How Not To Interpret The Bible

“What does the text mean to you” is a common question you may hear in a Bible study. You may even be instructed to insert your name in a text and personalise it. As spiritual as this may sound, it is a slippery slope; an inappropriate handling of Scripture. When we approach a Bible study or Scriptural interpretation with the subjective question of its personal meaning to us, we end up imposing our opinions and bringing to the text all manner of meanings not taught by it.

Much of the present day confusion in the realm of religion and in the application of Biblical principles, stem from distorted interpretation and misrepresentation of God’s word.¹

Not to be misunderstood, the Bible does speak to us and in a sense, its teachings can be personalised. But there is a more appropriate term to use than personalise, which is application. In biblical interpretation, foremost, we have to understand the meaning of a text after which we can ask this, “how do I apply this text to my life?” Is  there a command to obey? Is there a promise from God to believe or a doctrine to affirm? Is there a word of comfort in here? etc. “Note that the question is not “Is this truth relevant to my life?” The truth of God’s Word is always relevant to our life. The more honest question is “Am I ready and willing [to] believe this truth and to apply it in my life?”²

Paul writing to Timothy charged him to rightly handle the word of truth (2Timothy 2:15). This is an indication the word of God can be wrongly handled. Now through God’s providential blessings of biblical scholarship, the church has been blessed with established principles that aids in the interpretation of Scripture collectively termed Hermeneutics. Hermeneutics simply “is the science that teaches us the principles, laws, and methods of interpretation.”³ Hermeneutics doesn’t apply only to the Bible for every written document—constitution of a country, legal contract between two parties, a newspaper article etc — must be interpreted. Louis Berkhof in his Principles of Biblical Interpretation makes a distinction between general and special Hermeneutics. Whereas general Hermeneutics applies to the interpretation of all kinds of literature, special Hermeneutics deals with the interpretation of the Bible.⁴

Though beneficial, not all professing Christians agree to a set of principles for the interpretation of Scripture. At least there are two common objections. The first being that Hermeneutics reduces the Bible to just a mere book and the second argues it is the Holy Spirit who helps in the interpretation of Scripture and not human established principles.

These objections are indeed unwarranted. Firstly, the Bible is indeed a book; just like any other book. But I have to quickly state it is at the same time, unlike any other book. Yet, it is still like any other book written in human language and which needs to be read, studied, analysed and its meaning interpreted in its written context. The Bible is written in human language with all rules of language or grammar intact.

The Bible may be a very special book, being uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit, but that inspiration does not transform the letters of the words or the sentences of the passages into magical phrases. Under inspiration a noun remains a noun and a verb remains a verb. Questions do not become exclamations, and historical narratives do not become allegories.⁵

Secondly, Hermeneutics doesn’t take the place of the Holy Spirit. In fact every sound interpreter of Scripture knows or must know the indispensable place of the Holy Spirit in Biblical interpretation. Of course he is the ultimate author of Scripture and he alone can give us meaning into Scripture. Outlining what he calls Qualifications of An Interpreter in his book Protestant Biblical Interpretation, Bernard Ramm notes that “The first spiritual qualification of the interpreter is that he be born again.” ⁶. Why must an interpreter first be born again? Because as Paul says in 1Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Before anyone can understand Scripture, he must have the Spirit of God because no amount of knowledge of Hermeneutics may help a man without the Spirit.

If so, why do we need Hermeneutics? Simply because of our sinful nature. Sin has affected our noetic abilities in that though indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we can draw wrong conclusions from Scripture. Hermeneutics therefore serves as guard rails to guard us from going overboard in our biblical interpretations. There is a proper and improper way of interpreting Scripture and at all times we must aim to, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and aided by proper hermeneutical tools, interpret Scripture properly.

In conclusion, I will list some Principles of Interpretation for further studies. These, though not exhaustive, if applied will greatly help in one’s interpretation of Scripture.

1. The Analogy Of Faith

2. Literal Interpretation

3. Literal Interpretation and Genre Analysis

4. The Grammatical-Historical Method

An appreciation of any of these will go a long way to assist us in proper interpretation of Scripture.

Notes

1. The Publisher, Preface To Principles of Biblical Interpretation, by L. Berkhof (GrandRapids, Michigan: Baker House, 1974), 5

2. Admin, “Inductive Bible Study:Application” https://www.preceptaustin.org/the_key_inductive_study_pt3, accessed 10th May, 2020

3. Berkhof, Principles of Biblical Interpretation, 11

4. Berkhof, Principles of Biblical Interpretation, 11

5. R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2009), Kindle Edition

6. Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation: A Textbook of Hermeneutics For Conservative Protestants (Boston: W.A. Wilde Company, 1956),13