If scholars disagree about how to interpret the Bible, how can we hope to make sense of the Scriptures? While such a question can seem overwhelming, it doesn't need to be. What can be understood by the average layman is far more important than what scholars disagree about.
Most important, the Author of the Bible has not left the reader alone. Paul signaled God's commitment to help us when he wrote, "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this" (2 Tim. 2:7 NIV). With this confidence, we offer in the following resource a simple rule that can provide focus for a lifetime of study and discovery.
Martin R. De Haan II
CONTENTS
How To Make The Bible Say Anything
One Rule To Study The Bible With Confidence
Four Essentials For Finding Truth In Context
The Inductive Study Method
Guidelines For Interpreting Prophecy
Selecting A Study Bible
The Bible Student's One-Shelf Library
How To Use A Commentary
"The Bible Is Ours"
Bible Study Checklist
HOW TO MAKE THE BIBLE SAY ANYTHING
An American President once said he would rather live in Russia than in America. What President would make such a remark? It was said by the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln.
But he's being quoted out of context. He actually said, "I shall prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty - to Russia, for instance." Lincoln wrote these words while expressing regret about a dangerous trend he saw in America. He feared that many wanted to change "all men are created equal" to "all men are created equal, except non-whites." If that were to happen, Lincoln suggested, he would be more comfortable in a land where the government didn't pretend to stand for liberty. The context makes all the difference, for it tells us exactly what Abe meant to say.
But did you know that though Lincoln hated slavery, the Bible condones it? The Bible tells slaves to obey their masters (Eph. 6:5). It even appears to encourage us to view Africans differently than we view other people when it says, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard its spots?" (Jer. 13:23). Why would the Ethiopian want to change his skin unless it were a less than desirable condition, and why would the author link Ethiopians to leopards unless he wanted his readers to think of black people in less than human terms?
Again, these words have been twisted out of their original setting and intent. Quoted in context, Jeremiah was not putting dark skin in an unfavorable light, any more than he was being critical of the beauty and distinctive design of a leopard's coat. Jeremiah's message is that if the leopard could change his own spots, and if an Ethiopian could change the color of his skin, then "may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). The immediate context shows that Jeremiah was saying we cannot change our own hearts any more than we can change the color of our skin. Any changes we make are merely cosmetic. The context shows exactly what Jeremiah meant to say.
But did Paul encourage slaves to obey their masters? Yes, and his comments must once again be understood in light of the times and spirit in which the apostle wrote. Slavery in Roman days was often the result of war or unpaid debts. Paul taught Christians to be free if they could (1 Cor. 7:21). If that was not possible, he encouraged them to show by their behavior that their well-being was not in the hands of human masters but in the hands of God, even in bad circumstances (1 Cor. 7:20-24). When two Christians found themselves in a master-slave relationship, Paul appealed to them to treat each other as equals and as brothers who were both accountable to God for the way they treated each other (Eph. 6:5-9; Phile. 15-16).
Context. If the immediate and wider contexts are not considered, a person can make the Bible say anything he wants it to say.
ONE RULE TO STUDY THE BIBLE WITH CONFIDENCE
One basic rule of Bible study underlies all others. It is the law of context. In what setting and with what intent were the words written? Equipped with this one basic principle, a student can begin immediately to spend a lifetime looking for and discovering the treasures of the Bible. Let's begin by seeing how this pursuit of context will lead naturally into a careful consideration of (1) immediate setting, (2) normal usage of words, (3) the Bible as a whole, and (4) foundational truths of sound doctrine.
CONTEXT OF IMMEDIATE SETTING
Even experienced Bible students are often surprised to see what a familiar Bible quotation means when understood in light of its immediate setting. Difficult problems of understanding often evaporate simply by determining how a text is framed by the main idea running through that section of Scripture.
Behind every statement of Scripture is an immediate setting. This provides clues as to what was on the author's mind. In every immediate setting there are similar or recurring ideas and words that help to signal the main idea. Once that main idea is identified, it becomes the key to opening up the meaning of the text in question.
To discover the flow of ideas streaming through a passage, good Bible students become childlike and at the same time scientific in asking questions: Who is the author? To whom is he writing? Why? When? Where? How? Wherefore?
