Tag Archives: Hermeneutics

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, CHRISTIAN LIVING

CAN THE AVERAGE PERSON REALLY UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE? — BOB PRICHARD

Yes! Numerous passages of scripture are directly addressed to the common person. “Husbands, love your wives … Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands … Children, obey your parents in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:25, 22; 6:1). “I write unto you, little children … I write unto you, fathers … I write unto you, young men” (1 John 2:12-13). The Bible is God’s message to humanity. All will be judged according to the Bible, so a God of Justice would not require mankind to understand the un-understandable.

The Bible’s longest chapter is filled with praise for God’s written Word, indicating that He wants and expects the individual to understand. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). The Bible is for the “simple,” not just religious authorities. “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation” (verse 99).  It is not through the precepts of men, or their interpretations, but through God’s precepts that we gain understanding:  “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. … Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (verses 100, 104).

Paul told the church at Corinth, “we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge” (2 Corinthians 1:13). The modern language NIV renders his  words, “we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand.” Although Paul had written the Corinthians about difficult subjects such as church discipline, spiritual gifts, marriage, and the resurrection, he still expected them to read and understand. In similar fashion, he wrote to the church at Ephesus, “by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” (Ephesians 3:3-4). Paul’s readers could have the same insight into the (no longer hidden) mystery that had been revealed to him in Christ.

As long as people do not believe they can understand the Bible, and refuse to study it for themselves, they will not understand. The key is to put into practice what we do understand! The deepest understanding of God’s Will comes when through study we are “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). If the average person cannot really understand the Bible without another intervening to teach, then it means that the God Who created the universe was not able to make Himself understood through the Word. If the average man cannot trust his own understanding, how can he trust another man’s understanding? 2 Peter 1:19-21, written to Christians, says 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.”  Peter did not say that  no individual can understand, but that the prophets spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, revealing God’s message, rather than their own. “Let my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy word” (Psalm 119:169).  You can understand the Bible!

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS

WHAT DOES “NO SCRIPTURE IS OF PRIVATE INTERPRETATION” MEAN? — BOB PRICHARD

Peter concludes the first chapter of his second epistle with these words. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 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 us they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:19-21). These verses of scripture are especially important because of what they tell us about the inspiration of scripture, reminding us that we have a “sure word of prophecy,” that is, trustworthy scriptures.

Unfortunately, the words, “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation,” have been misused by some religious organizations to keep people from studying the scriptures for themselves. Some prefer to keep the people in ignorance, teaching that the individual Christian cannot study or understand the scriptures themselves, but must rely on “the church” or church leaders to interpret the scriptures for them. Thus individuals may think there is no reason to study and reason for themselves. This is contrary to all the rest of the scripture, however. Saving faith comes from understanding and obeying the scriptures. All will be judged by the scriptures. 

Some suggest that what Peter was teaching in these verses is that since the words of scripture have a definite meaning, then those who interpret scripture are not free to read whatever meaning they want to into the scriptures, but must consider the context of scripture. Surely it is true that no one should be free to read into the scriptures any of their own personal opinions, and context must always be considered, but this is not Peter’s concern in this passage.

There is a better, more reasonable way to understand the words. Consider the rendering of 2 Peter 1:20-21 in the New American Standard Version: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” The prophecy of scripture did not come “by the will of man.” “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will.” The prophets were inspired to write by God, and did not just speak what they wanted to speak, but they spoke what was revealed to them by God. That is the reason for the amazing accuracy of the teaching of scripture, and the agreement among the different writers. If each had been free to just write what he wanted to write, then there would be multiplied contradictions among all of the different portions of scripture. 

The “holy men” were “moved by the Holy Ghost,” literally “borne along” just as a strong wind propels a ship through the sea. Jesus told his disciples, “when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, thst shall he speak: und he will show you things to come” (John 16:13) As the New Testament writers revealed the full truth of God’s revelation, the Holy Spirit guided them. Their message is one for all men study, obey, and live by.

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CONTEXT — BOB PRICHARD

Webster defines it this way: con•text \ n [ME, weaving together of words, fr. L contextus connection of words] 1: the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light upon its meaning 2: MILIEU, ENVIRONMENT.

One of the most important elements to consider in hermeneutics [a fancy word for Bible interpretation] is context. The context often makes all the difference between understanding and misunderstanding a passage. The Bible has been divided into chapters and verses for our convenience. Without these divisions, it would be much harder to find things in the Bible. It also causes many problems, though, because the chapter and verse divisions tend to make us ignore context. We tend to think that the verse or chapter stands alone, which is almost always not correct.

Our communication is based on letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, etc. Many Bible verses are simply parts of longer sentences, and thus cannot be properly understood without considering the rest of the sentence. Further, a sentence often cannot be understood without considering the paragraph in which it is found. Beyond this, a paragraph often cannot be understood without considering the surrounding chapters, the whole book, or the entire Bible. All of this is context.

Consider this example of stringing together individual Bible passages without consideration of context:

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him … cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:3-5). “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). “And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly” (John 13:27).

Consideration of the context is so important, because without it, we run the risk of making the Bible say what we want it to say. Instead, we need to let the Bible speak, and learn what it really says, not just what we want or expect it to say. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). Context would tell us that it is not just any truth that makes us free, but the truth of God’s Word. And if we love truth as we should, we will make sure that we consider context.