How to Understand the Bible

[phipps]

Why Should I Study the Bible?

Summary: Scripture itself lists reasons for us to study its pages.

The Bible has been studied for centuries by people searching for God. It has changed many lives for the better and has comforted many sorrowful people.

Granted, the Bible’s contents have also been used as a weapon against others and have been misquoted to justify any number of evils. Just as with any other book, it is easy to take words from the Bible out of context and use them for one’s own ends.

There have been many in history who have manipulated others with the Bible. But just because some have used it nefariously does not mean that the Bible should be discarded.

It is believed that the Bible contains the way to eternal life. The Bible claims itself to be inspired by God. And if this is so, then there are many reasons not to discard its words, but to find comfort and guidance within this holy Book.

Here are some of the reasons the Bible gives for why we should study its pages:

To give us hope

Romans 15:4 tells us that the things written in the Bible were written for our learning, so that we might have hope. There are a great many comforting verses in the Bible that speak of God’s love for humanity, and His promise to help us in our hour of need.

While on earth, Jesus invited all to come and lay their burdens at His feet. This invitation extends to all humanity throughout all of history. The Bible is a book that can bring great peace and comfort to its readers. There are over 3000 promises in the Bible—assurances from a loving heavenly Father of His care and concern. Accepting them by faith brings a peace and an assurance of His love and power in our lives.

To teach us the plan of salvation

What is the purpose of life? Where am I going when I die?

The Bible provides answers to these questions and many more. Most importantly, however, the Bible clearly outlines the plan of salvation: how we can become reconciled unto God and someday live in the earth made new.

The hope of a happy eternal life in heaven is a hope shared by many religions. The Bible gives us the plan to get us there. In addition, the Bible helps us understand how we got here and why we need a plan to save us.

This can be very critical information, for unless we realize that we need saving, we won’t look for a Saviour.

To reveal Jesus as Saviour

When on Earth, Jesus spoke of the Scriptures as testifying of Himself. To testify means to affirm or declare (often under oath) what one has witnessed or learned through firsthand knowledge or experience. Since the Bible has been written by 40 authors over a period of 1500 years, we should see the Scriptures as a group of writers testifying of the accuracy of their experiences. The Scripture referred to by Christ is the Old Testament. That was the only Scripture there was during His lifetime, and yet Christ declared that the Old Testament testified of Himself.

Those who teach that the Old Testament Scriptures are not applicable to us do not understand what Jesus is saying. If we want to find more about Jesus, we should not restrict ourselves only to the Gospels or Paul's books. The entire Bible will reveal the beauty of God's character and Jesus Christ as the solution for humanity’s problems with sin on this earth.


Link.

 

[phipps]

Digging Deep in the Word

The apostle Paul in his Second Letter to Timothy admonishes him about “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2:15, NKJV). Rightly dividing the Word includes adopting the right presuppositions and attitudes toward the Word and using a method of interpretation that is in harmony with the Word itself.

The fact that Paul admonishes Timothy to interpret correctly the Word of truth, i.e., the Bible (John 17:17), implies that it can be interpreted incorrectly, and indeed many instances can be cited to prove this point. For example, the pastor of a large church preached on television on Acts 26:2, where Paul says, “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews” (NKJV).

The pastor took the phrase “I think myself happy” and preached a sermon on the importance of positive thinking in the midst of adversity! But Paul was not telling Agrippa anything about positive thinking; he was saying, “I consider myself fortunate” (NASB, emphasis supplied) to be able to make a defense. This preacher had corrupted the intent of Paul’s words because he was using a phrase in a text out of context.

Another preacher delivered a sermon on Mark 2:4, which tells about some men who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus: “They could not come nigh unto him for the press” (KJV).

This pastor took that phrase and preached for half an hour about how the press -- the news media -- is still keeping people from Jesus even to this day! The text, however, has nothing to do with the news media. “The press” refers to the crowd around Jesus. The whole sermon was based on a false understanding of the text.

Though it is true that the Bible is written for the common person, it is incorrect to say that the Bible does not need to be interpreted, it just needs to be obeyed. It certainly needs to be obeyed, but before we can obey Scripture, we need to know what it actually says.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, we all interpret the Bible. Some texts we take literally; others we recognize to have symbolic meaning. For example, when we read in Exodus 20:15, “You shall not steal,” most of us take this literally. It means just what it says: “You shall not steal.” We do not say, “But sometimes it is all right to steal.” We know it means “Do not steal at any time.”

However, when we read Matthew 5:29, “ ‘If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell’ ” (NKJV), we know this is not to be taken literally. At least, we don’t see many one-eyed Christians! Jesus is not really talking about the gouging out of eyes. He is referring to our sinful thoughts. He is not asking us to mutilate our bodies but to control our thoughts.

