Post by Johnny Gotham on Jan 1, 2005 19:31:15 GMT -5
When discussing the Bible with people, sometimes they will say "That's just YOUR interpretation". Usually this comes at the point where they start to realize that the plain truth of God's Word runs contrary to their dearly held, manmade traditions. Can there be such a thing as a "correct interpretation" of the Bible? Well, let me ask you if there can there be a correct interpretation of any type of literature in the world?
Let's take an example. Consider the Driver's Instruction Manual from any state government. The Driver's Manual refers to a red and white octagonal shaped sign with the word STOP written on it. When we are driving around on the streets in our vehicles, we need to apply our interpretation of the Driver's Manual as we approach those octagonal signs. Now what if my interpretation of "stop" means to slow down to 10 m.p.h. and proceed on past the sign. Well then my interpretation would be incorrect. There is a friendly man wearing a blue uniform and driving a car with pretty lights on top of it who will be glad to show me that my interpretation of the Driver's Manual is somewhat flawed. This man represents the author of the Driver's Manual: the state. The correct interpretation is defined by the author. The man will inform me that the correct interpretation of this book is "full and complete stop, with wheels fully locked in position".
Correct interpretation of instructional material is achieved by acquiring the intended meaning of the author. There are basic rules of literary interpretation that we use to arrive at intended meaning. These rules set context and include such items as:
* Who is speaking? In the Bible, sometimes God is speaking, sometimes Satan is speaking.
* To whom are they speaking? Some verses are directed to the nation of Israel. Others apply to the New Testament church. Some apply only to disciples of Christ, others to non-disciples.
* What is the subject they are speaking about? This helps set the context.
* When are they speaking? Time period?
* Where are they speaking? Geographic location and cultural background?
"Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures?"
I didn't say it: Jesus did. He said this to some religious men who had challenged his own interpretation of the scriptures. These religious men were of the Jewish sect called Saducees. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They believed that when you die, you simply cease to exist: total soul annihilation. That's why they were Sad-u-see). They challenged Jesus by posing a hypothetical situation about a woman who married several men during her lifetime. The question was "In the ressurection, whose wife will she be?"
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Mark 12:24-27
Notice a few things from Jesus' answer:
1. It is possible to "err". That is, there is an incorrect interpretation of the scriptures. You can be wrong in your beliefs as were the Saducees. Logically, the reverse is true as well: if there is an err, there is also a correct interpretation. So it is not just a matter of personal interpretation: you see it one way and I see it another. There is right and wrong analysis of the scripture. Correct interpretation is based on an accurate aprehension of the truth (i.e. the fact is that there is a resurrection and that people do not cease to exist when they die)..
2. The root cause of their err was their ignorance of the scriptures. Again, here the inverse is true: if not knowing the scriptures causes err, then knowing them avoids err.
3. The scripture is the final authority for Jesus regarding matters of belief and practice. Notice how Jesus quoted the story of Moses and the burning bush in the Old Testament to make his point that there is a resurrection.
In studying the Bible, we let scripture interpret scripture. That is, we take individual verses and passages and measure them in relation to other passages on the same subject. This allows us to interpret scripture against a logical framework that provides a contextual background for the passage under examination.
The message of salvation in the Bible is plain and clear: We are all sinners, incapable of saving ourselves and so God has provided salvation as a free gift through Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his life to pay for our sins and was raised from the dead as a kind of down payment to show that those who trust in him and his finished work will be raised with him at the last day. We can acquire this free salvation by repenting of our sins and receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour. That is the correct interpretation of what the Bible says about salvation in a nutshell Click here to learn how to be saved.
Types Of Language In The Bible
Sometimes people ask me "Do you take the Bible literally?" Let me unpack that question for you. What they are really asking is "Are you a naive, deluded fool who takes all that mythology in the Bible literally?" I always respond by saying "Well that depends on what PART of the Bible I'm reading".
You see the Bible contains three types of language. They are:
* Literal
* Figurative
* Symbolic
For example, John 4:6 says that Jesus "sat thus on the well". The language in John 4:6 is literal. A literal Jesus sat down on a literal well. We can tell that this passage is literal by the context. This is the historical account of a trip that Jesus took down to Samaria. He became weary and literally sat down on the edge of a well because he was also thirsty. He was hoping that someone would draw literal water and give him a drink. Then he had a conversation about salvation with a literal woman from Samaria. So you can usually tell what type of language is being used by the surrounding context.
