Study Premises Part 1: Our Approach for Reading the Bible

I wanted to take a little time to establish our premises for this study. In this post, I highlight a few important aspects about the Bible, including how to approach reading it.

There may have been a time when some of these premises did not have to be clearly stated. However, many Christians have strayed from the path of sound teaching, and now no longer believe these things are true. Because of this, I feel stating them up front is necessary for our collective understanding.

Here are the foundational premises about the Bible:

• The Bible is the Word of God and is therefore is our authority on all matters.

• The Bible is infallible in the original language. We look to the original language to help us better understand, but God has supplied us with reliable translations in our own language—God is all-powerful and therefore is able to ensure that His Word is delivered to all humans throughout the centuries. (We will talk more about the all-powerful God in a later post)

• We must interpret the Bible with a literal reading, not a "spiritual" or subjective reading—that is, we must not superimpose subjective meaning upon the words of scripture.

The General Council of the Assemblies of God routinely examines various doctrinal issues and has reports generated and presented to the General Presbytery. Among those is a Position Paper on the Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of Scripture. This short paper is a good resource if you would like more information.

Literal Reading vs. Subjective Reading

If we allow subjective interpretation of the words of the Bible, then anyone can make it into anything they want it to be.

A literal reading—reading each word for what it actually means—is done unless we have a good reason to read the text in a symbolic way. For example, we know that many literary genres use symbolism to convey meaning. The Bible contains several genres, such as poetry (Psalms) or apocalyptic literature (Revelation). We therefore must take the genre into consideration when we read a passage of Scripture.

Yet, even within these symbolic-type genres, we must first apply a literal reading, then use the context to determine if the content is being symbolically conveyed.

If we determine that the content is symbolic, then to interpret the symbolism, we must rely on the context and upon other portions of Scripture to show us how authors in that era similarly used such symbolism. Basically, we use the context of the entire Bible to show us how to interpret any symbolism we find.

Ron Rhodes, a Bible scholar and founder of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries, provides an excellent explanation of how to read and interpret the Bible. Here is an excerpt:

Instead of superimposing a meaning on the biblical text, the objective interpreter seeks to discover the author's intended meaning (the only true meaning). One must recognize that what a passage means is fixed by the author and is not subject to alteration by readers. Meaning is determined by the author; it is discovered by readers. 

Our goal must be exegesis (drawing the meaning out of the text) and not eisogesis (superimposing a meaning onto the text). By using eisogesis instead of exegesis, a Marxist interpreter could, for example, so skew the meaning of the U.S. Constitution that it came out reading like a socialistic document. 

Cultists have done the same type of thing with Holy Scripture. They so skew the meaning of the biblical text that it comes out saying something entirely different than what was intended by the author. Only by objective methodology can we bridge the gap between our minds and the minds of the biblical writers. Indeed, our method of interpreting Scripture is valid or invalid to the extent that it really unfolds the meaning a statement had for the author and the first hearers or readers. http://ronrhodes.org/articles/rightly-interpreting-the.html

The Holy Spirit Illuminates the Word of God and Speaks Through It

Determining whether symbolism is being conveyed in the Bible might sound complicated, but most of us have enough experience with our own language to understand how to do this. Not only that, but as with everything else we have talked about so far, there is good news...God WANTS us to understand exactly what He is saying to us through His Word.

This takes us back to our foundations for growing in Christ...seek wisdom. Seek the work of the Holy Spirit. Any time you read the Word, first ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and illuminate the Word for you. It is, after all, His Word. It is Him speaking to you.

In the article I cited above, Rhodes also states the following:

Scripture tells us that we are to rely on the Holy Spirit's illumination to gain insights into the meaning and application of Scripture (John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11). It is the Holy Spirit's work to throw light upon the Word of God so that the believer can assent to the meaning intended and act on it. The Holy Spirit, as the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13), guides us so that "we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12). 

This is quite logical: full comprehension of the Word of God is impossible without prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God, for He who inspired the Word (2 Peter 1:21) is also its supreme interpreter. 

Illumination is necessary because man's mind has been darkened through sin (Romans 1:21), preventing him from properly understanding God's Word. Human beings cannot understand God's Word apart from God's divine enablement (Ephesians 4:18).

Here is what Paul says about the Bible:

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

The Bible is the living, active Word of God. When you read it, He pushes you, challenges you, nudges you closer and closer to Him, to be more like Him.

Because of this, I think now and then when we come across challenging language in the Word, God is likewise challenging us to go deeper, to seek out more and more. Some parts of the Bible are very clear and are often used as starting points for new Christians. New Christians are sometimes called "baby" Christians, and therefore need to start with "milk." But later, as they grow, they move on to the tougher stuff, or the "meat."

Paul used this metaphor in Hebrews 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 3:2 when he stated that it was high time the believers should move beyond the elementary things of God and move into the deeper things of God-—"milk" vs. "meat."

More Information

More information about sound practices for reading Scripture can be found in the Ron Rhodes article Rightly Interpreting the Bible. Rhodes also has a very thorough statement of beliefs in the section What We Believe. I highly recommend Rhodes's ministry and writings to help educate you about the Word of God.