Careful students interrogate the page to expose its logic and flow of ideas. They don't assume that the author is saying what they think he is saying, until they have done their spade work. They don't try to plant an idea in "unworked ground." They dig and turn over the soil of the biblical environment until they discover the growing, living, life-changing ideas that God has planted.
Let's look at some examples of specific texts whose immediate contexts have been ignored.
Misquote #1: "The Bible says that if you confess your sins you'll be saved." It really says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 Jn. 1:9). These familiar words are often quoted as a formula for salvation. But the presence of the word we in the immediate context makes it clear that John was not addressing the unsaved. Rather, he was talking to people who were already believers in Christ (vv. 6,7,8,10), and was showing them how to be restored to a right family relationship with the God who had saved them. If we don't consider the immediate context, we might conclude that we are saved by admitting our sins rather than by believing the gospel of Christ.
Misquote #2: "The Bible says that it's wrong to wear jewelry." The actual quote is: "Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel" (1 Pet. 3:3). Some have used these words to say that godly women should not style their hair, use cosmetics, or wear jewelry. But if we read on, we find the words, "rather let it be the hidden person of the heart" (v.4). By these additional words we see that the apostle's main purpose was not to tell women that they either should or should not style their hair or wear jewelry. He was saying that they should focus on the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit rather than relying on outward appearance.
To focus on whether or not jewelry or cosmetics are permissible can cause us to miss issues of the heart that Peter was concerned about.
Misquote #3: "The Bible says that studying for knowledge isn't necessary." It actually says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (Jas. 1:5). These words of James have been seen by some as a promise that we can receive unlearned skills and knowledge if we just pray. More than a few college students have claimed this promise before taking an exam they had not prepared for.
The immediate context, however, is describing a reason for the joy we can have when difficult circumstances test our faith. James' promise is not that we can be successful without effort, but rather that God does not leave us alone when He allows trouble or temptation to come into our lives. James assured us that if we don't know how to let God do His work in us, we can have wisdom for the asking.
Later in the same letter, James told his readers how to recognize this wisdom when it comes. He said it is not marked by envy or selfish ambition, but is "pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (Jas. 3:17). This is the kind of wisdom James had in mind.
Misquote #4: "The Bible says that I can do anything with God's strength." More specifically it says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). This optimistic comment is often taken to mean that if our faith is strong enough we can do anything we set our mind to do. But the immediate setting in which Paul said this is important. The apostle was talking specifically about his ability to live by God's strength in times of great poverty as well as in times of plenty. Paul wanted us to know that the person whose confidence is in the strength God supplies can live and thrive in all kinds of situations.
These are just a few examples to show that misinterpretations of Bible texts can often be avoided if the immediate setting is taken into account. Looking at the verses that precede and follow a passage is a natural and logical first step in understanding the Bible. It is a way of giving God the same consideration we want for ourselves. No one wants to be quoted out of context.
CONTEXT OF PLAIN AND NORMAL MEANING
The second rule of context says that the language of the Bible can be taken at face value. The Word of God does not have to be decoded to find deeper, hidden meanings. When studied and interpreted in context, the authors of Scripture say what they mean and mean what they say.
Take for instance the account of Balaam and the talking donkey recorded in Numbers 22. According to this familiar account, the donkey on which a disobedient prophet was riding became frightened when she saw an angel with a drawn sword. The donkey lurched sideways, crushed the foot of her owner against a rock, refused to go any farther, and complained to her rider in complete sentences.
Because donkeys don't talk, some might say this is simply a parable meant to show that even dumb animals sometimes make more sense than their human owners. Others, however, could claim deeper truths.
For example, someone might point out that the story of Balaam and the donkey is actually a visualization of what happens when we find ourselves faced with the pains of self-conflict. To illustrate this internal struggle, the crushed foot represents the physical pain we often incur in the process of acting against our own conscience. The talking donkey depicts how our own stubborn thoughts can turn around and talk back to us. Then there's the angel. That's our human spirit. At the right moment, it intervenes with our plans, startles our troubled mind, and talks to us from a different level of consciousness.
The trouble with 'spiritualizing' is that it can cause us to miss what
God is really saying to us.
