How to correctly interpret your Bible?
Imagine you open your Bible and read that Judas hanged himself. So you go out, buy a rope and contemplate suicide, because after all, “the Bible says so!” Such is the folly of sloppy Bible study where even physical life is at stake, let alone our spiritual lives!
It is possible as modern readers of the Bible to arrive at different interpretations and then apply God’s Word differently, especially when we approach Scripture with different social, cultural, and even religious biases or lenses. This of course is all too common in our small group Bible studies.
But if we are open to different interpretations (or really opinions of the text), then everyone goes away with their version of the truth. This is dangerous because the original writers had a specific message to deliver with a specific purpose to achieve.
The process of interpreting the biblical text allows us to understand the original author’s message and intent as he sought to apply it to the original audience. We then get meaning of that message and intent for a contemporary audience so that it can be received and applied by all peoples throughout all generations.
Here are two key things to note when studying and interpreting the Bible.
First, the Biblical text is ancient writing
The books of the Bible were written at a particular time in history and addressed to original audiences that modern listeners may not easily relate with. We cannot read the Bible the way we read current affairs in today’s newspaper!
Second, the Biblical text is relevant because it is alive and active
It may have been written long ago, but the Bible’s message is timeless. It carries truth for all generations because it is a living and active text for all time (Hebrews 4;12). The Bible has specific relevance today, and its message has implications that cover all time and space.
Understand the Context
We cannot understand the biblical text – or any story for that matter – unless we understand its context. Communication of any form does not take place in a vacuum. God is always dealing with a pre-existing situation, and understanding that context brings clarity and meaning to what is being said. The meaning of the text must be controlled by the context.
Levels of Context
At most of our weddings today, speeches are made by close family and friends of the bride and groom. If you are keen to observe, you will discover that these speeches are like layers of relationships around the couple. The common practice in our culture is for the friends and work colleagues of the groom and bride to speak first, then the siblings and parents come to crown it up. The latter usually share more intimate and interesting details about the couple! These levels of relationships around the couple help us know them well.
Similarly, every text has levels of context that work in a somewhat similar manner. These Levels of Context help us know, understand, and appreciate the text a lot better. Each level helps in our interpretation of the Biblical text shedding light from different angles. The Text sits in its Literary Context (Book), Histo- Geographical context and Biblical Context (OT/NT).
See diagram below
In this FAQ edition, we will only be able to look at two of the contexts shown in the diagram – literary and biblical contexts.
Look at the literary context
Broadly, the literary context helps us to recognize the type of writing of the book, for example, whether it is poetry, prophetic or a letter. More narrowly, the literary context helps us to see the text around the text or the immediate stories around our story which in turn gives you the overarching issue(s) the book is dealing with. Take the time to ask: What is the book itself dealing with? Is the story before me standing alone, or is it a continuation or an end of what has been said already? That is the literary context – the text around the text or the immediate stories around our story!
Look at the biblical context
Each passage is not only set within its literary/book context, but also within the wider, grander, and gradual unfolding of God’s big story. So we don’t only consider the immediate context, but also a larger biblical context. Part of the wider biblical context is God’s redemptive plan throughout history which is the unfolding plan of salvation for God’s people.
Try to work out where the story falls and what contribution it makes in the grand scheme of things. The more we read the Bible with these wider contextual lenses in mind, the clearer and more meaningful the Bible texts become.
In our next issue, we will continue to answer the question, How do you Correctly Interpret the Bible? by explaining how to find the Historical- Geographical context.