By Ian Wilson (G)
To begin to interpret the Bible, we must first read and understand it on it’s own terms. We cannot bring our modern, Westernized sensibilities to the text. We cannot bring to the text a meaning which the authors did not intend. We cannot bring modern, textual criticism to the text, the way we would read a human-authored book.
To understand the Bible, we must read it as a sacred text, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and without error. It cannot contradict itself, yet, because of it’s spiritual nature, each passage of the Bible can be applied to our own unique circumstances and needs in a different way. What may at first appear as contradictions can be brought into harmony through the Holy Spirit’s leading.
When interpreting the Bible, there are three things to consider:
Scripture interprets Scripture.
The Bible interprets itself. The Old Testament interprets the New Testament, and the New Testament brings clarity to the Old. The Bible cross-references itself hundreds of times throughout the text, and we have to interpret these passages through the lens of the scriptures they are referencing.
For example, read Psalm 22, and then read Matthew 27. We interpret Psalm 22 through the lens of the crucifixion of Christ. Psalm 22 makes sense in the light of Matthew 27.
Context is king.
Scripture verses do not exist in isolation; they must be read in context. Read several verses before and after your main text. Read the entire chapter, or book surrounding the text you are trying to comprehend. Understand the book’s purpose and what God is trying to convey through this book.
It’s also important to understand the genre of the book you are reading, to place it in it’s proper context. All Scriptures fit into separate genres: prophecy, history, epistle, gospel, poetry, and wisdom.
Consider the overall teaching of the Bible
The Bible is the story of God’s relationship with humanity. The Bible teaches us that God loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. How does the passage you are reading relate to that teaching? What is the passage trying to tell us about God?
Lastly, it’s important to study Scripture in community with other believers. While you may think that you understand a text, it is always good to seek the Wisdom of the Body of Christ in understanding it better. Find a community of Christians who believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and all sufficient, and study with them. As 2 Peter 1:20 and 21 remind us:
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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.
LogoSophia Magazine 