The trouble with the above interpretation is that it says far more about the imagination of the interpreter than about the text. More seriously, such imagination, as spiritual as it may sound, actually twists, ignores, and denies the real meaning of the Word of God. Emptying words of their plain meaning and filling them with spiritual content doesn't honor the words nor the Author of the Bible.
The story of Balaam and the donkey isn't treated by the text as a parable. Neither is it about personal internal conflict, even though that is in the text. The plain, normal language of the text calls for us to interpret it as a real historical narrative. It presents a record of real events that show God's miraculous ability not only to deal with a rebel prophet but, more important, His ability to miraculously bless and preserve His chosen people Israel.
The normal meaning of figures of speech. We use word pictures in everyday conversation not to hide our ideas but to express them. Take for example the expression, "I'm getting cold feet." Context and normal usage make its meaning obvious. If a person were to make this statement while ice fishing, and just before saying, "I wish I'd worn that other pair of socks," it would have a literal meaning. But if someone were to say these words a couple of days before signing papers for a home mortgage, we could probably assume that something else was in view, especially if the person then said, "I'm going to refigure our budget."
Christ often used figures of speech with plain and obvious meaning. On one occasion He said to the apostle Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Mt. 16:19). No one needs to question whether Jesus was talking about real physical keys or keys as a figure of speech. The kingdom of heaven is not enclosed within a material wall with a door that requires an actual key. Neither was Christ promising, as some have imagined, that Peter and the disciples would be able to bind anything they wanted to bind (including Satan).
In time, the "keys" would have a specific meaning for Peter. In Matthew 16, Christ gave Peter authority to open the doors of Christendom. He used that authority for Jews on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), for Samaritans when he laid hands on the people who believed the message of Philip (Acts 8), and for Gentiles when he preached in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10). Peter had opened the door to all nations to receive Jesus as Savior and King. No one would ever again be able to "bind" a Jew or a Gentile who believes in Christ from coming into the kingdom of God.
When read in context, there is usually a plain and ordinary sense to figurative and symbolic language. In many cases, the Bible even immediately explains its own symbolism. But what if the intent of the author is not clear? What if it's not clear whether the Bible is using words in a plain or figurative sense? Then the safest rule is to go with the literal meaning of the text in its immediate context. Because of the integrity of Scripture, we can be confident that the ultimate truth in view will correspond to the plain and ordinary sense of the words. "Good fruit" won't mean "bad results."
CONTEXT OF THE BIBLE AS A WHOLE
A third rule of contextual interpretation is to consider the passage in its relation to the whole Bible. Because the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament are all "chapters" of one Book, those who want to live by the whole counsel of God need increasingly to be able to see each individual part in light of the whole.
The many perspectives of the whole Bible cannot be quickly mastered. Gathering and combining the insights of the whole Bible is the process of a lifetime. This is one reason the Bible says that God gives pastors and teachers to His people. Those who know more than we do about the Bible can help us to balance our understanding of individual passages with complementing perspectives.
The Lord Himself showed how important it is to be able to see one passage in light of another. On the occasion of His temptation in the wilderness, He skillfully quoted from the Old Testament to offset the devil's own use of Scripture. The devil first challenged the Lord to prove that He was the Son of God by turning stones into bread. Jesus refused, and quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 to make it clear that He was determined to live by His Father's provisions rather than His own. Satan then transported Jesus to the highest point of the temple and again challenged Him to prove that He was the Son of God. Satan quoted from a messianic section of Psalm 91, which says, "He shall give His angels charge over you," and "In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone" (vv. 11-12; Mt. 4:6). But Jesus replied by saying, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test'" (Mt. 4:7 NIV). By quoting Moses, Jesus indicated that it was not right for a man to willfully put God to the test. Something Moses wrote as many as 1,500 years earlier allowed Jesus to show that it is not our right to arrange circumstances in such a way as to attempt to force God's hand of provision.
Let's look at a few examples that show why the context of the whole Bible is so important.
Example #1: What is "also written" about forgiveness? While individual sections of the Bible might lead you to conclude that it is never right to withhold forgiveness, the counsel of the whole Bible is that there is a time to forgive and a time not to forgive.
