UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE

Thank you Pastor Darryl for this wonderful message about the Bible. Pastor Darryl is on Ryze and has a Christian Discussion and Networking group that people can join. The link to all of this is http://christiannetwork-network.ryze.com


We all want a better understanding of God’s Word, the Bible, and it depends mainly upon two things: (1) the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, and (2) the interpreting work of the reader.

ILLUMINATION

Although the word “illumination” has been used when referring to several areas of doctrine (i.e. the general enlightenment that the coming of Christ brought to all men, John 1:9, and the illumination theory of inspiration), it is generally thought of in connection with the ministry of the Holy Spirit which makes clear the truth of the written revelation in the Bible. In reference to the Bible, revelation relates to its content or material, inspiration to the method of recording that material, and illumination to the meaning of what is said. The unsaved person cannot experience the illuminating ministry of the Spirit since he is blinded to the truth of God (I Cor. 2:14). This doesn’t mean that they can’t learn the facts of the Bible, but they consider what they know from it as foolishness until their heart is open to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit..
On the other hand, the Christian has been promised this illumination of the text (John 16:12-15; I Cor. 2:9-3:2). Taking these two passages together, several things jump out at us:

(1) The most obvious is that the Spirit Himself is the Teacher, and His presence in the life of the believer is the guarantee of the effectiveness of this ministry.

(2) The content of His teaching encompasses “all the truth” (John 16:13). It specifically includes an understanding of prophecy, “things to come.”

(3) The purpose of the Spirit’s illumination is to glorify Christ, never, and I repeat, never to glorify Himself.

(4) The believer can be hindered by sin and not be receptive to this ministry of the Spirit (I Cor. 3:1-2).

INTERPRETATION

Illumination, though promised to the believer, does not always guarantee automatic understanding. As indicated above, the believer must be in fellowship with the Lord in order to experience this ministry. But also he or she must study, using the teachers God has given to the church (Rom. 12:7) and the abilities and means at his or her disposal.
The basic principle of interpretation is to interpret plainly. I’m not using the word “literal” here because it is too often misunderstood. Plain, straight-forward interpretation includes, at least, the following things:

(1) To interpret plainly one must first of all understand what each word means in its normal grammatical historical sense. In other words, what did it mean to the people that it was first spoken to.

(2) Plain interpretation does not exclude the use of figures of speech. Actually, a figure of speech may communicate more clearly, but what it communicates is plain. To put it simply, behind every figure of speech is a plain meaning, and that is what an honest interpreter seeks to find.

(3) Always read, understanding the context in which a verse or passage of Scripture appears, this will shed light on its meaning. Remember: a text out of context is a pretext. Beware of the speaker who says, “Now you don’t need to turn to this verse.” He may be taking it out of context and giving it a meaning that it was not meant to have. Watch out for and don’t be guilty of “proof-texting.” That means taking a verse out of context to prove a point. It is always safe, and prudent, to read what precedes and what follows any verse.

(4) Recognize the progress of revelation. Remember that the Bible was not handed down all at once as a complete book, it came from God through many different writers over a period of about 1,500 years. This may mean that in the progress of revealing His message to man, God may add or even change in one era what He had given in another. i.e. the New Testament adds much that was not revealed in the Old Testament. And what God revealed as binding in one period may be changed in another (as the prohibition of eating pork was lifted, I Tim. 4:3). This is most important; otherwise, the Bible would apparently contradict itself (Matt. 10:5-7 compared with 28:18-20).

(5) Expect the Bible to use what is technically called phenomenal language. This simply means that it often describes things as they appear to be rather than in precise scientific terms. The Bible speaks of the sun rising and setting, neither of which it does, but that is the way we see it and the way in which we speak. (Matt. 5:45; Mark 1:32) This is a plain and normal way to communicate.

(6) Recognize the important divisions of the Bible when interpreting it. The most basic is the difference between the Old and New Testaments. But there are also different kinds of writings – historical, poetic, prophetic – which must be recognized as different if they are to be interpreted correctly. Other significant things that affect proper interpretation are things like the covenant made with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) and the one with David (II Sam. 7), the mystery of the Church as the body of Christ (Eph. 3:6), and the difference between law and grace (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14).

These are just some things that are necessary in understanding the basic concept of plain biblical interpretation. And God intended His Word to be understood this way, plain and simple. In other words, take it as it reads and don’t try to make it say something that it doesn’t. Always interpret a text in light of its context. Understand a passage as just what it plainly says, unless there is indication that it is meant to be taken figuratively, then seek for the plain meaning behind the figure of speech or symbolism. Using a good modern translation is always a help. God wants His Word to be plainly understood. Don’t try to spiritualize its plain truth. There are mysteries in the Bible to be sure, but it is not a mysterious book where we have to find the hidden meaning behind what it says. I find nothing more fulfilling than to dig into the Word and uncover the truths of God in a new and deeper way. God bless you as you study His Word.

in His love,
Darryl