Interpreting Scripture | Resource Guide
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Study so you can correctly analyze and accurately interpret the Bible, which is God’s Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Use the verified meaning of the words as they would have been understood by the original readers, examine the syntax using valid principles, and study the condition of the original recipients. We should try to know pertinent information about the culture in which the writer wrote. Understanding the writer’s purpose is also important. By doing this, we can comprehend what the writer wanted to communicate. All other deeper meanings we think may be present must be consistent with that plain sense. For example, the culture was strongly patriarchal when Paul wrote Ephesians 5:21 about ‘submitting to one another’ – and the verified meaning of the word ‘submit’ always referred to submission to an authority. Would his audience likely have thought that husbands were now no longer the authority in their home but were to submit to their wives in a co-leader, egalitarian marriage or would they have viewed the instructions which followed (wives to husbands, children to parents, and slaves/employees to masters/employers) as some examples of the ways they were to submit to those God had put in a position of authority over them? In the Lord’s Prayer, the need to give words their normal meanings can be seen in the word ‘Father.’ It doesn’t mean we can pray to ‘Mother’ or ‘Father-Mother’ or to ‘It.’
The immediate context of a passage is critical to establishing the proper meaning. This is also true for the larger context. Thus, any conclusion about what the Bible says about a particular topic needs to be based on a careful examination of every relevant verse on that topic. Even when a biblical passage is quoted, the quote needs to be seen in its larger original context. Any interpretation which uses an alleged cultural situation as ‘context’ must prove that the cultural situation really existed and determines their interpretation. Given a choice between an evidence-supported view and a mere assertion which lacks evidence, choose the former. Facts matter. Why should we believe an unsupported assertion is correct?
I believe the Bible is God’s inspired word to us and, hence, it doesn’t contradict itself. Every interpretation, then, must be consistent with what all verses teach about the particular subject of the interpretation. Scripture interprets Scripture. To know what the whole Bible teaches on a topic, we must accurately interpret, in its literal meaning, each particular verse that relates to that topic. Our overall understanding can then help refine our understanding of specific verses. For instance, Galatians 3:28 says that ‘there is neither male nor female in Christ.’ While this asserts the equal value of men and women, it cannot mean we can ignore commands, like Colossians 3:18, where the obvious literal meaning is that wives are to submit to the leadership of their husbands. We are of equal value but have different functions. This has been the historic understanding of God’s people.
Parallel passages should be compared to clarify meaning. We did this in using both Matthew and Luke’s accounts of the Lord’s Prayer.
Don’t assume the correctness of an interpretation which goes beyond what the Bible actually teaches. Jesus said that there is ‘no marrying in heaven.’ Yet, this cannot mean that we will be genderless in heaven for we will be bodily resurrected, as Jesus was – and He was resurrected as a man since that was His created gender. Thus, we will forever be male or female as Jesus is forever a man (the God-man). To assert that we will be genderless is to go beyond what the passage actually says.
Don’t insist on an interpretation which ignores the plain biblical meaning. Assume that passages meant to tell the original readers how they should live would have been written in a way that was clear enough to them. (But remember that the Bible doesn’t systematically present instruction about every aspect of morality or belief). Sometimes we reject interpretations because they don’t fit with our worldview. This is saying less than the Bible says. A few examples of clear biblical teaching some may want to re-interpret because it doesn’t fit their worldview could include: the Lord insists that we obey Him even if we disagree with His commands (such as what God considers to be sinful sexual acts), that we are to address God as our Father, and evil spirits can be inside some people to create or exacerbate various problems.
Use inference (‘how much more’ reasoning) from well-established biblical views. Since sinful human beings give their children good gifts, how much more will the Lord give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Though God sometimes describes His activity as being like that of a caring woman, much like the apostle Paul said he was gentle like a nursing mother, the Lord never refers to Himself as ‘Mother,’ ‘Wife,’ ‘Queen,’ ‘she,’ or ‘her’ but always as ‘Father,’ ‘Husband,’ ‘King,’ ‘He,’ and ‘Him’ – leading to the inference that He wants us to view and address Him in this way, as being masculine. A further valid inference would be that since Jesus is the Truth who never lied, He did not misrepresent God to us when He told us to call God our Father. From His radical counter-culturalism, we can infer that Jesus would have told us to call God something other than Father if that represented reality. We can infer that He did not misrepresent God to accommodate us.
A further way of better understanding God’s Word is to use credible experience as an interpretive tool. For the apostle Paul and biblical interpreters of his time, knowledge from experience was highly valued and greatly weighted. We should value experience as well. To be sure, an interpretation of an experience cannot be allowed to contradict an unequivocally clear teaching of Scripture. Yet, where the Bible is not clear, should we not view an interpretation that is contrary to confirmed experience as wrong? If credible experiential testimony indicates that miracles still occur, that many Christians ‘speak in tongues,’ and that demons dwell in and influence some people today, then our rejection of such testimony is foolish. It is like the response of those who rejected the resurrection reports of eyewitnesses or like those who were indifferent to the claims of the three wise men that the king of the Jews must have been born because they saw and followed his star. We are impoverished when we disregard the experience of numerous credible people throughout human history and representing most cultures. We should look at the reliability, number, and variety of the witnesses. We also need to be humble and teachable instead of ‘impudent’ and closed-minded. Finally, we ought to examine our own position to see if we are holding to assumptions not absolutely required by the Bible.
In its original languages, the Bible contains almost twice as many words as are used in the typical English translation. For those who lack expertise in the original languages, this means many subtle meanings can be lost unless a variety of English translations are used. NT writers and rabbinic interpreters often referred to whatever legitimate translation would support the point they were trying to make. For instance, part of Philippians 3:3 can be translated to mean that God’s Spirit motivates, guides, and makes possible our worship; God’s Spirit motivates, guides, and makes possible our service; that we serve the Spirit of God; that the nature of our worship is spiritual; or that it is by our spirit that we offer worship. Each particular version contains a part of the truth. To limit ourselves to one or just a couple of translations is to miss a lot in Philippians 3:3. Determining the meaning of words is important. Sources like lexicons and Bible translations can help us understand legitimate word meanings and interpretive possibilities.