How to Study the Bible - Worksheet 4

Interpretation of Scripture:

The Bible is a complex but unified and understandable document.

The Ethiopian eunuch asked a valid question about the Scriptures in Acts 8:30-31

Acts 8:30–31 NKJV

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

Philip went on to explain the meaning of the passage from Isaiah 53, preaching Jesus unto the eunuch (Acts 8:32-35), producing the result of the eunuch’s conversion (Acts 8:36-38).

Crucial to the eunuch’s conversion was his ability to understand what he was reading.

The Scriptures can and must be understood properly.

Sometimes, like the Ethiopian eunuch, one may request a little help to understand the Scriptures …

But one, when properly interpreting the Bible, will always arrive at the proper conclusion intended by God.

God’s wisdom is far above human wisdom (Isa. 55:8-9; 1 Cor. 1:18ff).

Man’s heart by nature (that is, eventual assumed practice - Eph. 2:3, NOT born in sin - Ezek. 18:20) is desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9).

Thus, it is not up to man to decide for himself the way he should go in order to live righteously (Jer. 10:23).

It is up to man to receive instruction from God (through His Word - 2 Tim. 3:16-17) in order to live righteously.

Men may reason through the Scriptures together in order to accomplish this (Isa. 1:18; Acts 17:1-3; 24:25; 28:23), or one may arrive at the truth through his own study of the Scriptures (Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 2:15).

Again, man himself does not give the proper interpretation of Scripture (2 Pet. 1:20-21) — God has already set the proper interpretation through His intended meaning; it is up to man to find it and live by it.

A proper attitude of willingness to let Scripture guide us is is mandatory — Many individuals can be described as those who have eyes, but do not see, and ears, but do not hear (Matt. 13:13).

The Scripture itself determines whether a man has a willing heart or not - (Heb. 4:12).

Numerous verses imply man’s necessity of properly reading and interpreting the Scriptures:

Luke 10:25-26 - “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” (Jesus wanted to see if the man properly understood the O.T. law that he was under). (The man’s response, and Jesus’ further teaching through the Parable of the Good Samaritan, are quite revealing about the necessity of a proper attitude).

Luke 24:27 - “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them (“interpreted to them,” ASV) in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Jesus used the O.T. Scriptures to show that He was the Christ).

Matt. 19:3-5 - “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” (Jesus appealed to the original teaching of Scripture on this matter; in other words, they already had the answer!)

John 5:39 - “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life …” (The Pharisees searched the Scriptures, which was a right thing to do, but they did it incorrectly, for Jesus further explains ...) “and these are they which testify of Me.”

They had not drawn the proper conclusion from the Scriptures, that Jesus indeed was the Messiah and the Son of God.

Thus, in verse 40, we read, “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

Acts 18:24, 28 - “Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus ... for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” (Apollos, although do we find he had a misunderstanding [see verses 25-26], was a vigorous defender of Bible truth, which he accomplished through knowledge of Scripture.)

Jude 3 - “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (There is only one true faith, and faithful Christians will earnestly contend for it.)

This does not mean we should be contentious - The Bible condemns the wrong kind of contentions (Prov. 13:10; 15:18; 26:21; 1 Cor. 1:11; Titus 3:9).

However, there is a right kind of contending — contending for the truth (Jude 3; Neh. 13:25; Acts 6:9-10; Php. 1:27).

2 Tim. 2:15 - “Be diligent (“Study,” KJV) to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

1 Tim. 4:13 - “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (Proper teaching from God’s Word is a must.)

Attitudes & Pitfalls to Avoid When it Comes to Bible Study:

The following is taken from pages 25-30 of How to Understand the Bible by W. Robert Palmer.

“It is … our desire to expose those violations of common sense that contribute so frequently to our misunderstanding the Bible. … Herein we would like to present six of the most common and deadly practices of poor thinking affecting our theme. And it would be well to note that these often overlap each other, sometimes more than one weakness being present at a given time.”

“Prejudice — What is it? It is the common spirit of bias and partiality to which all mankind is subject, more or less. It is a general term and fittingly the first one we should list. All the other weaknesses that follow are actually more specific phases of prejudice. … It is impossible for one to openly face every issue and fully without being partial to some degree. We have been too deeply involved in the ordinary feelings and influences of life. However, we can carefully study the nature of prejudices and make allowance for them, and so approach the Bible with a degree of objectivity.” (Examples - Prejudice in favor of instrumental music if one grew up using it in worship; Prejudice against baptism because Grandma was not baptized.)

“Preconceived opinion — This comes from the practice of supposing something exists or assuming something is true without sufficient study or proof. Often the mind is made up before the Bible facts are seen. This is a dangerous practice. It has given rise to many false ideas. It corrupts the attitude if the Bible student. It causes some to bring their ideas to the Scriptures for approval, not for testing.” (This is called taking verses out of context; proof-texting.)

