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SUBJECT: BASIC RULES OF INTERPRETATION

1. TAKE THE WORDS SERIOUSLY.

Bad interpretations are often the result of sloppy reading. Twenty years ago, a Sunday School teacher of mine taught on the last chapter of Ecclesiastes. He ended the lesson with these stirring words: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear not God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man". He went on to expound the text, saying many true and edifying things about it. But he interpreted it wrongly--not because he was evil or heretical, or stupid, but because he was careless in his reading. What he did in public, we often do in our private reading.

We must begin with elementary grammar. A knowledge of Hebrew or Greek is helpful, but is not necessary. The English Bible is more than a translation of God's Word; it is God's Word.

Parts of speech must be identified. Is the word a noun, a pronoun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb, a conjunction, or an article? This is usually obvious--but not always. Many Christians are taught to fear the Lord's Supper. They tremble at being "unworthy" to partake of it. For--everyone knows--the unworthy partaker "eats and drinks damnation to himself". Or does he? No he doesn't. For "unworthily" in the KJV is an adverb, not an adjective. So what? Here's what: adverbs refer to actions not to people. Therefore, it is not the unworthy partaker who is damned, but the unworthy partaking! And that is defined as "Not regarding the Lord's Body", i.e., despising and agitating the church.

Syntax is important. This refers to the order of the sentence. Find the verb first; look for the subject next; identify the object or predicate; don't let prepositional phrases or subordinate clauses trip you up. A good example is Romans 8:13. The verb is "put to death"--that's what Paul wants done. The object is "the deeds of the flesh"--that's what he wants "put to death". Key question: What is the subject? Is it "you" or "the Spirit"? It is "you". Therefore, the believer mustn't "let go and let God" put to death the deeds of the flesh, he must make the effort himself. Relying on God, of course, but he must work at sanctification.

Vocabulary must be defined. Without definition, words are little more than noise. A dictionary is helpful in defining words; a concordance shows how it is used elsewhere. But beware of an overreliance on either! Words are defined by their context. In his book, Language in Action, S.I. Hayakawa, makes this remarkable assertion:

"No word ever has exactly the same meaning twice".

C.S. Lewis agrees with Hayakawa and illustrates with one of the most common words in English--"my". "My boots", "My wife", "My country". What does "my" mean? "My boots" obviously means: "They belong to me". But does "my wife" carry the identical meaning? I don't think so. It means: "We belong to each other". And "my country" means: "I belong to it". The meaning of "my" is determined--not by a dictionary--but by how it is used.

An example from the Bible is even more telling. Compare Romans 4:1-4 with James 2:21-24. Both Paul and James quote Genesis 15:6 to prove opposite doctrines: justification by faith alone in the former and justification by faith and works in the latter. How do we square the two? Here's how: Each man uses the word "justify" differently from the other. Paul uses it in the technical, theological sense; James employs in more broadly.

2. CHECK THE CONTEXT.

The "text" refers to the passage you are reading (usually a verse or a chapter). The "context" is the nearby passage, normally the verses that immediately precede or follow it.

You must begin with the nearer context and proceed to the context more remote. Never the other way around! For example, to understand Philippians 2:5-11, you must begin with vv.1-4 and go on to vv.12-18. To understand it more fully, you must study the whole Epistle and see how it fits into Paul's "big idea". From there, you go on to study his similar writing, i.e., the "Prison Epistles". Proceed to his whole body of writings. Go on to the New Testament. Follow that up with the Old Testament. And Voila!, you've got the interpretation of Philippians 2:5-11.

If all Scripture is inspired by God, why should Paul's other writings be consulted first? Here's why: Because the Bible is inspired by God, not dictated! The Holy Spirit used the vocabulary of men--individual men--to transmit His infallible Word to us. The major works of John, for example, bear a striking resemblance to each other, but are quite different than the Epistles of Paul. John likes to begin his books with a prologue (see John 1:1-18, I John 1:1-4, and Revelation 1:1-3). Paul prefers a greeting.

3. LOOK FOR KEY PASSAGES.

If an author explains why he was writing, believe him! And interpret the passage accordingly. John 20:31, for example, tells why the Fourth Gospel was written. If you scour the book trying to find moral lessons you may learn many good things, but not what John--or the Holy Spirit--wants you to learn from that Gospel.

Not every key passage is easy to spot. Hard study is required. But some that stand out--to me at least--are Proverbs 1:1-7, Habakkuk 2:2, Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1-3, I Timothy 3:15, II Peter 1:12-15, I John 5:13, and Revelation 1:1-3.

4. APPLY A LITERAL MEANING TO FIGURATIVE SPEECH.

The Bible abounds in figurative speech. No one used it more effectively than our Lord Jesus. Figures of speech should not be taken literally, of course. Matthew 5:28-30 and its parallels do not require mutilation. The words are figurative. But the meaning is literal. Our Lord wants us to take drastic measures against lust. This is the literal meaning derived from the figurative words. On this passage, Robert H. Stein writes:

In the vast majority of cases, figurative language is obvious. If a passage is not obviously figurative, it's probably not figurative at all. Someone has said: "When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras". When a passage makes perfect sense literally taken, be satisfied with the literal meaning.

