How To Interpret The Bible

(2Pe 1:20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Many people think the Bible is hard to understand but it is not, and it is written so that the common man can understand it.
Let’s remember these eleven things when interpeting the scriptures.

1. Prayerfully - it takes the Holy Spirit to give us the proper understanding.
2. Study with Proper Motives. – Proverbs 4:23
Be honest. – Luke 8:15
Love the truth. – John 8:31-32; 2 Thessalonians 2:10
Be humble. Be willing to learn, to admit you have been wrong, and to change. – Matthew 5:3
Be spiritually minded. – Romans 8:5-8
Be willing to obey. – John 7:17
Be willing to put away sin. – Ephesians 4:17-19
Be willing to be different and in the minority. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13
3. Realize the Bible contains the mind and will of God. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13
4. Make your primary study the Bible itself, not books about the Bible. – Psalm 119:97. Always interpret books with the Bible and not vise versa.
5. The Bible is self interpreting - it will reveal its meaning by some other Bible text. Remember the Bible does not contradict itself - If there seems to be a contradiction then you are missing some information.
6. We must take the Bible literally if at all possible - some want to spiritualize. God says what He means and means what he says. Always interpret obscure and ambiguous passages in the light of plain, obvious, and clear passages everything - Gods word is already spiritual. If there is a symbolic meaning then the Bible will give the meaning elsewhere.
7. Remember the context. Read verses in the context of the whole passage, the chapter and even the book. Finally, keep in mind the larger context of the New Testament or Old Testament. We must study the entire Bible to get a proper understanding.
8. Definitions - look up words in the dictionary. Sometimes we need to look up the Greek or Hebrew.
9. Always interpret a passage in its “historical/cultural” setting. What did it mean to the people to whom it was written?
10. Always interpret the scripture dispensationally - we are in the dispensation of Grace.
11. Remember no doctrine (teaching) should be built on one isolated text.

Which Bible Version Are You?

Today there are many different versions of the Bible versions. Some translations are very poor and leave out many verses. Some even make drastic changes that should never have been made. This is something that can be very confusing to a new believer, and is often a controversial subject among churches. I use the old King James Version and find it to be very trustworthy.

It is a sad thing, but most people will never read any version of the Bible. I dare to say there are many homes in this country that have Bibles that have never been read. It stands more as a sort of good luck charm than anything. Just as many people will not attend the local church, or even listen to the gospel on the radio or television. Those are people who simply do not know the real value of the Bible or the preaching of the gospel. Whatever their reasons, they seem to be unreachable.

The Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians made the statement, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men”. This means that everyone that is a believer in Christ becomes a walking Bible that is known and read by all people!

Whether we like it or not, we are under close observation by the unbelievers. They may never read the Bible, go to church, or listen to preaching on the radio or television, and they may never listen to what we have to say, but they do read the way we live our lives. They watch the details- like what you say when you smash your thumb! Basically, they want to know if this Christian stuff is for real.

What we really need to concern ourselves with is what are they reading in our life? Just as there are many Bible versions, there are many living versions. What is our life telling them? Are we giving the right message by living a consistent Christian life? Yes, we all may fail at times, but are we giving the message that it doesn’t matter, or do we strive for perfection? Does our life say its ok to live in sin? Do they see that it really is a joy to be a Christian?

If we are to ever reach to those who are not interested, we will have live a Godly life in front of them. Even though we may fail at times, we should be concerned that they see a reality of God and His goodness in our life. What message are people getting when they read our life?