Books about the bible by scholars are not necessarily bad thing, but it is crucial to caution one’s self when diving into them. Many people put too high a value on scholarly books about the bible, and may even spend more time reading them then they do the real thing.
Such books do, of course, have value. They can help interpret and reveal biblical passages, often offering excellent insight into the background and context of the bible. For example, the New Testament was written in a different time period to a different people in a different culture than we have now. Therefore, understanding the specific difference can shed light on many passages that may otherwise be confusing or misunderstood.
Many men have studied and learned things that we will never have the time or even capability to discover for ourselves, and we must rely on their research. Such is the case with many other aspects of life. However, the danger lies in the very thing that makes them useful. By their nature, books about the Bible tell us how to read or interpret the Bible.
If we are not careful and do not think critically about whether or not the information presented is reliable, our faith can become a dangerous place. Taking human word as truth without a “grain of salt” is foolish. Because men our born with naturalism in our bones we all naturally tend to interpret things in a distorted fashion. While salvation brings remedy—a clear lens so to speak—our inborn naturalism sometimes creeps in to fog up the lens.
