Deconstruction is not a swear word. As is the case with everything in our lives, our interpretation of the word depends on our perspective. For many, its application in Christian theology typically leads to a rejection of both the Bible and those churches which adhere to an inerrant view of its application. However, approaching deconstruction from the perspective of breaking down our sin nature in order to better understand what God is trying to tell us in His Word is a major component in the sanctification process of Christian growth.

Deconstruction becomes a problem when we don’t hedge it with boundaries. Everything in life has boundaries.

Boundaries

When God created the earth, He determined the boundaries of each thing He created. Each living creature or plant was created to produce after its own kind. There’s a boundary right there. God also determined the boundaries of the sea. Nothing God created is without boundaries.

When we consider God’s character, He, too, has boundaries. God is good. This is a boundary. He will never be anything other than good. We have a problem with understanding or interpreting God’s goodness because we view God’s goodness from our own perspectives, and frequently our perspectives are limited by our expectations or beliefs.

Perspective

Instead of looking at God from a Biblical perspective, we look at Him from a worldly perspective. The world shapes our ideas of what is good. 

I have learned that my perspective is just that: my perspective. I can speak only for myself. I can’t presume to speak for anyone else. Therefore, when I write about something, it should be understood as being written from my point of view. Having clarified this, let me return to my perspective on deconstruction, and in particular, deconstructing my view of the Bible.

The Bible

The Bible is God’s Word. This is the Book God has chosen to introduce Himself to us and make Himself, His will, and His character known to us. Reading the Bible as we do any other book will not do much good. We can memorize God’s Word and be able to recite it, but if it is only head knowledge, it will have limited value. We have to allow God’s Word to speak to us.

I read the Bible daily, not because I am a good Christian, but because I desire to know God and I need God’s guidance and instructions in my life every day. However, without deconstructing my life given what I read in the Bible, I won’t find the answers I need. 

This is an area to which I give careful consideration. I deconstruct my life, circumstances, experiences, and expectations within the framework of God’s Word. I do not deconstruct God’s Word within the framework of my life.

What do I mean by this? I am not the center of the universe. My life, and whatever transpires in my life, does not determine the truth of God’s Word. I do not measure God’s Word against my life, or against world events. I measure my life and world events against God’s Word.

Narratives

The Bible is a Book of narratives. God uses stories to teach us about Himself. We read about Abraham, Moses, Joshua, the judges, and the prophets. We read about the disciples and someone like Paul, who became a disciple after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. We also read about other characters, ordinary, unimportant people through whom God did extraordinary things. 

When we study these narratives, we learn about God’s character as we see and understand how God worked in and through ordinary people to achieve His plans and purposes, not only for them individually, but for God’s creation as a whole.

Deconstruction

How will we learn about God if we do not deconstruct these narratives? Deconstructing a narrative means that we take it apart to consider the various components, and then reconstruct it with an enriched understanding or perspective.

I am not Abraham. I can’t apply Abraham’s story to my life without deconstructing it. Likewise, with any other Biblical narrative, I have to see each story within the broader context of the entire Bible. No, I won’t have a son in my old age that I will name Isaac. This does not apply to me. However, what I learned from Abraham’s story regarding God’s faithfulness and ability to fulfill His promises certainly does apply to me. The fact that God values and rewards obedience applies to me. 

How do I know what applies to me, and what doesn’t? I have to deconstruct what I read and reconstruct it to apply it to my life and circumstances. It is a continuous process.

I can’t grow in my walk with God without deconstructing my life to apply God’s Word in my unique circumstances. However, I do not, and cannot deconstruct God as He is not subject to His creation. He is our yardstick. We do not determine who God is. He determines who we are. 

Certain laws apply, whether we believe them or not. Gravity, for instance, applies, whether we believe in it or not. Not believing in gravity may cause us much pain. Likewise, people may choose not to believe in God or the Bible, but it does not change who God is. It will, however, determine their eternal destiny. 

John 3:18-21 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” 

God has given us freedom of choice. Some people will choose not to believe. God told us that they will not follow God because they love evil. Does their choice change God? Obviously not. Just as a disbelief in gravity does not change it, our belief or disbelief in God does not change His character. 

When we place wax and clay in the sun, the wax melts and the clay hardens. The sun doesn’t change. The characteristics of these objects determine how they react to the sun. We cannot change God, but we can be changed by God.

Joshua 24:15 "But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

In the end it all boils down to the choices we make. We can choose to follow the ideas of the world, or we can follow God and His inerrant Word. Worldly ideas depend on human wisdom. The Bible contains God’s wisdom. May I urge you to choose God and to choose life? Your choice will determine where you will spend eternity.