How We Came by the Bible pt. 3 - Interpretation

2 Peter 1:20–21 KJV 1900

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV 1900

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Differences to Note

Revelation, inspiration, and illumination (the process by which the Holy Spirit explains a passage to a believer) are divine processes.

Interpretation is a human process.

Interpretation is the human process of determining the meaning of Scripture

Wrong methods of Interpretation:

Superstitious

This method began among some of the Jews, and holds that there is hidden meaning behind the words of Scripture.

Some, such as the Cabbalists of the 12th century, believed that even each letter had a supernatural power.

This method arises from a false view of inspiration

Allegorical - the spiritualization of Scripture

Changes the historical facts of Scripture and interprets them to represent something else.

A good example of this would be the Creation account

Those who allegorize Scripture would claim Adam and Eve were not literal people, but representatives of all humanity.

To allegorize Scripture is to discount the historical facts

Rationalistic

This method makes human reasoning the determining factor of interpreting Scripture.

It suggests, “If it is unreasonable, then it must be wrong”

The problem is that it leaves out faith.

Also, there are many things int eh Bible which we cannot understand or figure out rationally.

Mythological

This method presumes that the Bible was written in myths or imaginary stories.

To interpret the meaning, one must use some dialectical method to get the real meaning

This method is used mainly by neo-orthodoxy

Proper Method of Interpretation:

3 principles to follow:

Interpret Scripture grammatically -

It is always best to take the Bible at face value.

Do not go looking for a “deeper” meaning behind every single word.

D.L. Cooper has rightly said, "When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicate clearly otherwise.”

Interpret Scripture contextually -

SInce words do not stand alone, there is a relationship to consider between what precedes and what follows them

How words are used in relationship to others determines their meaning

ie the usage of the Hebrew word “yom” (day) in the Creation account:

Yom can refer to a:

24-hour day

Daylight hours

A period of time

Ex: In may grandfather’s day, they would work all day, every day.

My grandfather’s day = a period of time (his childhood)

During the day would refer to the daylight hours

Every day would correspond to a 24-hour day

How then do we interpret the meaning of the word “yom” in Genesis?

This is answered in our third principle...

Compare Scripture with Scripture

We look at other passages that use the same words, or deal with the same subject

For clarification, go back to the word yom

Does it refer to a 24-hour period in Genesis or to an extended period of time which could include millions of years?

What you find by comparing Scripture with Scripture is that every single usage of “yom” in the OT, when it is connected with a number, such as “the evening and the morning were the first day”, it ALWAYS refers to a 24 hour day.

God commanded Moses in Exodus 20:8-10 “8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:”

Did God mean that Israel was to work for 6 million years and rest for a million?

NO! He meant what He said!

The Bible is God’s Word and by comparing Scripture with Scripture, we gain a fuller meaning of the subject, and better understanding of what it teaches.

Some Things to Consider:

As we close out this section of our study we would do well to remember:

The Bible was given as a “progressive revelation” meaning that the closer it came to being finished the more clear its meaning became. This is why we cannot understand properly the book of Revelation without first having a good understanding of the entire book.

We must understand a passage in harmony with other Scriptures. If we find what we believe to be a “contradiction” the issue is not with the Word of God, but with our understanding of it.

We must understand a passage in its historical context and interpret it according to the author’s intended meaning and purpose.

WE must let obscure passages give way to clear passages.

For example, Acts 2:38 “38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

This passage cannot teach salvation by baptism when there are over 150 passage that proclaim salvation by grace through faith.

We must also realize, while there may be many applications to a passage, there is only ONE interpretation