How To Read The Bible
By Bro David Petersen
Ready to dig in? Here are the tools you need to mine the gold out of God's Word.
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
2 Peter 1:20-21
That's Just Your Interpretation!
When discussing the Bible with people, sometimes they will say "That's just YOUR interpretation". Can there be such a thing as a "correct interpretation" of the Bible? Well, let me ask you if there can there be a correct interpretation of any type of literature in the world?
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Let's take an example. Consider the Driver's Instruction Manual from any state government. |
The Driver's Manual refers to a red and white octagonal shaped sign with the word STOP written on it. When we are driving around on the streets in our vehicles, we need to apply our interpretation of the Driver's Manual as we approach those octagonal signs. Now what if my interpretation of "stop" means to slow down to 10 m.p.h. and proceed on past the sign. There is a friendly man wearing a blue uniform and driving a car with pretty lights on top of it who will be glad to show me that my interpretation of the Driver's Manual is somewhat flawed. This man represents the author of the Driver's Manual: the state. The correct interpretation is defined by the author. The man will inform me that the correct interpretation of this book is "full and complete stop, with wheels fully locked in position".
The Rules Of Literary Interpretation
Correct interpretation of instructional material is achieved by acquiring the intended meaning of the author. There are basic rules of literary interpretation that we use to arrive at intended meaning. These rules set context and include such items as:
- Who is speaking?
- In the Bible, sometimes God is speaking, sometimes Satan or others are speaking. You probably don't want to use Satan's words as a guide for your life.
- To whom are they speaking?
- Not all verses apply universally. Some verses are directed to the nation of Israel. Others are spoken to the New Testament church. Some apply only to disciples of Christ, others to non-disciples. To whom they are speaking says a lot about to whom the verse applies and doesn't apply.
- What is the subject they are speaking about?
- This helps set the context. What is the gist of the message that the speaker is trying to convey to the listener?
- When are they speaking?
- Time period? At a minimum you should learn to distinguish between Old Testament and New Testament teaching.
- Where are they speaking?
- Geographic location and cultural background. For example, in order to understand John chapter 4 you need to know that 1st century Jews looked down upon the Samaritans as a lower class of citizens.
- Why are they saying this?
- This one is a little harder but analyze the others first and you may get a clue. What could motivate them to say this? What reaction is the speaker looking to get from the listener? What is their purpose in speaking? What effects are they expecting the message to bring?
Whenever you are reading the Bible look for these "W's" in the text: who, whom, what, when, where, why. Let's illustrate with an example so you can see how this works. Here's a passage from the Gospel of John.
John 14:15-19
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
All right, let's analyze the above verses by applying the rules of literary interpretation:
- Who is speaking?
- Jesus is speaking. Sometimes you have to go forward or back in the Bible to get the context. In this case we have to go back to verse 9 to see this: "Jesus saith unto him".
- To whom is he speaking?
- Jesus is speaking to his disciples. You have to go back to chapter 13, verse 35 to see this. You can also look at who is present such as Peter, John, Thomas and the other apostles. Also look for language that shows he is speaking to people who call him "Master and Lord" such as in verse 13:13. There is not a great multitude of people here, only disciples. So these verses in chapters 13-15 apply only to disciples and not to the world in general.
- What is Jesus speaking about?
- He is speaking about his soon coming departure, what his disciples should do while he is gone and how he will send them another Comforter when he is gone who will empower them to do the things that he has commanded them.
- When is Jesus speaking?
- First we know that this is the New Testament period because we are reading about Jesus speaking in the Gospel of John. The New Testament starts with the gospels. Specifically, Jesus is speaking at the end of his personal ministry on earth, on the night before his crucifixion. Verse 13:1 and chapter 18 show this.
- Where is Jesus speaking?
- They are at supper according to verse 13:2. Verse 12:12 shows that they are in the city of Jerusalem. You can cross check this by going to Luke's gospel account in Luke 22:10-13. There you will also find out that they are in an upper room.
- Why is Jesus speaking?
- The night before his crucifixion Jesus wanted to prepare his disciples for his departure. He did not want them to be troubled by what was about to happen to him: "Let not your hearts be troubled"(verse 14:1).
- He wanted them to know what to do while he was gone: "keep my commandments".