“Wishful thinking — Some persons wish so strongly that something be true that they come to believe firmly that it is true. … But wishing a thing were true, and even repeating it over and over, does not make it true.” (Examples - Creating a new doctrine of salvation for a departed loved one who never obeyed the Gospel, granting him an exception to what the Bible says; Rationalizing away sin that the Bible clearly says is such, making excuses for sin).

“Generalization — This is the fallacy of drawing sweeping conclusions from particular instances. … Jumping at conclusions seems to be one of man’s most common exercises. We must remember that many Bible issues are not simply ‘black and white.’” (Note: What the author seems to be saying with this is that some moral issues must be discerned very carefully taking all of the Scriptures into careful consideration, not just one or two — Chase).

“Appeals to human authority — This is the practice of ‘throwing around the weight’ of big names or authorities, regardless of truthfulness and condition, in order to defend a point, usually biased. This is not to depreciate scholarship nor belittle true authority. You have heard people defend themselves with the magic words, ‘Science says ...’ Or, in religion, how often one feels justified in his opinion by saying, ‘My preacher says so’ or ‘That’s what my church teaches.’ There are several such authorities people use. It may be great men, church creeds, human tradition, or books and sayings. True scholarship … carries weight, but is never final. Only God is final in authority.” (Example - “If (so and so) believed it, then it’s good enough for me”; preacher worship, essentially)

“Appeals to the popular — This is the exceedingly strong motive better known as ‘going along with the crowd.’ Who wants to differ with popular opinion? How hard it is to fight the prejudices of our age! It is very easy to find a crowd who will agree with your prejudices. All of us are influenced in part by what others think, but sometimes we are controlled too much by this force. You have heard people attempt to pry others loose with the magic words, ‘They say ...’ This is a challenge to people to discard independent thinking and think like the masses and talk like ‘all the scholars.’ What are some of the most popular cries that affect our study? ‘It doesn’t make any difference what we believe just so we are sincere.’ … ‘There are so many churches, but they are all headed for the same place.’ … Remember the words of Henry Clay, ‘I would rather be right than President.’” (Exo. 23:2 - “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil.”)

Ten Essential Attitudes:

(Taken from pg. 32-38, Ibid).

“Be willing to work — … You must work for what you get; you must sow for what you reap. … Those who seek any branch of knowledge must pursue it with vigor and labor. Work little or toil with little zeal and the results will be little. ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread’ (Genesis 3:19). That basic principle, which applies to physical bread, is equally true of spiritual bread.”

“Trust the Word of God — … The effective reader must study the Bible, never wavering in his faith that it is the Word of God. Doubts will surely weaken the understanding. Unbelief will ‘blind the mind’ (2 Cor. 4:3-4). One must be humble and docile as a little child. There must be complete trust. We cannot comprehend the great truth of the Lord, if we accept the Bible as only fiction or unreliable history.”

“Show Reverence for the Word — The spirit of reverence for the Word should follow, in view of this complete trust. It must be held with the highest respect, regarded as more necessary than anything else in life (Job 23:12; Luke 4:4). It is the full and final will of God for man, the standard of authority in all matters of morals, and therefore it must be free from all human tamperings (Deut. 12:32; Rev. 22:18-19). Irreverence is a mark of our times. Man is as apt to take the Word of God in vain as he is to take the name of God in vain. Reverence is ‘a respectful, submissive disposition of mind, arising from affection and esteem, from a sense of superiority in the person reverenced.’ Reverence involves the feeling of awe, deep veneration, and fear because God is present. It is an inward attitude outwardly manifested by respect, sobriety, and rapt attention. Reverence is a Christian virtue (Heb. 12:28) that demands effort. This self-discipline of mind and body should be applied whenever the Word of God is studied.” (See Exo. 3:1-6)

“Expect Delight — To delight in the Word, to thoroughly enjoy its study, is an attitude that should do much to produce understanding. Do you ‘rejoice at His word’ (Psalm 119:162) ? Can it be said that your ‘delight is in the law of the Lord’ (Psalm 1:2) ? Avoid making Bible study such a dutiful task and such miserable drudgery. Enjoy it! Don’t think the Bible is dry inside just because yours is dusty on the outside. It can and should become a real pleasure. It can be alive and delightful if you let it. We stated that it would be work; nevertheless, it can be a most satisfying and thrilling task. The Bible has all the elements to bring the joys of God to your soul. Surely He knows best how to impart real happiness to His own creatures.”

