OceanSide church of Christ

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SPEAKING WHERE THE BIBLE SPEAKS

Principles of Interpretation

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    The Bible commands us to speak where the Bible speaks (I Pet. 4:11)

 

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God…

 

B.     In order to do this, we must interpret the message God has spoken.  In this lesson, let’s look at some of the principles of interpretation.

 

I.                   ONLY ONE CORRECT INTERPREATION

 

A.    Luke 10:25-28

 

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  He said unto him, What is written in the law?  how readest thou?  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right:  this do, and thou shalt live.

 

1.      Jesus asked the lawyer:  “How readest thou?”  In other words, he asked:  “What is your interpretation?”

2.      The lawyer gave Jesus his answer:  “Love God with your all, and your neighbor as yourself.

3.      Listen to Jesus’ words:  “Thou hast answered right.” 

a.       Jesus asked him about his interpretation of the law. 

b.      When the lawyer answered, Jesus affirmed that it was the right interpretation.

c.       Had he answered incorrectly, Jesus would have corrected him.

 

B.     The religious world loves to argue that there are many correct interpretations of the Word of God. 

1.      This is not true.

2.      If there are many interpretations, then each person becomes his own god.  ‘

3.      God intended for His Word to have one, and only one, interpretation.

 

II.                THE BIBLE IS ITS OWN BEST INTERPRETER

 

A.    Subjects covered in one part of the Bible are also spoken of in other parts of the Scriptures.  Oftentimes, the subjects are developed, explained, and elaborated upon in these other parts of God’s Word.

 

B.     Jesus taught about the new birth in John 3:5.

 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” 

 

C.     What is the water and what is the Spirit in the new birth? 

1.      We can let the Bible be its own interpreter of these things.

2.      Other passages shed light on both terms.

a.       The water is the water of baptism (Rom. 6:3-4).

 

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raise up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

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1)      Paul is clearly teaching about baptism.

2)      He also clearly teaches us that newness of life, a new birth, happens after baptism.

3)      Baptism involves the element of water (Acts 8:36; 10:48).

b.      To be born of the Spirit involves one’s being obedient to the teachings of the Holy Spirit found in the pages of the Word of God (I Pet. 1:22-23).

 

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeign love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:  being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

III.             THE BIBLE MUST BE HARMONIZED

 

A.    The Holy Spirit gave the Bible to man.  It is absolutely perfect.  It does not contradict itself in any part.

 

B.     There are some “apparent contradictions” in the Bible.  However, properly understood, all of these can be explained.

 

C.     Example:  Eternal life

1.      The apparent contradiction: 

a.       Jesus said that those who believe in Him have everlasting life (John 5:24).

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life…

 

b.      Paul, however, teaches us that we live in hope of eternal life (Tit. 1:2; Rom. 8:24-25).

 

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

 

2.      Answer:  Eternal life is not something we have at this very moment.  Jesus spoke of it as a present reality because it is so certain if a person continues to believe. 

a.   Some refer to this as a “prophetic present”

b.   See Joshua 6:2

 

And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho…

 

1)      God speaks in the present as if Joshua already had the city.

2)      He still had to march around the city and do all that God commanded in order to conquer Jericho.

3)      God could speak in the present because victory was that certain if Joshua and Israel obeyed.

 

 

 

IV.             PASSAGES MUST BE KEPT IN THEIR CONTEXT

 

A.    The word “context” simply refers to the other passages that surround a verse of Scripture.

 

B.     It is easy to lift a passage from the Biblical text and make it say something it was never intended to say.

 

C.     Example:  I Corinthians 11:34

 

If any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation.

 

1.      Some use this passage to condemn eating a common meal in the church building.  They believe that Paul was teaching us that those meals are to be eaten in a home.

2.      Those who so teach have taken the passage out of its first century context.

a.       At Corinth, a common meal had been attached to the Lord’s Supper.

b.      In the course of eating this meal, the meal was not shared.  Those that had food ate.  Those who were poor and did not have food went hungry (I Cor. 11:21).

