Interpreting the Bible

The Bible is God’s revealed Word of Truth: It is simple, but runs deep, is timeless and without error but must be read prayerfully and carefully.

Foundational Keys to Understanding Scripture

God's Word is Life-Saving: Why We Shouldn’t Read the Bible Too Casually .. and Then Quickly Draw Careless Conclusions. It should serve no Man’s agenda: Only God’s. The Bible draws a very complete picture of God, His love, His truth, His Holiness. We need to grasp it as a whole, both for its necessary conviction, its timeless wisdom and for its promise of redemption through trusting in Christ Jesus.

It is, therefore, alarming how recklessly, even abusively, the Bible can be interpreted by some. There are people in positions of leadership who use it for control and tell their members/followers not to undertake reading it themselves. [Perhaps to keep the membership from being able to discern untruth that comes from the pulpit.] Others claim that most of Scripture’s meaning can’t be known for sure and we can’t trust it [e.g., The Postmodern or Emerging/Emergent Church movement]. Still others take it so "literally" or superficially that they disregard its context and any guidance from the Holy Spirit; this approach has led to both spiritual and physical harm, even death (e.g., a young child’s avoidable death as reported in the news), to those who followed such reckless teaching.

The most important truths for our very lives (now and eternally) are fully trustworthy; that’s why we endeavor to administer God’s Word with great, loving care: No wonder the apostle Paul stated the following in one of his pastoral epistles (2 Timothy 2:15):

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

»» The Importance of Careful and Proper Interpretation. Its value holds both precautionary and positive instruction and wisdom:

• Helps you avoid harm, even destruction. (See 2 Peter 3:15-16.) The discernment that comes from a proper understanding of the Bible can keep you from falling prey to cults or even the unintended bad advice from someone who provides misinterpreted counsel.
• Find freedom and peace in your decisions and paths you choose. (See John 8:31-32.)
• Helps better equip you to provide assistance and counsel to others. (See John 3:10; Acts 8:26-35.)

»» The Rules of Interpretation. If God calls us to know Him through His Word, wouldn't he likewise provide us with guidance in so doing? Indeed, He has. And while He has given us His Holy Spirit to help in that task, He is also omnicient to know that we need help FROM WITHIN His Word to assist in understanding His ENTIRE BODY of Truth. For starters, His Word instructs us to:

• Read the Bible both prayerfully (John 5:39-40; Prov. 2:1-6; James 1:5; Prov. 3) and thoughtfully (Psalm 1:1-3; Joshua 1:8), even intently (James 1:25).
• Ask: How do the following areas affect the meaning?
1. History/Background (consider 1 John 3:9).
2. Grammar: Past, Present or Future? (examine Rev. 2:3; Col. 2:9; Romans 3:23)
3. Definitions (see James 5:14-16).
4. Genre (see Proverbs 22:6)
5. Context (for example, look at Luke 18:29-30; Exodus 21:24 and examine the context of these passages)
6. Figures of Speech [Literal or non-Literal?]. Which are, for example, found in Eph. 4:26; Matthew 18:8-9?
7. Evaluate: Is a given Scriptural command temporary or timeless? In the Old Testament books, for example, you need to consider whether the commands are issued as civil, ceremonial or moral imperatives. If a command is cultural (as would be all ceremonial and most civil ones), consider if there is a spiritual principle behind the command (e.g., "Don’t pick up the grapes that fall off your cart" or "You shall not commit murder.")
8. Other Scriptures as Cross-Reference. Other Scriptures should be sought out, both for balance (see John 3:17-18) and to help shed more light on the original passage (see Rev. 2:11; 21:8)

»» Tools of Interpretation. The long, discouraging history of Man shows what happens when we don't live in the pursuit of and obdedience to truth as revealed by the only one in a position to know: the Creator of the Universe and provider of our salvation!

• Various Translations: Not All Are Created Equal. Most have something to offer, as they are the printed Word of God. Some are more historic in their rendering, others still more readable than others (particularly when you’re not particularly inspired at the moment of reading), others yet are more accurate translations, still others have been compromised in their paraphrases or attempts to be sensitive to modern culture. For example:
  1. New International Version (NIV). A wide-spread, popular translation. Genereally readable, but not always a word-for-word translation.
  2. New American Standard Bible (NASB). A more literal translation, but not always highly readable.
  3. English Standard Version (ESV). Both readable and accurate as a word-for-word translation.
  4. New Living Translation (NLT). Very readable, a paraphrase — as such, not altogether accurate, sometimes misleading.
  5. The Message. A loose paraphrase, but might shed additional light on the verses read.
  6. King James Version (KJV). Historical and time-honored, in King’s English. Very poetic and prosaic in tone and flow, but outdated, stilted English and difficult to understand. Also, not as accurate a translation as ESV or NASB.
  7. Today’s New International Version (TNIV). A bit too culturally conformed in this translation, can be misleading, even dangerous. Leading preachers and teachers, John MacArthur among them, warn to avoid this translation altogether.
• Bible Dictionaries. They provide important detail on people, places, things and word origins. There are many good ones, including Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
• Bible Concordances. A good concordance enables you to study how a single word is used all throughout the Bible.
• Word Study Books. These give you important information about a word — information you may not be able to discover on your own through a concordance. For example, it will tell you that the word "pefect" doesn't mean "perfect" as we tend to understand it. Sometimes it means "mature" or complete." Suggestion: The Complete Wordstudy Dictionary: New Testament by Spiros Zodhiates.
• Commentaries. There are many and many are good. One of Josh’s favorite series of commentaries are those by John MacArthur.
• Bible Handbooks. Bible handbooks will provide key informaiton about each book of the Bible. Most of this information can be found at the beginning of a commentary, though. Suggestion: How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Fee and Stuart.
• Study Bibles. A study Bible is a combination of the aforementioned five tools, but obviously not as exhaustive a compilation as the treatments given by the previous tools individually. However, everyone should get a study Bible and here's why: There will be a number of occasions in life when you’ll be reading the Bible, but you won’t have access to the above tools (e.g., in church, at the beach, while evangelizing, lying in bed, etc.) A study Bible can act as a "quick reference guide" for those occasions. Suggestion: MacArthur Study Bible.
• Web sites. Free Web sites such as bible.org and biblegateway.com. When used properly, they can be most-valuable, quick-find resources.

• Recommended Books from the Pastor’s Library.
  • Living by the Book by Hendricks - an elementary guide.
  • How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart - an advanced study.

»» We take Bible interpretation seriously, and are committed to teaching the Scriptures with care as we worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:20-24).