How Can I Understand the Bible?

 

 

The question of how to interpret the Bible is not a minor issue. It is, in a sense, one of the battlegrounds for our souls. One of the reasons that many cults can confuse Christians is that they use the Bible-or, we should say, parts of the Bible. By this method, they interpret and apply the Scriptures wrongly. That's like trying to read a roadmap by turning it upside down and reading its reflection in a mirror. It's an incorrect use of the map.

Since the Bible was written by many men over a period covering 1,500 years, and since the last author of the Bible has been dead 1,900 years, understanding the Bible requires special care. Bible scholars have pointed out that there are language gaps-differences in words used by the Bible writers and us. There are cultural gaps-different customs were in vogue then. There is geographical gaps-for example, certain rivers that are spoken of in the Bible have long since dried up. Some places that are spoken of frequently in the Bible are not on our modern maps. And then there are historical gaps-the Bible speaks of kings and empires which existed years ago.

Following a few principles for interpreting the Bible will keep you from error and help you understand the difficult passages of the Word of God.

1.      Remember that the Bible is God's infallible, inertly inspired Word. There are no mistakes in the Bible. God has included everything in the Bible that He wants you to know and is necessary for you to know concerning salvation and your Christian life.

  1. Always interpret the Bible in the light of its historical background. There are three aspects to this principle:

* Study the personal circumstances of the writer. For example, in studying the book of The Revelation, it is important to understand where John was and what he was doing when God gave him this marvelous revelation. See Revelation 1:1-10.

* Study the culture and customs of the country at the time that the writing or story was taking place. For example, to understand the book of Ruth, become acquainted with the customs concerning widows, redemption of property, etc., as they are explained in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 25.

* Study and interpret the Bible in the light of the actual historical situation and events that were taking place at the time of the story. For example, in studying the Gospels it is important to realize that the entire land of west and all of the Jews were being governed and oppressed by the Roman Empire at that time.

  1. Interpret the Bible according to the purpose and plan of each book. Every Bible book has its specific purpose intended by the Holy Spirit to bring some special message to man. For example, First John (see I John 5:13) was written to Christians. Therefore the promise in First John 1:9 is specifically applied to Christians.
  2. One of the most important principles of interpretation is always to interpret according to the context of a verse. The "Context" includes the verses immediately proceeding and immediately following the verse you are studying. If you do not take care to interpret the verse according to the context, you could make the Bible teach atheism. For the Bible itself says, "There is no Cod" (Ps. 14: 1). But the context makes very clear what this verse means: The immediately preceding sentence says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God."'
  3. Always study the passage immediately preceding and immediately following any verse, word, or topic to make sure that you see this truth in the setting which God intended.
  4. Interpret according to the correct meaning of words. You can find the correct meaning of a word in several ways. First of all, look up the usage of the word in other parts of the Bible to find how it was used in that generation. Another way is to look up its background or its root. You can do this with a dictionary. Still another way is to look up the synonyms, words that are similar in meaning but slightly different: for example, "prayer," "intercession," "supplication."
  5. Always interpret the Bible according to all Of the parallel passages which deal with the subject and according to the message of the entire Bible. The more you read the Bible, the more you will understand that in it God is revealing His way of salvation to men from beginning to end. And when you come to a difficult passage, think of it in the light of the overall purpose of the Bible. For example, the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament are meant to be a picture of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. If you follow these simple rules, you will be kept from error and extremes, and you will be helped to understand correctly the teachings of even the more difficult passages in God's 'Word.

 

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