5. PAY ATTENTION TO THE KIND OF LITERATURE YOU ARE READING.

The Bible contains theology, history, poetry, and other types of literature. Each must be interpreted on its own terms. Poets, for example, are granted "poetic license". No one expects them to write with the factual precision of an auto repair manual. The Psalms (and other parts of the Bible) are poems. They should be taken a such. Poetry reaches the mind through the imagination. Thus, instead of saying something as bland as "God rescued His people from their troubles", the Psalm prefers,

"He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

He rode upon the wings of the wind".

Both statements are true, but the poem is more gripping than the prose and better designed to provide hope and courage in times of distress.

Genesis 1 is often described as poetry, but seems more like history to me, one bordering on the scientific. Note its order and restraint.

6. RESPECT THE GENERAL TEACHING OF THE BIBLE.

In his fine little book, Knowing Scripture, R.C. Sproul observes:

When the general teaching of the Bible is respected, we interpret its obscure passages in light of the clear ones. This, it seems to me, is what is so wrong with premillennialism. It filters the whole Bible through one chapter of Revelation, a book notoriously hard to interpret. Not even John Calvin would try to expound it.

7. BEWARE OF THE GENERAL TEACHING OF THE BIBLE.

There is a general teaching of the Bible; it is derived from specific texts. Until you have carefully studied specific texts, you cannot know the general teaching of the Bible. To many, "the general teaching of the Bible" or "the analogy of faith" is nothing more than personal opinion, inherited theology, or what's hot at the moment.

We must choose between the deductive method of study and the inductive. In the former, the general teaching of the Bible determines the meaning of every text. In the latter, the meaning of every text determines the Bible's general teaching. Deduction is much easier and faster; induction is hard and slow work. Which is better? Proverbs 14:23 suggests an answer: "In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty".

8. INTERPRET PROGRESSIVELY.

Unlike the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and most of sacred writings, the Bible was not given all at once. God revealed His Word over the centuries. Moses was His first inspired author. He added to and clarified God's Word to people who had nothing but an oral tradition to go by. He was followed by the prophets and sages of the Old Testament. They added to Moses and made his writings more clear. The prophets and sages were followed by John the Baptist who knew more still and prophesied more clearly than they (cf. Matthew 11:11). John gave way to our Lord Jesus who is God's Final Word (cf. Hebrews 1:1). Our Lord taught in two ways: personally, and by the Apostles and Evangelists who wrote the New Testament. He opens the whole Scripture to us (cf. Luke 24:32).

If the Bible was given progressively, it must be so interpreted. This means--in short--the Old Testament must be read through the lens of the New Testament and not the other way around.

The Old Testament is a Book of Prophecy (Matthew 11:13).

The New Testament is a Book of Fulfilled Prophecy (cf. Mark 1:15, II Corinthians 1:20, Galatians 4:4). The old prophets, priests and kings give way to Christ (I Timothy 2:5). Israel, God's covenant--but largely unsaved--people gives way to the Church, a saved community of faith (Galatians 6:16). Circumcision gives way to the new birth (Romans 2:29). The Passover gives way to the crucifixion (I Corinthians 5:7). The Law of Moses gives way to the Word of Christ (Matthew 5:17-19).

The two Testaments are equally true; they are not equally full. When the New Testament is explained by the Old, the New Testament is drained of its fullness. When the Old Testament is explained by the New, it comes to overflowing. For example:

9. LOOK FOR THE CHRIST CONNECTION.

The Bible bears witness to Jesus Christ. This is no less true of I Chronicles than it is of the Gospel of John (cf. John 5:39). The connection is sometimes obvious; at other times, it is more subtle. How do we find the obscure connections?

Not by a constant resort to typology. A "type" is an Old Testament shadow that finds its substance in the New Testament. A well known example is the brazen serpent which anticipated the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (cf. Numbers 21 with John 3:14-15). There is a place for typology, but there is also the danger of allowing your imagination to run wild.

It is better to read the Bible in the light of our Lord's life, death, and exaltation. For example, laws find their highest incentive and spiritual power in Christ. Sins are revealed in their ugliest colors in Christ. Promises find their fulfillment in Christ. Punishments are aggravated by Christ.

The history of Israel finds its meaning in Christ. The history of the Church finds its power in Christ.

In reading the Bible, ask yourself: "What does this have to do with Christ?" If you can't think of anything, you've misread the passage! (cf. Luke 24:25, II Corinthians 3:15).

10. STUDY WITH OTHER BELIEVERS.

Most serious study is done alone. This may be why the Church is so shamefully divided. All of God's people know something (Jeremiah 31:34); none of God's people know everything (II Peter 3:16). Thus we need each other. If Christians studied together--checking their egos at the door--we might learn from each other and move toward that "unity of the faith" God wills us to achieve.

This study requires hard and patient work, a willingness to listen to others and accept their correction, and a united prayer for illumination (cf. Proverbs 2:4, 12:15, Psalm 119:18.