Thus, to understand what Scripture actually teaches, we need to interpret it. The Pharisees studied the Old Testament and knew what it said, but they did not understand it. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus knew the Scripture, yet they failed to understand it.

Therefore, when Jesus joined them, “He interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27, RSV). The word translated “interpreted” comes from the Greek word hermeneuo, from which we derive the English word “hermeneutics.” Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. It provides rules for the interpretation or explanation of Scripture.

Incorrect interpretations of the Bible have sometimes had terrible consequences. False interpretations have supported false doctrines and false views of the world and the universe. In the seventeenth century, for example, the great Italian mathematician Galileo was tried and condemned by his church because he believed that the earth revolves around the sun. The church, on the other hand, based on a faulty interpretation of Scripture, believed that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun revolved around the earth. Such principles of interpretation and misunderstandings can be avoided if we use correct interpretation.

 

[phipps]

Biblical Hermeneutics: The Interpretation of Scripture

The Historical Method

This method focuses on reading the Bible literally, except when context indicates that a selection is to be read figuratively. It recognized the divine-human nature of the biblical text insofar as God inspired human being with thoughts which they wrote down in their own words. Thus, it recognizes that specific words are not inspired, but the thoughts are. In recognition of the divine source of the thoughts of the Bible, this method recognizes that the Holy Spirit will guide the earnest seeker for truth when such a seeker asks for divine insight. (Compare John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:14)

This method includes a strong emphasis on allowing the Bible to be its own interpreter, comparing Scripture with Scripture. It also includes the necessity of considering the context in which a passage is found. Thus an examination of the literary, historical and cultural context of a passage is important in discerning its meaning for us today, particularly on potentially divisive subjects. While this method recognizes that God met man in the context of human culture, it also recognizes that the essential truths of the Bible transcend its cultural and functions as the Word of God for all cultures.

In interpreting apocalyptic prophecy, this method finds the keys to symbolism in the rest of Scripture and anchors interpretation of future events in the pattern of already fulfilled prophecy, in contrast to the futuristic method of interpreting prophecy, which allows for great latitude in interpreting prophecies of future events.

The Historical Critical Method

As practiced in much of contemporary Christianity, this method gives higher priority to science, secular history, archaeology and culture than does the Historical method. The findings of science are deemed as fact and applied to the text of Scripture to determine what the Bible means. In effect, this means if there is an apparent difference between the findings of the modern sciences and the text of Scripture, science wins. For instance, this method sees the first chapters of Genesis as an instructive myth, rather than historical fact, whereas the Historical method regards these chapters as historical fact which is more reliable than the paradigms of modern science.

The Allegorical Method

The allegorical method is a method of assigning “hidden meanings” to passages of Scripture, limited only by individual imagination. This method was used to arrive at the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church which are not supported by a more natural interpretation. Protestant Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin rejected this method because it tended to ignore the plain sense of passages and were impossible to critique in any fair manner. (How exactly was one to know if such allegories were true or not?)

The allegorical method of the interpretation has a long history among the Greeks, pre-dating Christianity, and it was adopted by Jewish scholars before Christ. It was apparently first used among Christians by the “church father,” Origen or Origen Adamantius (184/185 – 253/254). It allowed him to find support in Scripture for some ideas that were not supported by a more natural meaning.

The only proper use of allegory in interpreting Scripture is when the texts itself instructs us to do such, as in Galatians 4:24.

 

[phipps]

Principles of Biblical Interpretation

Christians who accept the Bible as the Word of God will interpret Scripture in harmony with the following fundamental principles:

The canonical principle
The canonical principle refers to the fact that the information needed to understand the Bible is found in the canon of Scripture itself; i.e., Scripture is its own interpreter.

It rejects the widespread practice of interpreting the Bible in the light of ancient and even modern cultures. Though there certainly are cultural aspects in Scripture, they must not become the norm for its interpretation, as is the case with many modern interpreters.

Although given to people who lived in an ancient Near Eastern context, the Bible transcends its cultural backgrounds to serve as God’s Word for all cultural, racial, and situational contexts in all ages.

The biblical writers affirm the supremacy of Scripture over tradition (Matt. 15:3-6), human philosophy (Col. 2:8), human reason (Prov. 14:12), and so-called “knowledge” (1 Tim. 6:20). Christians should reject the use of any method of interpretation that does not accept Scripture on its own terms.

The unity of Scripture principle
Since all Scripture is inspired by the same Spirit and all of it is the Word of God, there is a fundamental unity and harmony among its parts (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 3:10-18). This means that Scripture is consistent. Although the different writers, at times, emphasize different aspects of the same topic or event, they do not contradict one another. For example: each of the Gospel writers under inspiration records different facets of Christ’s life, yet each is needed to obtain a full and balanced picture of the life and work of Christ (John 20:30, 31).

The literal interpretation principle
A basic principle in biblical interpretation is to understand words and sentences in their literal sense, unless figures of speech or idiomatic expressions are used.

