By: Byron McCartney

The first step is to understand that God's Word is self-defining. The Bible is the word of Almighty, Omniscient God and not man’s. It was penned by men chosen specifically by God Himself, who wrote down exactly what God put in their minds (II Peter 1:21). As such, it is not to be interpreted by each reader (II Peter 1:20) but by the Word itself (Isaiah 28:13). No matter how impressive the credentials behind a theologian’s name, it is not his understanding that matters but God’s. God wrote the scriptures and He is their interpreter.

The first principle we should observe therefore is that God’s Word will interpret God’s Word. Should we find even one verse which seems to contradict our understanding on a given scriptural matter then we will suspect our thinking and not God’s. By the same measure, if we have an understanding of one verse or passage which seems to be in conflict with the entire Word of God we will suspect our thinking and not His. After all, didn't Solomon warn us against trusting our own understanding, but instead to put all our faith and trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6)?

If we do not observe this first principle, but instead trust in our opinion or understanding in a scriptural matter, we become as those of which Paul warned Timothy, the young pastor of the Ephesian congregation, who "after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

The second step is to maintain contextual integrity. If we are to properly understand God's Word we must never take its words, verses or chapters out of context. We must remember that the inspired writers did not subdivide their books into chapters and verses (the Psalms excluded). So, for the most part, each phrase must be considered in the context of the sentence in which it is contained, and each sentence in the context of the paragraph or section in which it resides, and each paragraph or section in the context of the whole book, and the whole book in the context of the entire Bible. 

And a good example of taking the Bible out of context with its individual verses is the teaching purported by John Calvin in the mid 1800's that only those whom God chooses will be saved. However, our Lord's own words recorded in John chapter 3 completely contradict this erroneous thinking. Jesus plainly said that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life' in verse 16 and that "he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" in verse 36. Christ did not make any mention of God selecting who was to believe, but clearly states that each man can receive eternal life by believing in Him.

It is precisely due to the error of taking God's Word out of context that so many different Bible based religions exist today. Let us always seek to understand exactly what God wrote by relating the part to the whole and the whole to the part.

The third step is to observe the proper sense. We are to allow God's Word to tell us when the passage is to be taken literally or figuratively and whether the meaning of a word is generic or specific. It is a very safe assumption to believe that Almighty, Omniscient God would be intelligent enough to tell us when a passage is to be taken figuratively. In the absence of such instruction from Him His Words are to be taken literally.

Consider the account of the rich man and Lazarus which Christ related to His disciples in Luke 16:19-31. Christ does not preface this telling with any indication that it was to be taken figuratively. Therefore we must accept the reality that these men existed and their experience was real. 

On the other hand when Christ is referred to as "the Lamb of God" in John 1:29 we know that this is a figurative reference and not to be taken literally. Christ is obviously not an animal, but the depiction as the innocent lamb of God is symbolic of Christ's mission to save mankind.

Now, as for whether a word is being used generically or specifically we must again rely on God's Word to instruct us. For example, the word 'church' is used both ways in the New Testament. It is used to identify specific congregations such as in Acts 11:22 and Romans 16:1. But it is also used generically to represent all local churches when it is used in Matthew 16:18 and Colossians 1:18.

Many have mistaken the generic use of the word church to mean that all Christians are part of a universal church, placed there by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. However, by understanding that in the cases where the word 'church' is not used to specifically identify a particular congregation it is used to represent all local congregations this erroneous understanding will be eliminated. There will be more detail about this fact in future lessons.

The fourth step is to consider the application and limitation of a passage. God's Word was not written just for one generation but for all of mankind. It is true that the Old Testament was primarily directed to the Jews and the New Testament to the Gentiles. However the entire Word of God is His revelation of Himself to all mankind, and the truths therein apply to some extent to all of us. But there are some limitations.

For example, the law given to Moses and observed by the Israelites during the Old Testament times is no longer to be rigidly observed. Luke 16:16 states that "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." And Paul further explained that the law was our schoolmaster, but that in Christ we are no longer under that schoolmaster (Galatians 3).

If we are to properly study and learn what is contained in God's Word, we must be faithful to this principle and not misapply His teachings nor extend their limitations beyond the boundaries He has defined in them.

The fifth step is to properly consider original meanings. The Word of God was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Our English Bible's are translations of those original and inspired documents. The original works were inspired of God and are the exact words He chose to use. Our translations are man made and very prone to errors.

Take for instance the word 'baptism.' This word was not in the English vocabulary when our English Bible's came to existence. It is instead what is known as a transliteration. The word God chose and used in the inspired original texts was the Greek word 'baptizo'. This word was in use during the time and meant to completely immerse a fabric into a dye for the purpose of changing the entire garment's color. The King James translators chose to create this new English word 'baptism' or 'baptize' by Anglezising the Greek word. At that time the Anglican church was in power and taught that the proper method of baptism was sprinkling. King James was not about to jeopardize his backing by the Anglican church by using the correct word 'immersion' and thereby contradicting the teachings of the church.

And yet another word which is not correctly translated in our English Bibles is the word 'church'. The original Greek word was 'ecclesia' which means a 'called out assembly'. The Greek word was used to refer to a specific gathering such as a town meeting as recorded in Acts 19 (where the English translators correctly used the English word 'assembly' in place of 'ecclesia'). However, here again the Anglican church influence the King James translators. The Anglican church considered itself the only church and so the English word 'church' was used instead of one of the more accurate words 'assembly' or 'congregation'.

Because of these two inaccurate translations ('baptism' and 'church' instead of 'immersion' and 'assembly') many false teachings about both have come to be accepted as legitimate. Many churches use sprinkling as their method of baptism and most Christians are confused about what the Church really is. Most believe that it is comprised of all Christians. But the truth is that an assembly can only assemble if all its members are able to assemble. The original words God chose clearly indicate that the proper method of baptism is immersion, and that all Christians should band themselves together into local assemblies.

Summary.

Almighty, Omniscient God has revealed to us what He wants us to know of Him in His Word the Bible. He carefully selected Godly men and put in their minds exactly what He wanted them to write (2 Peter 1:21). If we are to properly understand what He revealed we must follow these 5 simple steps of Biblical interpretation. The failure to observe these principles on the part of some down through the ages has resulted in the spawning of a variety of beliefs and practices. Let us not be guilty of contributing to this ongoing misinterpretation and misapplication of His Word. But instead let us carefully apply these principles in our study so that we may learn exactly what He intended us to know.

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