallen humans devoid of the Holy Spirit and having not renewed minds, can read Bible all of the time, and while can memorize it, will never really understand it as intended and meant by God

 

[JesusFan]

D. A. Carson warned: “It is all too easy to read the traditional interpretations we have received from others into the text of Scripture. Then we may unwittingly transfer the authority of Scripture to our traditional interpretations and invest them with a false, even an idolatrous, degree of certainty” (Exegetical Fallacies, p. 14).
Ronald Enroth observed: “People, thinking that they were placing their allegiance in the word of God, were actually placing their allegiance in a man and his interpretation of the word of God” (Churches that Abuse, p. 48). Garry Friesen noted: “Claims to speak ex cathedra on matters of biblical interpretation are rejected as being nonauthoritative at best, and contrary to Scripture at worst” (Decision Making, p. 132).

Kevin Vanhoozer warned: “To believe in the absoluteness of our interpretations is like worshiping our own creations; it is like thinking one reads with the eyes of God” (Is There a Meaning, p. 184).

Perfect examples would be Kjvo, and those into the foot notes in the Scofield, MacArthur, Ryrie, reformed bible etc being part of the scriptures