The literal interpretation of Scripture should not be confused with a “literalistic” understanding of biblical texts. For example, some Christians believe that “chariots . . . with flaming torches” in Nahum 2:3 is a literal reference to motorcars. Other Christians understand Revelation 16:12 to mean that the Euphrates River will literally dry up, so that the kings of the East (Chinese and Japanese) and their armies can march across. Such interpretations fail to recognize that the authors of Scripture used symbols, similes, metaphors, and other figures of speech.

The spiritual discernment principle
The fourth general principle of biblical hermeneutics is set forth by Paul: “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Because “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16) and the Bible writers spoke “as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21), the interpreter of Scripture must be led by the same Spirit.

The Christological principle
The Bible reveals Christ as the focus of all divine action, whether it be through historical events, prophecy, or worship: “To Him all the prophets witness” (Acts 10:43) and “all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Christ Himself affirmed that the Old Testament Scriptures testified of Him (John 5:39). He was the confirmation and the consummation of “the promises made to the fathers” (Romans 15:8). The New Testament writers recognized this and applied the Old Testament promises and types to Jesus. Thus they modeled a Christocentric approach that every interpreter of Scripture needs to imitate.

“The Old Testament sheds light upon the New, and the New upon the Old. Each is a revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Christ as manifested to the patriarchs, as symbolized in the sacrificial service, as portrayed in the law, and as revealed by the prophets is the riches of the Old Testament.

Christ in His life, His death, and His resurrection; Christ as He is manifested by the Holy Spirit, is the treasure of the New. Both Old and New present truths that will continually reveal new depths of meaning to the earnest seeker” (Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, pp. 462, 463).


Link.

 

[phipps]

Also the Bible tells us Lucifer is the “PRINCE AND POWER OF THE AIR”

Where does the Bible say that? Can you please quote the Bible directly.

 

[phipps]

are you ok? do you need me to send you a Bible?

Satan is literally the ruler of the earth until the return of Jesus Christ.
He actually offers Jesus Christ power over every kingdom on earth in attempts to tempt the Messiah.
The Bible teaches us we must be separate from the world and everything in it! for it is in reality; hostile toward the creator, sovereign king of the universe, the Father God.
This is why high level politicians are on the record, meaning factually, worshipping “Moloch” the demon of CHILD SACRIFICE. It’s not conjecture, it’s not a theory, it’s on record. This is why yes, your favorite Celebrity worships Satan and many are on the record saying “I worship Satan”. Because the RULER OF THE EARTH IS LITERALLY LUCIFER according to scripture.
When you read the Bible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit;
“why is this happening?”
“Why are they doing this?”
“What’s the truth?”
These questions become answered and obvious as a follower of Christ witnesses every major event, every law passed, every piece of propaganda, it all becomes clear. The kings of the earth worship Satan and their ultimate Goal is to destroy belief in God, and to brainwash humanity into believing we are gods ourselves. Every single conspiracy in existence can be traced directly to Lucifer. He is the Dragon who deceived the world and the Father of all lies. For those with eyes to see. look at how even the thought of Jesus Christ the savior makes so many so angry. Why would Jesus a humble man who taught love and true peace, who never hurt a fly; cause absolute fury and disdain in ones heart? The same can be said when speaking about the word of the Father. Satan is like a lion seeking out the weak to devour. Do not be afraid. Stand firm in your belief in him who died on the cross for our sins, was resurrected from the dead and who sits at the right hand of the Father God who sits on the throne in heaven. All praise to Elohim! We have already won! He will be glorified in every place and His eternal truth will be preached for all to hear.

Where does the Bible say that Lucifer is the price of power and air? The book, chapter and verse please. If you're going to say something like that you should be able to prove it.

 

[phipps]

@CKennedy,
We as Christians have always got to prove our claims from the Word of God.

Its in Ephesians 2 and I'll start from verse 1-10, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." I've highlighted verse 2 which mentions Satan as prince of power and air.

I mostly agree with what you posted about Satan but I don't know why you brought him up in this thread that is about how to study and understand the Bible. Of course as Christians its a subject we should study and understand so we don't fall prey to Satan and lose our lives eternally but this thread is not about that.

 

[phipps]

Isn't the Bible a matter of individual interpretation?
MY BIBLE SAYS: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation,... " (2 Peter 1:20).

What does the Bible claim to be?
MY BIBLE SAYS: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth" (John 17:17).

What is the first step in understanding the Bible truth?
MY BIBLE SAYS: "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority" (John 7:17).

What method of Bible Study is especially helpful in discovering God's truth?
MY BIBLE SAYS: "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? ...For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:9,10).

What guarantee has Jesus given to ensure that as we study the Bible with a sincere heart, we will be led into His truth?
MY BIBLE SAYS: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:..." (John 16:13).

