We interpret everything according to its context. For
example, “Barbara cried when she saw him” can be interpreted in many ways
depending on the context.
1.
It was a cry of relief when she found that her
husband hadn’t died in the plane crash.
2.
It was a cry of despair when she heard that he
did die.
3.
It was a cry of joy to hear that he did die. Now
she could marry Bob.
Without the context to pin it down, the possible
interpretations are endless. To give us a fullness of understanding, we would
have to understand the context of her entire marriage.
Interpreting any verse of Scripture, requires an
understanding of the immediate context but also an understanding of the Bible and
its purpose and even its theology.
Instead, you might think that since each book has its own
author, it also has its own distinctive theology, which might conflict with the
other books of the Bible. For example, many scholars contrast the theology of
Paul against that of James. However, this will lead to errant interpretations. Why?
Because the Bible consistently claims that it has One supreme Author:
·
2 Timothy 3:16–17 All Scripture is
breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work.
We must also regard the Scriptures as Jesus had. Although
whatever He said was Scripture, He consistently points our attention back to
the Word:
·
Matthew 4:4 But [Jesus] answered [Satan],
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that comes from the mouth of God.’”
·
Luke 24:45–46 Then he opened their minds
to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the
Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.”
The human writers of the Scriptures didn’t always understand
what they were writing:
·
1 Peter 1:10–12 Concerning this
salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of
Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ
and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not
themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through
those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from
heaven, things into which angels long to look.
·
2 Peter 1:20–21 knowing this first of
all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For
no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, we should not merely try to understand the
Scriptures from the perspective and motivations of its human authors, since
they were writing as led by the Holy Spirit. Consequently, since the Bible has One
supreme Author, these principles of interpretation should prevail:
·
The Bible should be interpreted as one unified
work, as the Word of God.
·
We should expect that all the apparent
contradictions can be reconciled, even when we fail to reconcile of them. It is
like interpreting a novel of a single author. When we encounter sentences which
we cannot harmonize, we assume that the author had a purpose for the seemingly irreconcilable
statements and read on in hope of reconciling them.
·
We allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. Because
it is one consistent revelation from its omniscient Author, there shouldn’t be
any contradictions. Nor should we expect it to contradict God’s creation, like
science, a secondary expression of God and His Word. Consequently, since God
does not contradict Himself, we believe that the findings of science should
coincide with the Bible. When they don’t, we must ask whether we are failing to
understand either the Bible or the findings of science.
Therefore, we should consider the overall theology of the
Bible to understand any single verse. For example, from this verse, some have
charged that Jesus teaches “hate”:
·
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and
does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers
and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
However, this false charge can be easily dismissed once we
regard the parallel verse in Matthew:
· Matthew
10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of
me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Here is a verse that is more difficult to reconcile with the
rest of the Scriptures:
·
Colossians 1:24–25 Now I rejoice in my
sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in
Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of
which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given
to me for you, to make the word of God fully known.
However, elsewhere we read that there is nothing “lacking in
Christ’s afflictions,” which are adequate to cover all our sins! Nevertheless,
we can reconcile these verses with the rest of the Scriptures once we notice
that Paul’s sufferings did not add to anything lacking in the Cross but were
necessary to enable his own ministry!
THE INTERPRETER
According to Jesus, Scripture can only be interpreted
accurately with the help of the Triune God:
·
John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets,
‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from
the Father comes to me—
Therefore, our Lord must open our minds:
·
Luke 24:45 Then he [Jesus] opened their
minds to understand the Scriptures.
Otherwise, our minds remain hardened in rebellion:
·
1 Corinthians 2:13–16 And we impart this
in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting
spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able
to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person
judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has
understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of
Christ.
Consequently, the least educated believer has more Scriptural
wisdom than the most educated rebels:
·
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
·
2 Corinthians 3:14–18 But [Israel’s]
minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that
same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes,
to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one
turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face,
beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from
one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Nevertheless, God also provides pastors, teachers, and the
family of God to guide and correct us (Ephesians 4:11-15).
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