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Understanding
the Word of God
June
02, 2002
It
is perplexing to know that while there is only one Bible, people have
different interpretations of the Word of God, resulting in different
beliefs and so different religious denominations.
However,
it is imperative that we have a correct and complete understanding of
God's Word because it is in understanding God's message that we can
spread His news of salvation to those who have yet to hear.
Brother
Dale Custodio, in continuation of his lecture series about the Bible,
identified three teachers of the Word of God.
1.
The Holy Spirit - "For prophecy never had its origin in the will
of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21)
The
Born Again. "In reply, Jesus declared, 'I tell you the
truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'
" (John 3:3)
The
Humble. "At that time, Jesus said, 'I praise You, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from
the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.' "
(Matthew 11:25)
The
Obedient. "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he
is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my
Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John
14:21)
2.
Personal Discipline or Study
3.
Teachings of the Church
Brother
Custodio, quoting B. Ramm's book Protestant Biblical
Interpretation: A Textbook of Hermeneutics for Conservative
Protestants, cited 14 principles by which we can properly
interpret or understand what the Bible says.
1.
We need to recognize that the Bible is an accommodation of divine
truth to the human mind.
2.
In interpreting the Bible, we must take into account the nature of progressive
revelation.
3.
We must do sound historical work or research.
4.
We must discover the meaning of a passage and not attribute a
meaning to a passage. Let the Bible disclose the meaning.
5.
Always give preference to the most evident or obvious meaning
of a passage.
6.
No passage of the Scripture should be interpreted as having more than
one meaning unless there are strong reasons to the contrary.
7.
While there is only one meaning in a passage, the applications can be
many.
8.
We should always attempt to interpret the Bible harmoniously.
9.
Everything that is essential in Scripture is clearly revealed.
10.
All interpretations of the Bible must be grounded in the original
languages.
11.
Regarding some passages, our ignorance regarding their meaning
must be admitted.
12.
Obscure passages must give way to clear passages.
13.
All interpretations should be related to a broader theological
framework.
14.
The Old Testament must be continuously searched to understand the New
Testament.
Another
helpful material is H. A. Virkler's book entitled Hermeneutics:
Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation. Six
principles were highlighted from this material.
1.
Do historical work.
2.
Do careful lexical and syntactical studies.
3.
Literary analysis. A book in the Bible can be narrative,
song, epistle or prophecy.
4.
Good interpretation means providing an adequate theological analysis.
5.
It involves looking at the history of interpretation regarding a
particular text.
6.
Discover the spiritual and moral implications of the passage
for the contemporary belief in it.
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