The Bible is Both Prescriptive and Descriptive
This is something I wish I’d learned in my early days as a Christian, being that it eliminates a lot of confusion when reading the Bible.
A lot of us come from churches or religions where the entire Bible is treated as if it's prescriptive - which isn’t the case at all.
What do I mean by prescriptive?
Think of the word prescription. When you’re ill, your doctor will prescribe something for you to take. She’ll recommend a specific drug and treatment. In other words, she’s saying, “This is what I want you to do. This is how it should be.”
That’s the definition of prescriptive. It speaks to how something should be or, to be more specific regarding the Bible, how God wants it to be.
Yes, there are parts of the Bible that are prescriptive; where God is telling us how to live.
But, the Bible also contains descriptive information.
These parts of the Bible are merely describing what happened. They’re not items that God is asking us to do or things that He approves of.
For example, in the Garden of Eden, God prescribed there being one man and one woman. Yet after the fall, when sin enters the world, we read descriptive accounts of men having multiple wives. These were instances and customs that were not aligned with God’s design and desires. They’re simply being recorded as part of the stories within the Bible.
Another stark example is in Genesis 34 where we read how Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, is raped by Shechem the Hivite. God does not approve or desire rape (aka prescribe it). This is a descriptive account.
Do you see the difference?
Problems obviously arise when a church or religion does not approach the Bible through this lens.
Sometimes there’s an honest lack of knowledge regarding prescriptive versus descriptive. But sometimes, this is ignored.
Either way, what happens is that the entire Bible is treated as prescriptive - which means God’s word ends up being used for evil things like shaming women, supporting abuse, and other unGodly behaviors and beliefs.
Still, the Bible is confusing. So how can you tell whether something is prescriptive or descriptive?
Answer: The Bible does not contradict itself. What else does the Bible say about the topic in question?
Let’s revisit our multiple wives example. In the Garden of Eden, God clearly prescribed marriage as being one man and one woman.
In Genesis 2:24 we read, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”
Also, God created one woman for Adam - not more than one.
We don’t see multiple wives until after sin has entered the world - the first account being in Genesis 4:19.
Also, as we study God’s character, we know that He is love (as it says it John 4:8). And He’s pure love, being that He’s holy - aka without sin. So, someone with holy love for you isn’t going to want you to be devalued.
Thus, we can deduce that God prescribed marriage as including one man and one woman, and the introduction of multiple wives is something that went amiss and was recorded as part of the Bible’s description of events.
If you're really having a hard time finding the answer, submit the question to me on my website.
The Bible was Written in a Different Time and Culture
The Bible is over 2,000 years old. (Some say closer to 3,000. I’m not a scholar; the point is that it was written a very, very long time ago.)
The time was different. The culture was different. Everything was different.
It’s one of the reasons why reading the Bible can be so confusing. When you don’t inherently understand the time period, its customs, or have the broader knowledge regarding events, it can be hard to follow, let alone understand.
As a result, we have a hard time reading our Bible and really understanding God, Jesus, and who we are.
We also end up being taught things as if they’re biblically true when they’re not.
I’ve done quite a few episodes that focus on sharing the real truth behind a few things we’ve been taught as women, but I’ll give you only two as examples:
Episode #34: Proverbs 31 is NOT a Biblical Checklist for Women. It’s Actually About the Responsibility of a Husband
Episode #73: 1 Corinthians 11:3 Exposed - Paul Did NOT Say Men Should Lead & Women Should Follow in the Church
When we are aware of the cultural and historical context, it can drastically change our understanding of what the Bible is saying. Which is the case with the two episodes above.
Those two areas of Scripture are often used to keep women in a specific place or stereotype. But, in reality, that’s not what was happening when they were written.
It’s not always easy to find the cultural context. But, if you come across something that doesn’t seem prescribed by God and/or contradicts other areas of the Bible, hit “pause” and do some research instead of just accepting it as truth.
This is what I did for years regarding the Proverbs 31 woman. Having that presented as an ideal woman made no sense to me given God’s love for me - and the common sense that said any woman who did those things everyday would be exhausted. So I set it aside, mentally speaking, until one day I came across the truth behind its existence.
The Bible is Not Meant to be Interpreted Through a Patriarchal Lens
Note: I’m talking about the not-so-great patriarchal mindsets and beliefs that us women come up against outside of the church.
Although, unfortunately, they can exist inside the church as well.
In an ideal world, us women could walk into any church and experience legit, 100% pure biblical teaching free of patriarchal views.
However, that’s not the reality.
In fact, as mentioned earlier, the Bible is sometimes used as a tool to support non-biblical, patriarchal views.
That’s why it’s important to implement filters such as understanding the difference between prescriptive and descriptive and educating yourself as best you can regarding the time period and culture.
Just by implementing those two things, you can start to easily identify patriarchal messages. Because those two filters will help expose them for what they are.
If you’d like additional help, I also suggest:
Listening to Episode #122 which digs deeper into this issue
Sign-up for my email list at https://bit.ly/GodLovesMeEmail so that you can be notified as soon as I launch my community later this year. Which will be community and educational material, such as topical mini courses, all in one place.