“God really doesn’t send people to hell.”
“The Bible never specifically mentions the Trinity; therefore, the Trinity must be a Christian fiction.”
“Jesus can’t be the only way to heaven.”
“Since God created everything and is in charge of everything, He must have created evil too.”
“Polygamy is in the Bible, so polygamy must be okay.”
“Jesus is the Prince of Peace, so war is never right.”
“If God knows everything, prayer is really unnecessary.”
Ever heard statements like these? We all have. And all of us who read the Bible have struggled from time to time to make sense of difficult issues. In a good faith effort to find answers, we often create more problems than we were trying to solve.
This may help:
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God—2 Peter 1:20-21.
We all read the Bible with lenses that bend us toward certain conclusions. That’s why Peter reminded us that we don’t get to decide what the Bible means. Bible interpretation begins with God. The Holy Spirit moved men at a particular time to write specific words that have a specific meaning for a specific purpose.
So how do we know what the Bible really means? And how do we avoid imposing our particular opinions or convictions on the Bible?
It’s not always easy, but here are clear principles (new lenses) for Bible interpretation that will lead us to God-centered conclusions:
Discover the historical setting of the text.
The author did not write in a vacuum. He was surrounded by customs, geography, political realities, and a historical context that illumine the truths he recorded.
Understand the language and grammar.
Nouns, verbs, direct objects, prepositions, and other parts of speech were vital tools the Holy Spirit used to communicate through these authors. God did not write His Word in unknown languages. He used the common vernacular of the day to record timeless truths.
Interpret the text literally…according to its literature.
Poetic material is approached differently than prophetic texts, for example. The sun doesn’t rise and has never risen. But the weatherman still predicts the time of sunrise and sundown every day of the week. Even these highly educated scientists use unscientific language to communicate truth. The Bible uses various styles of literature to drive home the message.
Consider the context of the passage.
The entire Bible sits like an inverted triangle on top of the single Bible verse you are reading. More specifically, the verse is surrounded by a chapter and that chapter is in the context of a Bible book. And every book has a central truth, and the verse or passage you are reading is consistent with that central truth. Taking the text out of its context is sure to distort the meaning and ultimately the application.
Pursue the plain meaning of the text.
Sometimes when people read the Bible, they want to look beyond the actual words in order to have a mystical experience that is disconnected from the revealed Word of God. They look for a sign or a code or an analogy that can confirm their spirituality. Don’t try that. God’s Word is inspired and profitable just the way it is.
Interpret Scripture with Scripture.
This goes back to the context issue, but the lenses through which we understand God’s Word is the Word of God. Rationalistic, philosophical, humanistic systems only distort our thinking and corrupt our efforts of biblical interpretation. We understand the Bible in light of the biblical revelation. Although we may not always understand, the Bible never contradicts itself. It is true everywhere it speaks and needs no defense.
Someone has said that Christianity is only one generation from extinction. We have a faith to keep, and that faith is advanced when we put on these new lenses that help us understand the Bible more clearly and apply it more powerfully.
I’d love your feedback. How do these lenses help you to stay true to God’s Word?
I like your advice to pursue the plain meaning of the text. Often when I read the bible, I am searching for some profound knowledge that isn’t there. I need to stop looking ahead to what the bible is going to say and just absorb what it is really saying in the text. Very good advice, thanks