Having just completed another political cycle, we have become all too familiar with hearing statements out of context. That's what politicians do! Why? They want to make a point that benefits themselves and hurts their opponent. And so they take an opponent's quotes from one context and put them into another context thereby changing the author's original meaning. But here's the rub: Many people do the same thing when quoting the Bible (and not just those who oppose Christianity)! This happens when the Bible is quoted to support a position or idea or lifestyle without taking its original context or meaning into consideration.
Maybe you've heard something like these before...
"People need to wear their Sunday best to church to uphold God's holiness. After all, God says in the Bible, 'Be holy for I am holy.'" REALLY? Was Peter trying to establish a church dress code in his letter? Or was he calling people to a character code grounded in sincere love? There's a BIG difference between the two!
"Churches need to start playing music that connects better with the next generation! Paul became 'all things to all people' and we should too!" REALLY? Was Paul encouraging the Corinthian church to adopt the most current music styles into its services? Or was he instructing the people in the church to be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others and the gospel? There is a BIG difference between the two!
And so we need to be careful how we read and use the Bible. Otherwise, we risk cheapening God and His message. And in fact, if we fail to understand the Bible from the author's perspective and intended meaning then it becomes OUR word and NOT God's Word. This strips the authority of the message we receive from the Bible! So what steps can we take to make sure we are correctly understanding and applying the Bible? Here's a few pointers...
#1 Each unit of thought in the Bible has ONE MEANING.
The Bible is not a quote book (with the exception of portions of Proverbs) and so we need to realize that it will take more than one sentence for a Biblical author to develop an idea. This means that the author's intended meaning will NOT be found in a single verse but rather in a unit of thought (multiple verses). We also need to realize that the Bible is addressed to a SPECIFIC AUDIENCE for a SPECIFIC REASON to communicate a SPECIFIC MESSAGE. The only authoritative meaning of a passage is the ONE that the author intended to communicate (not the ones we wish he had communicated!).
#2 The Bible was written in a different CULTURE than our own.
Did you know that the book of Genesis is not a modern day science manual? Sure it communicates truth about creation and the universe but it was written to a pre-scientific culture that believed the gods of nature were behind the functioning of the universe. With this in mind, God revealed truth about His creation and His supreme role in the universe in a way that the original readers could grasp. And He primarily addressed the concerns of their day (which do not always align with our modern day scientific obsessions). This is how God has spoken throughout Scripture...He addressed people in various cultures throughout history in ways they could understand. And so we need to resist the temptation of reading our modern day culture into Scripture and always remember that the Bible was written for us but not directly to us.
#3 Take into account each book's literary GENRE when interpreting.
There is a fallacy that is common in today's Christian culture that the Bible is always to be taken literally (unless the text clearly states otherwise). This has been a source of confusion especially to those people who have read the Song of Solomon or Revelation. At one point, the author of Song of Solomon states "Your eyes behind your veil are doves" (4:1). Should this be taken literally or is it poetic language? Or what about "If anyone tries to harm them [the two witnesses] fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies" (Rev. 11:5)? Should we take this literally or is it a literary allusion to Jeremiah 5:14? We need to take into account the genre of the literature! Some genres (like apocalyptic literature) utilize symbols and visual language and imagery to describe the coming judgment of God. Other literature (like historical narrative) is to be understood more literally. The reader needs to determine the genre of the literature (poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic, narrative, etc.) so that she can apply the correct interpretive strategy to the text.
#4 WORDS can change MEANING over time.
When you think of the word 'martyr' what comes to mind? How about Christians being killed on account of their courageous testimony concerning Jesus? That's how most people understanding the word. And so when they find out that the word used for a 'witness' in the Greek New Testament is 'martys' they automatically think that it means 'a witness who is killed for his testimony.' But they're wrong! The meaning of the word 'martyr' added certain nuances after the Christian persecutions of the 1st century. While nuances are added to some words over time, other words lose nuance. For instance, the distinctions between the different variations of the word 'love' in Greek (philea & agape) disappeared between the time of Classical Greek and Koine Greek. Therefore, in John 21:15-25, the various Greek words used for 'love' take on a flattened, general meaning (just like the various Greek words used for 'sheep' in the same passage take on a flattened, general meaning!). The point is that words can change meaning and so we need to make sure we understand their meaning at the time the author was writing. A good lexicon or word study book (like Vine's) should get the job done.
#5 Develop a good READING STRATEGY that works for you.
While there are lots of bad ways to read the Bible, there is also not just ONE right way to read the Bible (as long as the reader is shooting to find the author's original, intended meaning). But here's a reading strategy I like to use:
GENRE: Discover the literary genre(s) and settle on a reading strategy.
GIST: Read the book and summarize its message.
GLUE: Fit the little stories or sections of the book into the big story.
GUTS: Put the little stories under the microscope and study them.
GAFFE: State the problem the author is solving or pointing out.
Once you're done, you need to make sure that the GIST of the story that you came up with corresponds well to the GAFFE you discovered after studying the book in greater depth. If not, repeat the process. If they do relate well, you've discovered the meaning of the book. But you're not done yet!
#6 Determine how the book fits into the storyline of the Bible.
Each book of the Bible helps move the story of the Bible along (even the poetic books). And so once you've determined the overall message of a book, you need to figure out how it fits into the storyline of the Bible. Here's how I summarize the Bible's storyline:
PERFECTION: God creates a good world (Genesis 1-2)
PROBLEM: Pain enters the world through sin (Genesis 3-11)
PLAN: A covenant is cut with Abraham (Genesis 12-17)
PEOPLE: Israel multiplied into a great nation (Genesis 18-Exodus. 1)
PROPERTY: Israel was given a land (Exodus-Judges)
PROMINENCE: Israel establishes a great name (Ruth-1 Chronicles)
PROPHETS: Israel defiantly breaks the covenant (1 Kings-Malachi)
PLANET: All nations blessed through Jesus (Matthew-Jude)
PERFECTION: God's good world is restored (Revelation)
#7 Define the PRINCIPLE behind the author's instruction.
You're not done studying a passage until you are able to apply it to your life. But applying the Bible to your life is more difficult than it seems because it was written to a SPECIFIC audience over a thousand years ago. So how do we apply, for instance, the Old Testament to our lives? SIMPLE. The same way you apply the New Testament to your life. You need to discover the PRINCIPLE that serves as the foundation for the author's instruction. After all, when we give people advice, we are drawing on a principle whether we know it or not. And in the case of the Bible, the authors are drawing on GOD'S PRINCIPLES. These correspond with His created design for life on this planet. Our job is to discover the principle the author is drawing upon. Then we can apply the Bible to our lives!
#8 A Bible passage can have MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS.
While each passage only has ONE intended meaning, it can have many applications. Why? Principles can be applied in many different ways. Take for instance the principle, "Do not be divisive in what you say." This principle can be applied to your speech as it regards your relationships with teachers, friends, parents and more. In other words, you can apply the principle in various contexts and in various ways. There are multiple applications!
Go take these principles for a test drive and let me know what you think!
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