In John 10:9 Jesus said " I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Jesus said that he is "the door". Does that mean that he has hinges and a doorknob? Certainly not. That is because Jesus is using figurative language here. Here it is obvious that Jesus is speaking figuratively; but how can we know for sure? Let's look at the surrounding context. Jesus had just spoken a parable where he likened his disciples to sheep. Do his disciples grow wool and go "baa-baa"? Also in our text in verse 10 Jesus said that if any man enter in "he shall find pasture". Was Jesus saying that men would literally eat grass? No, because Jesus is here using figurative language to show that in him men will find spiritual nourishment for their souls.
Psalm 18:8 speaks thus of the Lord: " There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth..." Did smoke literally come out of the Lord's nostrils and fire out of his mouth? No way. God is a spirit. He does not have nostrils or a mouth. This is symbolic language that shows that the Lord was angry with David's oppressors. The context is a Psalm, which is a poem full of highly symbolic language.
"This Is My Body."
The night before he was crucified, Jesus took bread, broke it and said "Take, eat; this is my body". Here Jesus is using figurative language. The bread represents his body. The bread is not literally his body. Catholics maintain that this verse is literal. Their arugment goes like this: "Jesus said "this IS my body," not this represents my body". My response to that is always "Yes, but Jesus also said "I AM the door". "Does that mean he has hinges and a doornknob?" Look at the surrounding context. That night Jesus was instituting a memorial supper that commemerates his death. He said "Do this in memory of me." The purpose is to symbolize his death in a graphic manner.
Jesus placed two symbolic, memorial ordinances into his church: the Lord's Supper and Baptism. Compare this memorial supper to baptism. Paul said "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Rom 6:4-5). Are we literally dead when "we are buried with him in baptism". Obviously not: we identify with the death of Jesus in a symbolic way and reckon ourselves dead to sin. So just as baptism symbolizes our identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus; the Lord's Supper symbolizes his broken body and shed blood.
From: www.landmark-lakewood.org/yourinterpretation.htm
Check out Biblical Principles for Interpreting God's Word at bible-truth.org/Principles.htm
Let's take an example. Consider the Driver's Instruction Manual from any state government. The Driver's Manual refers to a red and white octagonal shaped sign with the word STOP written on it. When we are driving around on the streets in our vehicles, we need to apply our interpretation of the Driver's Manual as we approach those octagonal signs. Now what if my interpretation of "stop" means to slow down to 10 m.p.h. and proceed on past the sign. Well then my interpretation would be incorrect. There is a friendly man wearing a blue uniform and driving a car with pretty lights on top of it who will be glad to show me that my interpretation of the Driver's Manual is somewhat flawed. This man represents the author of the Driver's Manual: the state. The correct interpretation is defined by the author. The man will inform me that the correct interpretation of this book is "full and complete stop, with wheels fully locked in position".
Correct interpretation of instructional material is achieved by acquiring the intended meaning of the author. There are basic rules of literary interpretation that we use to arrive at intended meaning. These rules set context and include such items as:
* Who is speaking? In the Bible, sometimes God is speaking, sometimes Satan is speaking.
* To whom are they speaking? Some verses are directed to the nation of Israel. Others apply to the New Testament church. Some apply only to disciples of Christ, others to non-disciples.
* What is the subject they are speaking about? This helps set the context.
* When are they speaking? Time period?
* Where are they speaking? Geographic location and cultural background?
"Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures?"
I didn't say it: Jesus did. He said this to some religious men who had challenged his own interpretation of the scriptures. These religious men were of the Jewish sect called Saducees. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They believed that when you die, you simply cease to exist: total soul annihilation. That's why they were Sad-u-see). They challenged Jesus by posing a hypothetical situation about a woman who married several men during her lifetime. The question was "In the ressurection, whose wife will she be?"