- He wanted his disciples to know where he was going: to heaven (verse 14:2) and that even though he would depart he would be alive and would still be working in their behalf.
- He wanted them to know that he would send the Holy Spirit in a special way that applied only to them to empower them, not to the world to do what he commanded them.
"Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures?"
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I didn't say it: Jesus did. He said this to some very religious men who had challenged his own interpretation of the scriptures. These religious men were of the Jewish sect called Sadducees. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They believed that when you die, you simply cease to exist: total soul annihilation. That's why they were Sad-you-see :o). |
They challenged Jesus by posing a hypothetical situation about a woman who married several men during her lifetime. The question was "In the resurrection, whose wife will she be?"
24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. 26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err. Mark 12:24-27.
Notice a few things from Jesus' answer:
1. It is possible to "err" (error) regarding the scriptures. That is, there is an incorrect interpretation of the scriptures. You can be wrong in your beliefs as were the Sadducees. Logically, the reverse is true as well: if there is an err, there is also a correct interpretation. So it is not just a matter of personal interpretation: you see it one way and I see it another. There is right and wrong analysis of the scripture. Correct interpretation is based on an accurate apprehension of the truth (i.e. the fact is that there is a resurrection and that people do not cease to exist when they die).
2. The root cause of their err was their ignorance of the scriptures. Again, here the inverse is true: if not knowing the scriptures causes err, then knowing them avoids err.
3. The scripture is the final authority for Jesus regarding matters of belief and practice. Notice how Jesus quoted the story of Moses and the burning bush in the Old Testament to make his point that there is a resurrection.
Bringing Out The True Meaning
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By the way, what I have done in points 1-3 above is another analytical technique called an "exegesis". Exegesis is just a fancy word for a critical explanation or analysis of a text. |
By critical I do not mean skeptical. An analytical exegesis is where you examine the parts of a text and make observations about its content. Here I am making logical inferences based on the actual content of the text. I am not making the text say what I want it to say or expressing my feelings about it. Exegesis means to draw the meaning out of a given text, to give its true sense. Again, "true sense" is defined by the author's intended meaning; so exegesis is the science of determining the author's intent. It is sometimes contrasted with "eisegesis", which means to read one's own interpretation into a given text. In general, exegesis presumes an attempt to view the text objectively, while eisegesis is more subjective. So we want to make sure we are bringing the true meaning out of the text (exegesis) and are not reading our own meaning into the text (eisegesis).
In studying the Bible, we let scripture interpret scripture. That is, we take individual verses and passages and compare them to other passages on the same subject. This allows us to interpret scripture against a logical, consistent framework that provides a contextual background for the passage under examination.
Let me give you a combined example of exegesis vs. eisegesis and how to interpret scripture by other scriptures.
In John 14:2 Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."
The question is "to whom is Jesus speaking here?" Sometimes people will try to use this verse to teach universal salvation: the idea that everyone is going to heaven whether they are believers or not. They interpret "many manions" to mean "any belief system". But if you examine the actual content of John 14:2 there is nothing there in the actual verse itself to indicate who all Jesus is going to prepare a place for. In other words, the verse itself does not indicate the scope of its applicability. Therefore when one makes John 14:2 teach universal salvation, they are actually performing an eisegesis; that is, they are putting their own interpretation into the text rather than bringing the true meaning out of the text.
We have to apply the rules of literary interpretation to get the true meaning out. As we have already shown above, Jesus is only speaking to his disciples in John chapter 14. So Jesus is going to prepare dwelling places (mansions) for his disciples. He is not going to prepare a place for the world at large. How can we know for sure that this is the intended scope of the author? Well, we let scripture interpret scripture by cross checking this verse against other verses that deal with the same topic.
In John 3:36 John the Baptist said: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
So the wrath of God is abiding on unbelievers and they shall not see life. Now we have another verse that shows that not everyone is saved. Want more evidence? In John 8:44, Jesus told some religious hypocrites "Ye are of your father the devil". So not everyone has standing as a child of God.
We could cite many other scriptures that support this but it is not necessary at this point. Bottom line: when you read the Bible, get the author's meaning out, don't put your own meaning in.
Most major themes in the Bible are supported by this type of corroborating textual evidence: they are clear. For example, the message of salvation in the Bible is plain and clear: We are all sinners, incapable of saving ourselves and so God has provided salvation as a free gift through Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his life to pay for our sins and was raised from the dead to show that those who trust in him and his finished work will also be raised with him at the last day.