 

[Maldarker]

What guarantee has Jesus given to ensure that as we study the Bible with a sincere heart, we will be led into His truth?
MY BIBLE SAYS: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:..." (John 16:13).

Needs to said again

 

[phipps]

Ephesians 5:15-17, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

 

[phipps]

 

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[A Freeman]

Where does the Bible say that Lucifer is the price of power and air? The book, chapter and verse please. If you're going to say something like that you should be able to prove it.

How can anyone deny the power and influence that Lucifer/Satan temporarily has over this world given how evil it is?

God telling us through His Prophet Isaiah that Lucifer/Satan was banished from heaven (the Morning Star) and cast TO THE EARTH, where Lucifer/Satan has been ruling and influencing mankind for the past 6000 years:

Isaiah 14:12-17
14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the Morning (Star)! [How] art thou cut down TO THE EARTH, which didst weaken the nations!
14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North:
14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like (take the Place of) The Most High.
14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the person that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
14:17 [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?


Christ-Jesus plainly telling us that Lucifer/Satan is the temporary “prince of this world”, i.e. he is the centralized source of evil who is running this world through the corporate fictions and institutions of men (none of which have any influence over Christ – see Matthew 4:8-10, where Satan offers Christ-Jesus “the world” that he’s temporarily running):

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh*, and hath NOTHING in me (no influence).

John 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

*with the Roman guards at the behest of the "Jewish" Sanhedrin, to arrest and crucify Jesus, at Lucifer/Satan's command


Christ’s Revelation to John, where we again find that Lucifer/Satan was banished from heaven and cast TO THE EARTH (also referred to as a prison planet and as hell elsewhere in Scripture) after losing the war in heaven (a coup attempt as it’s described in Isaiah 14:12-17 cited above):

Revelation 12:7-9
12:7 And there WAS war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon (Lucifer); and the dragon fought and his angels,
12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out TO THE EARTH, and his angels (you - Luke 9:55) were cast out with him (Matthew 25:41).

 

[phipps]

 

[phipps]

 

[phipps]

Study the Bible for Yourselves.

Allow no one to be brains for you, allow no one to do your thinking, your investigating, and your praying. This is the instruction we need to take to heart today. Many of you are convinced that the precious treasure of the kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ is in the Bible which you hold in your hand. You know that no earthly treasure is attainable without painstaking effort. Why should you expect to understand the treasures of the word of God without diligently searching the Scriptures? FE 307.1

 

[Clout]

Why Should I Study the Bible?
Summary: Scripture itself lists reasons for us to study its pages..

Hmm..I think we should heed Pauls warning not to get bogged down too much in the Old T..
Paul said - "I'm worried lest you be led astray from the simplicity of Christ" (2 Cor 11:3)



"And the common people heard (Jesus) gladly" (Mark 12:37)..

 

[phipps]

Hmm..I think we should heed Pauls warning not to get bogged down too much in the Old T..
Paul said - "I'm worried lest you be led astray from the simplicity of Christ" (2 Cor 11:3)

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"And the common people heard (Jesus) gladly" (Mark 12:37)..

You are misquoting Paul again. I will quote 2 Corinthians 11:1-6:

Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.

Nowhere is Paul saying in the above verses including verse 3 that you quoted that we should "not to get bogged down too much in the Old Testament."

You do know or should know that when Paul was alive there was no New Testament yet. His writings which make up most of the New Testament had not yet been compiled as part of the New Testament along with the rest of the other other books including the four gospels. So Paul quoted the Old Testament in his writings in the New Testament and the above verses prove it too. When he says of the Corinthian Church "For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ", Paul is referring to the Old Testament. Here are a few passages from the Old Testament that use the same language as Paul:

Hosea 2:19-20, “I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord."

Jeremiah 31:31-32, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord."

Isaiah 62:4-5 , "You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."

We need both Testaments to fully understand the truth of God. The Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament. The entire Bible is a narrative from the creation of the world in Genesis all the way to the end of the world and its re-creation in Revelation. The Old Testament lays the foundation for Jesus’ life and ministry and gives a glimpse into how God deals with sin and His plan of salvation. The New Testament completes that story, and over 10% of its contents are quotes from the Old Testament. Plus the Old Testament makes up about 75% of the Bible.

The New Testament is consistent with the Old Testament too because the same Holy Spirit that worked in the ancient prophets and patriarchs in the Old Testament is the same Holy spirit that worked with the apostles and disciples of Christ including Paul in the New Testament in their lives and enabled them to share the message of God.

Christ is the theme of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The entire Bible with both Testaments brings eternal life only as we find Jesus Christ in them, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39).

Plus Jesus quoted the Old Testament in His teachings in the New Testament. So how can any Christian diminish what God Himself never did and never will, how can they diminish the Old Testament that testifies of Him and even taught from?!