This is part of a series on Bible Literacy.

Finding your bearings

A while ago, my wife and I encountered Samin Nosrat’s engaging short documentary series and her popular cookbook, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Since then, my tastebuds have certainly benefited, and my much-needed pandemic diet is now tolerable and even enjoyable. But what struck me was Nosrat’s approach to cooking, summarized in the cookbook’s subtitle: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking. Unlike the usual back-to-basics or follow-the-recipe book, she wants readers to become proficient in cooking, comfortable while shopping for food, and able to make a great meal from any ingredients.

Her title points to four “elements” that make up every great meal. Understanding them, she says, will “change the way you think about cooking and eating, and help you find your bearings in any kitchen, with any ingredients, while cooking any meal.” She invites you to stop feeling lost in the kitchen and go on a journey with her—to “commit to mastering” these elements, taking the time to practice and experiment until you become a great cook.

Just like cooking, getting to know the Bible can seem like an impossibly complex task. Many of us get overwhelmed when we first approach the Bible, frozen by the food laws, facing two tons of wild ox when we only wanted a half-pound burger, medium rare. Often, we choose for ourselves (and our children) a biblical diet equivalent to cold cereal and ramen, frozen dinners and fast food. Over time, we can forget that the Bible is living and active, and then our old standbys in Bible engagement become monotonous. Or we defer to untouchable Iron Chefs, some of whom make applying the Bible a cutthroat competition.

An elements approach to Scripture may help us find our bearings. Setting aside the term “mastery” in the face of God’s own Word, we can still move steadily from being biblically lost to biblically literate—a critical precursor for biblical fluency and biblical hospitality. We can develop a discerning palate to enjoy the words that are sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103)—and awaken in others an appetite for delight.

What could that look like?

Elements plus time

It took seventeen years for Nosrat to write her “instant bestseller.” It’s fascinating to follow her story of becoming a cook. Being introduced to new tastes by a boyfriend. Hearing about a famous restaurant. Scheming for a reservation. Enjoying an amazing meal. Begging for an entry-level job. Doing menial tasks. Listening, watching, imitating the master chefs (“I felt like I’d never catch up”). Learning (“these were the words of a foreign language”). Recognizing and reforming bad habits. Tasting, questioning, reading, collaborating, connecting, failing, traveling, shopping, cooking, imagining.

Let’s tease this out. She found something attractive but overwhelming. She found someone she trusted to teach her what she needed to know, and she paid attention and put in effort over an extended period to become like them. The chefs she worked under modeled the respect, knowledge, and discipline required to prepare each ingredient well and combine them appropriately.

She also spent time thinking. She noticed nuances. She watched for patterns. She enjoyed the tastes and the journey. Now, literate in the tradition she has been taught, she improvises and innovates, teaching others, applying her training to new situations.

Nosrat treats her four elements as “a little mental checklist to think about” whenever she enters a kitchen. She’s not reinventing the knife every morning. Building on an undisputed foundation allows her to focus on highlighting her ingredients and delighting the day’s guests, whether the goal is a simple breakfast or a seven-course wedding banquet.

She did this with food. You can do it with the Bible. If you do, it will change your life. (Don’t write a book at the end unless you want to.)

Salt’s savor

Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! —Psalm 34:8 NLT

Let’s consider the connections between Nosrat’s four elements and our encounters with the Bible, whether that’s preparing a fall Bible study or trying to start a regular Bible reading habit.

Salt is a nutrient our bodies need and cannot store. God made us to crave it. In cooking, salt affects our delight in food. It also infuses and enlivens the food itself. Attention to preparation, audience, appeal, and presentation is not secondary as we approach the bread of heaven.

Fat—no, skip over the Pentecostal dad joke about plus-sized “full-gospel” preachers—can point us to encounters with the Bible that are not watered down, not emotionally stringy, not dryly intellectual, but full-bodied and satisfying (see Nehemiah 8:8–12).

Acid makes me think of zing or bite—no disconnected platitudes but a mouth-watering eternal perspective targeted at our deep and desperate hunger for justice, for belonging, for being known, for true life.

And heat. That’s about transformation—pressure to change, new energy from outside that will leave our hard hearts softened, our emotions strangely warmed, binding us more closely to God and neighbor, leaving us lifted up, more able to make a whole-hearted response to God’s word of grace. In the biblical understanding, heat is not something we generate ourselves.

This reminds us that God’s goodness is an acquired taste. We thirst for living water, we hunger for the bread of heaven, but we come with hearts still clinging to rebellion, palates needing to be trained. As with my children who prefer beige foods, we have old tastes to unlearn.

Fling a craving

I can’t get over in Nosrat’s story—and my own—the way we need our desires cultivated, our appetites inspired. We need friends and family who model for us a love of God’s Word. It can start simple, reading or listening and talking together. You remember your grandfather’s barbeque, your foster grandmother’s tomato sauce. How did they read the Bible? Imitate shamelessly. Get those basics down.

Maybe a televised food show will inspire you—and I’ve known people who first came to Jesus through a televangelist—but it’s better to dine at an unsung restaurant with friends. Which one? Becoming savvy in the “ingredients” of Bible literacy starts with learning our way around, finding what writings are inside and how they are organized.

With a little effort we can learn the landmarks, where to go for essential dishes—the Lord’s Prayer, Exodus 20, Psalm 23, John 1, Romans 8. We grow from tentative tourist to confident connoisseur as we grasp the Bible’s genres, personalities, and themes, its timeline and geography, its understanding of reality.

Now try a new recipe—a prepackaged study—that looks good to you. Put it into practice. We’re not doing this to post pictures on social media. Try singing or memorizing passages to savor the text. After that, sure, look around for great chefs to learn from, prominent pastors and unsung saints.

Bring together neighbors from many backgrounds for a stir fry. The same passage can reveal new depths when read by different voices, like cumin in Indian or Mexican or Moroccan or Szechuan cuisines, or basil among Italians and Thais. Perspectives and pairings from other times and traditions open new vistas for exploration, application, and delight.

As you move into biblical hospitality, don’t forget one of Nosrat’s key tips. Powdered and dried foods lose flavor over time, so use fresh or freshly ground spices in your cooking. That is, do your own reading and savoring, and don’t rely on the work of others in your reading or study. You’ll get more delight yourself by slowing down and spending time with God’s Word yourself. And your friends and neighbors will taste the difference.

Resources

• The free Start Here booklets from American Bible Society offer a quick introduction to books and themes in the Bible.
• The Essential 100 series is one of several programs that offer a good overview of important landmarks in the Bible.
• Andrew Ollerton’s The Bible: A Story that Makes Sense of Life is a new and accessible Bible overview for small groups from the Bible Society in the UK.