M.I.T Lesson 3

Understanding God’s Word lesson 3

Last week we looked at the first two, of ten, scriptural principles that are important for the proper interpretation of the Bible.

The grammatical-historical method: What did the writer intend to communicate to the original audience. (not beginning with what it means to me).

Illumination by the Spirit. Without the spirit, someone could use the Grammatical-historical method of study and understand what the writer intended to communicate. However, we need the illumination of the spirit to guide us into all truth and to comprehend how the scripture is applied to our lives.

Today, we will continue with the remaining eight principles for interpreting the bible:

3. Clarity of Scripture

The scriptures are basically plan and meant to be understood.

Psalm 119:105 KJV 1900

105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.

Psalm 119:130 KJV 1900

130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; It giveth understanding unto the simple.

God expects and enables individuals to understand His Words to their own lives.

Every spirit-filled believer has the potential to understand and obey scripture for him/herself without being forced to rely on an authoritative human interpreter.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t need the five-fold ministry, now that we don’t need to follow the admonition and instruction of spiritual leaders.

God expects us to study His Word diligently and prayerful to comprehend its meaning.

4. Adaption to the Human mind

The Bible is adapted to the human mind.

Gods ways are infinitely above our ways and his thoughts above our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

God has chosen to communicate with us on our level, and consequently His Word speaks effectively to us.

We know truth, but not all truth. All things that are in the Word of God are true, but Biblical statements do not exhaust eternal truth.

The scriptures will use terms that we can understand to represent or to give us a shadow of a much greater truth.

Example given in the book: The bible speaks of the heart of God, the hand of God, the arm of God, His nostrils, his wings. If these were all literal, God would be an enormous, giant beast. The various attributes that are ascribed to God help us to understand the nature of God and God’s relationship to humanity.

5. Progressive Revelation

God reveals truth progressively from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

Galatians 3:24–25 KJV 1900

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

God uses dietary laws and other laws of separation to teach people a clear distinction between the Holy and unholy, sacred and profane, Will of God and will of humans.

He used the sacrificial system to teach us that all have sinned, the penalty for sin is death, that people need atonement in order to be saved, that atonement comes by God’s grace and according to God’s plan, and that we receive Salvation through faith as expressed by obedience to God’s plan.

Because of principles of progressive revelation, it is important to ascertain all that the Bible has to say about a certain subject before drawing conclusions about it.

For guidance in Christian living, we should trace the development of thought from the Old Testament to the New and rely foremost on the teachings of the New Testament.

6. Scripture As its own interpreter

Scripture interprets scripture.

By selective interpretation, someone can use the scriptures to justify almost anything.

The important concepts and terms of scripture are best understood through a study of scripture.

For example, we are not going to best understand the concept of biblical love from reading romance novels or seeking out the worlds definitions. We must study to understand what the Bible itself has to say about love.

The ultimate definition of love is found in the man Christ Jesus!

7. The Unity of scripture and centrality of Christ

The bible is unified and its central focus is Jesus Christ.

The bible does not contain internal contradictions. It does contain varying points of view.

The unifying theme of the Bible is God’s plan of salvation for the human race through Jesus Christ.

Read page 63, 2nd and 3rd chapter.

8. Multiple Witnesses for Truth

Truth has several witnesses

2 Corinthians 13:1 KJV 1900

1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Every scripture in the Bible is important, and cannot be discounted. However, building a doctrine on one verse, in isolation of the whole of scripture will lead to misinterpreting.

Example of 1 Corinthians 15:29

1 Corinthians 15:29 KJV 1900

29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

The mormons use this one verse to justify baptism in proxy for the dead.

However, this would contradict the various passages that speak to personal responsibility for salvation.

The purpose of hermeneutical principles is not to cancel out the significance of any scriptural statement but to bring out the meaning of all scriptural statements.

For example, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 teaches that a woman should not cut her hair and that men should keep their hair short.

We cannot ignore a passage simply because we cannot find a second passage that says exactly the same thing.

Other passages state that a male and female should be distinct in appearance, and specifically that God expects women to have long hair.

9. One primary meaning, many applications.

Each passage has one primary meaning but can have manifold significance and many applications.

In other words, every passage has a primary meaning for being included in the Word of God.

We should seek this purpose first before expanding its significance to other situations.

We should first seek to find the primary meaning of the text before seeking to make application.

10. Use of Logic

We should sound rules of logic in interpreting scripture

Logic means the science of correct reasoning

the ability to reason is what identified humanity from the rest of creation. It also is what identified is as being created in the likeness and image of God.

Even the scripture calls for us to reason.

Isaiah 1:18 KJV 1900

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Human reasoning is not our ultimate authority. Instead, we must allow the Bible to correct our reasoning, We cannot hope to understand the scripture without using valid reasoning.