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Mark 12:24-27
Notice a few things from Jesus' answer:
1. It is possible to "err". That is, there is an incorrect interpretation of the scriptures. You can be wrong in your beliefs as were the Saducees. Logically, the reverse is true as well: if there is an err, there is also a correct interpretation. So it is not just a matter of personal interpretation: you see it one way and I see it another. There is right and wrong analysis of the scripture. Correct interpretation is based on an accurate aprehension of the truth (i.e. the fact is that there is a resurrection and that people do not cease to exist when they die)..
2. The root cause of their err was their ignorance of the scriptures. Again, here the inverse is true: if not knowing the scriptures causes err, then knowing them avoids err.
3. The scripture is the final authority for Jesus regarding matters of belief and practice. Notice how Jesus quoted the story of Moses and the burning bush in the Old Testament to make his point that there is a resurrection.
In studying the Bible, we let scripture interpret scripture. That is, we take individual verses and passages and measure them in relation to other passages on the same subject. This allows us to interpret scripture against a logical framework that provides a contextual background for the passage under examination.
The message of salvation in the Bible is plain and clear: We are all sinners, incapable of saving ourselves and so God has provided salvation as a free gift through Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his life to pay for our sins and was raised from the dead as a kind of down payment to show that those who trust in him and his finished work will be raised with him at the last day. We can acquire this free salvation by repenting of our sins and receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour. That is the correct interpretation of what the Bible says about salvation in a nutshell Click here to learn how to be saved.
Types Of Language In The Bible
Sometimes people ask me "Do you take the Bible literally?" Let me unpack that question for you. What they are really asking is "Are you a naive, deluded fool who takes all that mythology in the Bible literally?" I always respond by saying "Well that depends on what PART of the Bible I'm reading".
You see the Bible contains three types of language. They are:
* Literal
* Figurative
* Symbolic
For example, John 4:6 says that Jesus "sat thus on the well". The language in John 4:6 is literal. A literal Jesus sat down on a literal well. We can tell that this passage is literal by the context. This is the historical account of a trip that Jesus took down to Samaria. He became weary and literally sat down on the edge of a well because he was also thirsty. He was hoping that someone would draw literal water and give him a drink. Then he had a conversation about salvation with a literal woman from Samaria. So you can usually tell what type of language is being used by the surrounding context.
In John 10:9 Jesus said " I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Jesus said that he is "the door". Does that mean that he has hinges and a doorknob? Certainly not. That is because Jesus is using figurative language here. Here it is obvious that Jesus is speaking figuratively; but how can we know for sure? Let's look at the surrounding context. Jesus had just spoken a parable where he likened his disciples to sheep. Do his disciples grow wool and go "baa-baa"? Also in our text in verse 10 Jesus said that if any man enter in "he shall find pasture". Was Jesus saying that men would literally eat grass? No, because Jesus is here using figurative language to show that in him men will find spiritual nourishment for their souls.
Psalm 18:8 speaks thus of the Lord: " There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth..." Did smoke literally come out of the Lord's nostrils and fire out of his mouth? No way. God is a spirit. He does not have nostrils or a mouth. This is symbolic language that shows that the Lord was angry with David's oppressors. The context is a Psalm, which is a poem full of highly symbolic language.
"This Is My Body."
The night before he was crucified, Jesus took bread, broke it and said "Take, eat; this is my body". Here Jesus is using figurative language. The bread represents his body. The bread is not literally his body. Catholics maintain that this verse is literal. Their arugment goes like this: "Jesus said "this IS my body," not this represents my body". My response to that is always "Yes, but Jesus also said "I AM the door". "Does that mean he has hinges and a doornknob?" Look at the surrounding context. That night Jesus was instituting a memorial supper that commemerates his death. He said "Do this in memory of me." The purpose is to symbolize his death in a graphic manner.
Jesus placed two symbolic, memorial ordinances into his church: the Lord's Supper and Baptism. Compare this memorial supper to baptism. Paul said "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Rom 6:4-5). Are we literally dead when "we are buried with him in baptism". Obviously not: we identify with the death of Jesus in a symbolic way and reckon ourselves dead to sin. So just as baptism symbolizes our identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus; the Lord's Supper symbolizes his broken body and shed blood.
From: www.landmark-lakewood.org/yourinterpretation.htm
Check out Biblical Principles for Interpreting God's Word at bible-truth.org/Principles.htm