I received a card in the mail from Hyundai stating that I am overdue for maintenance on my Hyundai Elantra. That didn’t sound right. So, I checked my records and found that I had service at the local Hyundai dealership on the Elantra about six weeks ago. Why was I getting a notice that maintenance on the vehicle was overdue?

I went to the Hyundai dealership with the card in hand. I showed it to an advisor in the service department and he looked up my record. Yes, the maintenance had been done, and no further service was required at this time. I asked him, “then why did I get this notice in the mail?” He replied, “that came from Hyundai, not from us.” “So,” I said, “I can just throw the card away?” “Yes,” he said.

You cannot believe everything you read, even if it comes from a reliable source. The notice had come from Hyundai, but it was not true. My maintenance on the vehicle was not overdue.

Even a reliable source cannot be accepted at face value. That is certainly true with regard to interpreting the Bible. One of the principles of “spelunking scripture” is that not all verses in the Bible are of equal value. Some verses in the Bible reflect the cultural conditions of the time, rather than God’s eternal message. Further, not every passage in the Bible should be taken literally.

In the Introduction to Spelunking Scripture: The Letters of Paul, I note how some verses from the Bible have been misused to propagate many abuses, such as the justification of slavery, the subjugation of women, and the condemnation of persons of a different sexual orientation. Yet, some cite specific verses in the Bible that seem to support such abuses that negatively affect the lives of people.

Not every verse in the letters of Paul is of equal value. The goal of “spelunking scripture” is to explore important passages of the Bible, not every verse in the Bible. When Paul wrote that slaves should obey their masters (Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9) he was reflecting the culture of the time rather than expressing God’s eternal purposes.

When Paul wrote that women should submit to men (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:11-12) again he was reflecting the culture of the time, not what God desires. Likewise, Paul wrote in Romans 1:26-31 about “shameless acts,” that some have interpreted to mean a condemnation of persons of a different sexual orientation.

Yes, it is possible to find isolated “proof texts” in the letters of Paul that seem to justify putting people down and keeping them in their place. Just because a verse is in the Bible does not mean it should be taken at face value.

At first, I took the message from Hyundai at face value, that service was overdue on my Elantra. Then I checked my service records, and I checked with the dealership, and determined that the message I had received in the mail from Hyundai was just not true.

Reading the Bible requires interpretation. Taking every verse at face value can lead to serious misunderstandings. But “spelunking scripture” can lead to exploring important passage of the Bible to discover their truth.