 

For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper:  and one is hungry, and another is drunken.\

 

c.       It was for this reason that Paul encouraged the church to eat their meals at home.  He was solving a problem that had developed in church at Corinth alone.

d.      See Acts 20:7-12

3.      The proper application:  If meals were conducted like this today, then they should be eaten at home

a.       See I Cor. 11:22).

 

What!  have ye not houses to eat and to drink in?  or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not?  What shall I say unto you?  shall I praise you?  I praise you not.

 

b.      Fellowship meals are not conducted in this manner in most places.  Everyone brings what they have.  Everyone is free to each one another’s food.  It is perfectly fine for the church to assemble in the building or on the grounds to have fellowship one with another.

 

V.                TERMS MUST BE ACCURATELY DEFINED

 

A.    When the writers of the Bible used words, they had meanings.

1.      These meanings were intended to be conveyed to the readers.

2.      These meanings were understood by the readers.

 

B.     If we do not properly define our terms, we will make terms mean things they were never intended to mean.

 

C.     Example:  Tongues

1.      In today’s society, tongues are said to be words and phrases that are nothing more than jibber from the imaginations and tongues of individuals who do not understand the Biblical definition of tongues.

2.      The true definition of tongues involves speaking a legitimate language in which one has never been trained. 

a.       On the day of Pentecost, the apostles began to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4).

 

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

 

b.      These were real languages.  In Jerusalem, Jews from many countries had gathered for Pentecost Day. 

1)      Acts 2:6

 

Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

 

2)      Listen to the question of those Jews from the many nations who had gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost Day (Acts 2:8).

 

And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

 

VI.             SOME PASSAGES ARE SPECIFIC REGARDING TIME

 

A.    There are numerous passages of Scripture that have to do with time frames.  If these time frames are not considered, one can misinterpret the Word of God.

 

B.     Examples:

1.      In Matthew 24:34, Jesus refers to time.

 

Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

 

a.       There are many people who make Jesus’ words apply to the Second Coming of Christ. 

b.      That is interesting considering what Jesus said.  “This generation shall not pass,” he said, “Till all these things be fulfilled.

c.       His words found in Matthew 24:4-33 apply to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and not the Second Coming.

2.      There are some interesting passages that many Bible interpreters overlook in the Revelation (Rev. 1:1, 3; 22:6, 10).

 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

 

a.       Note the words, “shortly come to pass.”  What does that phrase mean?

b.      Verse three says:  “…for the time is at hand.”  What does that mean?

 

VII.          THE BIBLE CONTAINS FIGURES OF SPEECH

 

A.    Figures of speech involve figurative language. 

1.      This language is not to be taken literally.

2.      The purpose of figurative language is to add strength, depth, and quality to a work.

 

B.     The Bible uses a multitude of figures of speech.

 

C.     Two examples:

1.      Hyperbole:  an extended exaggeration (John 21:25).

 

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.  Amen.

 

a.       The words, “that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” are not literal.

b.      They are intended to emphasize the great amount of works that Jesus did during His earthly ministry.

2.      Anthropomorphism:  attributing human characteristics to God

a.       The Bible teaches that God is a spirit (John 4:24).

b.      But, to help man have an understanding of God, He is described in human terms:

eyes (Gen. 6:8); a hand and arm (Ps. 98:1); the ears of the Lord (I Pet. 3:12); the face of the Lord (Ps.34:16).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    These are seven principles which, if applied, would help men to come to a proper understanding of God’s Word.

 

B.     When we understand God’s Word, we can speak where the Bible speaks.

 

C.     If all men would do this, we could obtain the unity Paul demands in I Corinthians 1:10.

 

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

 

D.    We would all be able to understand the gospel plan of salvation in the same manner rather than having many answers to the question:  “What must I do to be saved?”