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We can acquire this free salvation by repenting of our sins and receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Those who reject Jesus have the wrath of God abiding on them. That is the correct interpretation of what the Bible says about salvation in a nutshell. |
Types Of Language In The Bible
Sometimes people ask me "Do you take the Bible literally?" Let me unpack that question for you. What they are usually asking is "Are you one of those naive, deluded fools who take all that mythology in the Bible literally?" I always respond by saying "Well that depends on what PART of the Bible I'm reading". You see the Bible contains three types of language. They are:
- Literal
- Figurative
- Symbolic
For example, John 4:6 says that Jesus "sat thus on the well". The language in John 4:6 is literal. A literal Jesus sat down on a literal well. We can tell that this passage is literal by the context. This is the historical account of a trip that Jesus took down to Samaria. He became weary and literally sat down on the edge of a well because he was also thirsty. He was hoping that someone would draw literal water and give him a drink. Then he had a conversation about salvation with a literal woman from Samaria.
So you can usually tell what type of language is being used by the surrounding context. In John 10:9 Jesus said "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Here Jesus said that he is "the door". Does that mean that he has hinges and a doorknob? Certainly not. That is because Jesus is using figurative language here. Here it is obvious that Jesus is speaking figuratively; but how can we know for sure?
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Let's look at the surrounding context. Jesus had just spoken a parable where he likened his disciples to sheep. Do his disciples grow wool and go "baa-baa"? Also in our text in verse 10 Jesus said that if any man enter in "he shall find pasture". Was Jesus saying that men would literally eat grass? No, because Jesus is here using figurative language to show that in him men will find spiritual nourishment for their souls. |
The disciples enjoying a meal? |
Psalm 18:8 speaks thus of the Lord: "There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth..." Did smoke literally come out of the Lord's nostrils and fire out of his mouth? No way. God is a spirit. He does not have nostrils or a mouth. This is symbolic language that shows that the Lord was angry with David's oppressors. The context is a Psalm, which is a poem full of highly symbolic language.
"This Is My Body."
The night before he was crucified, Jesus took bread, broke it and said "Take, eat; this is my body". Here Jesus is using symbolic language. The bread represents or symbolizes his body. The bread is not literally his body. Some people maintain that this verse is literal. Their argument goes like this: "Jesus said "this IS my body", not this represents my body". My response to that is always "Yes, but Jesus also said "I AM the door". "Does that mean he has hinges and a doorknob?" Look at the surrounding context. That night Jesus was instituting a memorial supper that commemorates his death. He said "Do this in memory of me." Memorials usually include symbolism. The purpose of the Lord's Supper is to symbolize his death in a graphic manner.
In fact Jesus placed two symbolic, memorial ordinances into his church: the Lord's Supper and Baptism. Compare this memorial supper to baptism. Paul said "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Rom 6:4-5). Are we literally dead when "we are buried with him in baptism". Obviously not: we identify with the death of Jesus in a symbolic way and reckon ourselves dead to sin. So just as baptism symbolizes our identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus; the Lord's Supper symbolizes his broken body and shed blood.
How To Start Reading The Bible
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If you have not read the Bible much, I recommend that you start by reading the Gospel of John. Start at the beginning and read it straight through. This Gospel, written by the Apostle John is a historical account of the personal ministry of Jesus. John's account emphasizes the Lord's divine qualities. It shows that being the Son of God, Jesus is in fact God. |
Apply the basic rules of interpretation above to the material as you read it. Look for the "W's": Who is speaking?, To whom? What about? When? Observe by the context whether the passage is literal, figurative or symbolic. Take your time and read slowly. The Bible is not a speed reading exercise. You don't have to read the entire gospel in a single session. Don't insist on understanding everything you read the first time through. Absorb what you can and keep on reading through. Don't get stuck. It will make more sense in subsequent readings. And as you read more of the overall Bible, you will gain an understanding of the general context into which the Gospel of John and other books fit.
Also read our Online Bible Studies frequently. The online studies will acquaint you with some of the major themes and motifs used in the Bible and will enhance your understanding of it.
Last but not least pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and to open your understanding of the scriptures. That's His job: "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." John 16:13.
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