Below is and insert from a teaching by Pastor Jerry Marshall that I hope will help you as you read and study the Bible. As Christians we need to be critical thinkers, carefully reading with wisdom and understanding what is being said. To do this we need to know a few basic principles as outlined below that many of us have never been taught before.
Principles For Interpreting
The Bible
In
order to properly interpret the Bible, certain principles of interpretation
must be observed, they are:
1.
The Literal Principle - “To
interpret the Bible literally is to interpret it as literature. That is, the
natural meaning of a passage is to be interpreted according to the normal rules
of grammar, speech, syntax and context.” (R.C. Sproul). Literal
interpretation does not mean wooden-literalism which excludes figures of speech
and other literary devices such as hyperbole that are frequently used in order
to communicate information e.g., “if your eye offends you pluck it out,” “I am
the gate,” and “I am the vine, you are the branches.” The opposite of the literal
approach to Scripture is the allegorical approach. To allegorize is to
see a spiritual or hidden meaning that transcends the literal sense of a
Scriptural passage. We are never to assign a meaning to a passage. We are to
find the author’s intent and meaning through diligent study and the assistance
of the Holy Spirit.
2.
The Historical Principle - An
effort must be made to seek knowledge of the setting and the situation in which
each book of the Bible was written. It is important to know who wrote the book;
to whom was the letter addressed, what prompted him to write, and what
particular historical events relevant to this book may have influenced what was
written. This information is generally found in any good study Bible or a
trusted commentary.
3.
The Grammatical Principle - An
effort must be made to understand what a particular passage is communicating in
terms of words and grammar. This requires that we understand the basic
grammatical structure of each sentence in the original language.
To
whom do the pronouns refer? What is the tense of the main verb? You will find
that when you ask some simple questions like those, the meaning of the text
immediately becomes clearer[1].
As I mentioned above, it is necessary to take note of the key words in a
passage. A key word is one that is absolutely essential to the meaning or the
message that is being conveyed in the verse. Not every word is a key word. Only
a few selected words fit this category. Use a bible dictionary to find out what
the key word meant to those who were being addressed in the letter. A modern
English dictionary should not be your first choice. You want to know how the
original recipient of the book or letter understood the word.
4.
The Synthetic Principle - To
synthesize something is to bring together the essential components of something
that make it whole. The synthetic principle requires pulling together all that
the Bible says about a given issue in order to get a complete and accurate
understanding of God’s revelation regarding a subject, concept, or teaching. It
is essentially letting the Bible interpret the Bible. The surest interpreter of
Scripture is Scripture itself. The best commentary on the Scriptures is
the Scriptures
This
is important because the Holy Spirit (Who is the chief agent of inspiration)
does not disagree with Himself. Therefore, no part of the Bible contradicts any
other part. It has one marvelous unity.
The
great importance of this principle of interpretation is that it should keep us
from establishing a doctrine based solely on one passage of Scripture on a
given concept, topic or teaching. For example, how would you interpret
1Timothy 4:16 if you isolated that passage from all the others that speak about
the issue of salvation? What conclusion would you come to if the only
passage you had on the subject of divorce was Malachi 2:16? What conclusion
would you come to regarding the vehicle of prayer if you referenced John 14:14
but not 1 John 5:14-15 or James 4:3? An excellent resource helpful in observing
this principle is the MacArthur Topical Bible, which organizes the entire Bible
into topics and provides the full scope of what God has communicated on a
particular subject.
5.
The Contextual Principle - Proper
interpretation of a passage or verse depends on paying close attention to the
context in which the passage or verse is found. The context of a verse is
the material immediately before it and immediately after it. It is the chapter,
and even the paragraph, where a verse is found. The book, letter, and
Testament are all considered the context that must be referenced in
interpreting a verse of Scripture. Remember that the Bible was not handed down
at one time as a complete book. This means that in the process of revealing
God’s truth to man, God may add or even change in one era what he had given in
another.
At
one time, approaching God with animal sacrifices was essential but now that
the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ has been made, animal sacrifices are
no longer required in order to approach a holy God for the forgiveness of your
sins (see Hebrews 10). The New Testament adds much that was not revealed in the
Old; furthermore, what God revealed as binding in one period may be rescinded
in another. Context is king when it comes to interpreting the Word of God.