“Love the Word — Your reverence and joy in the Bible should thus blend together to produce in you a genuine love for the Word. Actually, in all walks of life we pursue that which we love. No one has to be prodded to do what he really loves. We are willing to even expend ourselves for those worthy objects of our love. What is more worthy, more lovable, than the Word of our Lord? ‘O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day’ (Psalm 119:97; see also verses 113, 159, 167).”

“Desire to Understand the Word — We must desire to understand the truth, but this is most difficult! If we love self more than we love God, then we shall be guilty of self-satisfaction and self-conceit. Here are two of the most common reasons why man is unwilling to understand the Bible. … Let us realize what it means to have the desire to be a completely honest inquirer into the truth. Are you willing to seek the truth whether anyone else believes it or not? Are you willing to yield to the Bible, wherever it leads? Are you able to endure all truth, no matter how uncomfortable? Are you willing to arrive at the truth, disregarding your own opinion, emotion, desire, or hope? Are you willing to search each new fact without any fear of what you might find? Are you willing to see both sides of any issue? Are you willing to study what you dislike as well as what you like? Are you willing, at all costs, to avoid the mental errors listed in the last chapter? If you are unwilling, then your understanding of the Word will be greatly impaired, no matter how much you study it. … ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. … More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold’ (Psalm 19:7, 10).”

“Shun Perversions of the Word — If one is to desire the truth, he will be equally as zealous to shun error. The two, positive and negative, go hand in hand. As we stand before God with His Word in our hands, we have everything to learn and nothing to teach (Note — I believe it is important to add Palmer seems to mean nothing to teach GOD — Chase). How repugnant, then, when any false doctrine intervenes to spoil the pure truth. It should be identified and avoided or discarded as false. This is what the Scriptures teach over and over again. Read 2 Timothy 3 and note how Paul describes those who are ‘ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth’ (verse 7). Trace God’s warnings in the following passages and observe how some ‘corrupt the Word’ (2 Cor. 2:17), ‘pervert the gospel’ (Gal. 1:6-8), ‘lie in wait to deceive’ (Eph. 4:14), ‘beguile you with enticing words’ (Col. 2:4), ‘spoil you through philosophy … after the tradition of men’ (Col. 2:8), ‘consent not to wholesome words … doting about questions and strifes of words’ (1 Tim. 6:3-5), strive ‘ about words to no profit’ (2 Tim. 2:14, 16), ‘teaching things which they ought not’ (Titus 1:10-14), ‘bring in damnable heresies … (and) with feigned words make merchandise of you’ (2 Pet. 2:1-3), and who ‘transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ’ (2 John 7-11).”

“Under-gird Study with Prayer — Before ever beginning to expend such effort and maintaining such attitudes, one should turn and ask the Lord for help through prayer. The Lord will teach us much and help us to learn, but we need not expect Him to do for us what we ought to do for ourselves. The prayers of a lazy, halfhearted, grumbling student cannot rise very high. Is not prayer a practice more than an attitude? It is both, as shown in more than one of the ten points cited. A prayerful attitude is so vital, and God has promised to respond to such pleadings. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.’ (James 1:5). Let the spirit of prayer pervade all of your efforts to understand the Bible.”

“Have a Spirit of Expectancy — … Does not the student have the right to expect to understand this Book? Many are amazed, frightened, or overwhelmed by the bigness of the Bible; yet, it can be read completely through in one hundred hours, and a rapid reader might read it in sixty hours. Yes, to some it is a big, mysterious, unfathomable something, a complicated collection of deep, religious doctrines. Some consider it to be a strange writing to be worshiped and not used, a mystery to be understood only by a favored few, or a handbook of proof texts for sectarian groups. But when we start to study the Bible, we ought to expect to understand it. Our understanding of a particular passage might not be perfect, but we must remember that God revealed His will to us in order that we may understand it. It is to ‘be read unto all the holy brethren’ (1 Thes. 5:27), so that when it is read ‘the Lord give thee understanding in all things’ (2 Tim. 2:7). The very purpose is that the reader may understand the knowledge of God (Eph. 3:3-4), the knowledge that makes ‘thee wise unto salvation’ and brings Christian maturity (2 Tim. 3:14-17).”

“Desire to Be Obedient — Finally, as the understanding grows, be sure and have a genuine desire to obey the Word. A mere curiosity about the Bible or an academic interest in it is not enough. God’s Word demands a greater desire — a desire to apply the holy truth, to live the way the Creator intended one to live. Let each Bible student say, ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law’ (Psalm 119:33-34). … Disobedience to the Word as it is received will only hinder or stop the progress of further understanding. The Word of God is food for the soul. If the simple food (milk) is refused, then the solid food will be withheld because it cannot be assimilated. Read 1 Cor. 3:1-4; Hebrews 5:12-14.”

Work Cited: Palmer, W. Robert. How to Understand the Bible: Study Course for Youth and Adults. College Press Pub. Co., 1980.