As Christians we believe God speaks to us through the holy Scripture of the Bible.
It is our duty, then, to do our best to understand what the Bible says to us. Since the Bible was written a long
time ago, many of the cultural references and literary styles used are unfamiliar to us today. To truly understand
the Bible, we need to understand the background of life and literature 2000 to 3000 years ago as the Bible was
being written.
The
moment you begin to read the Bible, you have taken the first step in
Bible study. When you read any book, you note the letters, words,
sentences, and paragraphs.
Bible Interpretation
If the Bible is the Word of God, how dare we interpret it? Isn't interpreting the Bible the same as changing it?
No,
not necessarily. When you pick up any version of the Bible, you are
holding an interpretation of it. When words are translated from one
language to another, interpretation plays a large part in the
process. Some words cannot be directly translated from one language to
another, and a translator will use the word that comes closest to
communicating the meaning of the original word.
Another
thing to consider is that, in the original languages of the Bible,
there were no punctuation marks to indicate the ends of sentences or
paragraphs. The authors didn't even put spaces between the words and,
of course, there were no chapter or verse numbers. Punctuation, as well
as the spaces between words and paragraphs, were added by the
translator.
Another chore is to determine the meaning of a passage.
- Who is the author?
- To whom is it written?
- What is the literary context of the passage?
- What is the cultural context of the passage?
- What do the words mean?
- How does it compare with other passages on the same subject?
There are four keywords to understanding any Bible passage - observation, interpretation,
evaluation, and application.
- Observation: What are the facts?
What do the words mean? What comes before and after to put the passage in context? Who is speaking? And to whom?
- Interpretation: What did the passage
mean to the original audience two or three thousand years ago? Are we making the mistake of interpreting the passage
through our own experiences rather than those of the original audience? Is the passage using literary techniques
like allegory, hyperbole, metaphor or parable to make its point?
Determine
what the author intended his words to mean to his first readers.
Although Paul's letters to the Corinthians have much to offer us today,
we can understand his words more clearly if we understand his
relationship with the church at Corinth.
Some promises and commands were given to certain people at a specific times, but are not meant for you today. Can that be true?
For
example, according to John 14:26, Jesus said, "But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." This
promise was not given to you. Jesus was speaking to the apostles. You
were not with Jesus when He was on earth, so you cannot be an apostle.
You
can have the Holy Spirit living with you and helping you, but you can't
expect the same unfailing inspiration that was promised to the apostles.
- Evaluation: What does the passage
mean to us today? Can it be applied directly today, or do we need to apply the underlying principle to conditions
very different than when it was originally written?
- Application: How should I apply what
I learn from this passage to live a more godly life? Do I need to change my attitudes or actions as a result?
(Adapted from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (c)1986, Thomas Nelson
Publishers)
As an example, we can try using this method to understand Exodus 20:3-5.
- Observation: Looking back to Exodus
19, we see that the Hebrew people had escaped from slavery in Egypt three months before and were traveling to the
Promised Land. This is the first of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. The passage forbids
making or worshiping idols or worshiping any other gods. Idols are images or symbols of false gods that are worshiped.
Most of the Hebrews' neighbors were pagans at that time in history, and idol worship and worship of multiple gods
was very common.
- Interpretation: When the ancient
Hebrews got discouraged, they often lapsed into worshiping the idols and multiple gods of the pagan peoples they
came in contact with instead of worshiping God. This Commandment said that, even in hard times, they must put
their trust in God alone.
- Evaluation: Paganism has virtually
disappeared from Western culture today. So, does this Commandment mean anything to us? What are we tempted to substitute
for God in our lives? Do we put our trust in wealth more than in God? Do we seek power over others instead of seeking
God? Do we look for fulfillment in pleasure instead of in God? Many people believe these things are the idols and
false gods of today's world.
- Application: We may need to honestly
and prayerfully examine our priorities to see if God is really more important to us than anything else in our lives.
The Observation and Interpretation steps are fairly objective, and Bible commentaries
and other study materials are very helpful. The Evaluation and Application steps are very individual. It is in
honestly and prayerfully considering these steps that we can deepen our understanding and faith.