There is a time to forgive. Paul wrote that we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32). Jesus said that if we don't forgive others, God will withhold forgiveness from us (Mt. 6:14-15). And from the cross, Jesus freely forgave those who applauded His death when He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Lk. 23:34). If you read only these passages, you might conclude that Christlike people will always and immediately forgive any harm done to them. But these passages represent only part of the picture.
There is a time not to forgive. "It is also written" that God forgives us in response to our repentance (Lk. 18:9-14). In the process of extending "family forgiveness," which renews and restores children of God who have sinned, God forgives when we confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9). Forgiveness is not unconditional. It depends on the willingness of sinners to acknowledge and believe what God says about their sin. Many passages of Scripture show that we should not freely forgive those who have knowingly sinned against us but have not shown any remorse (Mt. 18:15-18; 1 Cor. 5:7-13).
But what about Jesus' words from the cross, "Father, forgive them." Didn't He freely forgive those who had carried out His execution? Yes, but the key to understanding His words is found in the immediate context. He went on to say, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." This was not a request for their salvation, but rather a plea for individuals who didn't know that their hands had lifted the Creator of the universe onto an executioner's cross. Jesus mercifully asked that they not be held accountable for being chosen by time and circumstance to be the hands of the whole fallen human race.
The key to forgiveness is found in the following questions: What do love and truth require? What would Jesus do in this situation?
Example #2: What is "also written" about our spiritual enemy? While some sections of the Bible seem to leave the impression that Satan is no longer a threat to us, other parts of Scripture show us that in some ways we have power over him, and in some ways we don't.
We have power over the devil. Some passages of Scripture picture Satan as a defeated enemy. The apostle James made it clear that those who are in Christ can resist the efforts of the devil and by so doing cause him to flee from them. James said, "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). The apostle John told the Lord's children that the One who is in them is greater than their spiritual enemy (1 Jn. 4:4). Jesus also displayed the advantage of His family when He sent out His disciples to cast out demons and to heal all kinds of sickness (Mt. 10:1).
We don't have power over the devil. It is "also written" that while we have power to resist Satan, we don't have authority over him. God has not yet "bound the dragon" (Rev. 20:2), who is still prowling like a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8). Neither has God given us authority to bind the enemy ourselves. Instead, the Scriptures encourage us to have a healthy respect for the one who still troubles the world. The New Testament writer Jude reminded us that even Michael the archangel did not presume to act as if he had authority over Satan, but instead said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 9). And while Jesus had at one point sent His apostles to cast out demons and heal all kinds of sicknesses (Mt. 10:1), He showed on a later occasion that the terms of their assignment and authority were subject to change (Lk. 22:35-38).
Example #3: What is "also written" about real Christians? While individual passages of the Bible might lead you to believe that real Christians will always prove by their actions that their faith is genuine, the whole counsel of God shows that real Christians often live far below their potential in Christ.
Real Christians will act in a Christlike way. Many sections of the Bible give us reason to expect new and consistent behavior from genuine Christians. James said simply, "Faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:20). Paul said that anyone who is in Christ is a "new creation." He said that old things were passed away and that all things were new (2 Cor. 5:17). The apostle John agreed that true children of God have a new nature that does not express itself in a sinful life (1 Jn. 3:4-9). Throughout the whole of Scripture there is a consistent theme that God expects His children to live in a manner that shows their relation to Him.
Real Christians will disappoint us. It is "also written" that real Christians can behave in ways that are demonic (Jas. 3:13-16). The same James who wrote that "faith without works is dead" also described the dark side that remains in true Christians. He warned about the dangers of prejudice (2:1-7), careless conversation (3:1-12), and warned the people of God about the desires that cause believers not only to harm one another (4:1-4) but also to act like enemies of God. In a similar way, the apostle Paul acknowledged that most Christians are still preoccupied with their own interests rather than with the interests of God (Phil. 2:21). Paul confronted so much out-of-character behavior among those who claimed to be believers that he took comfort in this truth: "'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity'" (2 Tim. 2:19).
Reading one passage in the Bible by itself can be like looking at a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. As you analyze it, you see elements of form and color, but you understand that it is only one essential part of the bigger picture.
But there is another basic and essential element of context. There are some truths in the Bible so basic that new believers need to be quickly oriented to them. Without a grasp of these foundational truths, the Bible can be especially difficult to understand.
