Discussion Applying all possible scriptural interpretations when applying the scriptures.

[Gregory Thompson]

Anyone who's read an amplified version of the bible can get an idea of possible variant interpretations of each verse. That's one thing that makes the strongs numbers really useful when reading an electronic bible. An example of one online is https://www.blueletterbible.org/

Since God is really big and has thoughts higher than our thoughts, I was thinking and have tried this out at times ... to apply all possible meanings as true and find a new harmony.

and older version of the NIV used to render a part of 1st Corinthians Chapter 13 as "Love believes all things" and also "love rejoices in the truth" ... so I started looking into all the things that could possibly be true - at the same time.

this thread is to discuss such things: there is more than one interpretation for each verse in the bible, for purposes of edification and radical application.

 

[Biblicist]

Of all the commentaries that I own, my two favourite commentaries would be by Anthony Thiselton who has written a 1446 page work on First Corinthians. What he has done is to provide the better known options for each passage, where for 1Cor 12:3 he provides 12 options over 11 pages. The interesting thing is that within five years he added another option in his next book on First Corinthians which he though was highly likely and with his final book on First Corinthians that he produced 15 years after his first, he had come to the conclusion that this new option was correct.

Craig Keener has produced a superb four volume work which comprises 4459 pages where he addresses each passage within Acts from almost every conceivable angle.

Since the late 80's this has been the trend for the better commentaries where the various commentators will interact with other scholars. Prior to the Internet this was something that was very hard for many commentators to do, where now we find many scholars sending off pre-release chapters for other scholars to peruse through where they will hopefully pick up on a few errors or offer opposing views; once they get this feedback they will then incorporate what they can into these new commentaries.

The advantage for us is obvious in that we no longer need to buy an expensive commentary just to hear the views of a single person, but where we can often gain from the thoughts and opinions of many commentators from within a single commentary.

 

[SeventyOne]

I think that can be a rather foolish thing to do. We don't do that, or expect non-English speakers to do that, to our own English language when it's read. Why would we do it with another language?

If a Spanish speaker reads a sentence like, "The boy caught a green frog.", we would expect the context to dictate the definition of 'green', as simply pertaining to the color of the frog.

However, suppose that person then decides to use "all possible meanings" of green to draw more out of the text.
Green could mean something covered in foliage. Would that make it a plant-covered frog? No.
Green could mean something is unripened. Would that make it an unripened frog? No.
Green could mean something not dry or cured. Would that make it an uncured frog? No.
Green could mean something is inexperienced. Would that make it an inexperienced frog? No.

The only thing such a person could get out of the exercise is confusion and a meaning of the text that isn't accurate.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I think that can be a rather foolish thing to do. We don't do that, or expect non-English speakers to do that, to our own English language when it's read. Why would we do it with another language?

If a Spanish speaker reads a sentence like, "The boy caught a green frog.", we would expect the context to dictate the definition of 'green', as simply pertaining to the color of the frog.

However, suppose that person then decides to use "all possible meanings" of green to draw more out of the text.
Green could mean something covered in foliage. Would that make it a plant-covered frog? No.
Green could mean something is unripened. Would that make it an unripened frog? No.
Green could mean something not dry or cured. Would that make it an uncured frog? No.
Green could mean something is inexperienced. Would that make it an inexperienced frog? No.

The only thing such a person could get out of the exercise is confusion and a meaning of the text that isn't accurate.

I like to think of the glass as "half full" and it works for me.

 

[com7fy8]

There is the love meaning, deeper and more than words can tell . . . how God has us living His scripture.

There are cases in the Bible where God gave a person His word, and the person might have forgotten it, but then God would do what He meant by that message and then remind the person that He had told the person that.

 

[Razare]

this thread is to discuss such things: there is more than one interpretation for each verse in the bible, for purposes of edification and radical application.

More than one interpretation, and there is only one correct interpretation.

Multiple interpretations does not mean, "We can never know."

A lot of bad interpretations can be proven to be bad if you know much else in the Bible.

Yes, if you take one verse, and look only at it and the surrounding statements, you may very well not know the truth of interpretation. The Bible has 66 books in agreement, though, so you can go look at one of those other books and learn the correct interpretation instead of staying in the dark on the issue!

I have found with things I have learned from God in the Bible, that interpretation never ends. The more you learn the correct interpretation of a scripture, the more that opens up the Bible to learn additional truth from God. The correct interpretation has these qualities then. It is not an excuse where the questioning must stop because we cannot handle more detailed inquiry. Rather the word itself with correct interpretation handles very deep inquiry, and God is willing to reveal it in these last days to us.

Some things I believe are hidden in God's word whether by codes or symbolism or both, or some other way of embedding information which I have not discovered yet:

- Timing of the world's end (maybe not revealed to us, but it is still in there)
- Unified Field Theory
- Deep Christ revelation that Christians fail to realize and live
- Building blocks for all natural wisdom concerning plants and animals, which Solomon had


Now, even with correct interpretation, every given verse has more than 1 application by that correct interpretation.

So you can extract many things from a given verse.

 

[Victor E.]

Anyone who's read an amplified version of the bible can get an idea of possible variant interpretations of each verse. That's one thing that makes the strongs numbers really useful when reading an electronic bible. An example of one online is https://www.blueletterbible.org/

Since God is really big and has thoughts higher than our thoughts, I was thinking and have tried this out at times ... to apply all possible meanings as true and find a new harmony.

and older version of the NIV used to render a part of 1st Corinthians Chapter 13 as "Love believes all things" and also "love rejoices in the truth" ... so I started looking into all the things that could possibly be true - at the same time.

this thread is to discuss such things: there is more than one interpretation for each verse in the bible, for purposes of edification and radical application.

"Since God is really big and has thoughts higher than our thoughts, I was thinking and have tried this out at times ... to apply all possible meanings as true and find a new harmony." I like this direction, especially when it's used with these verses: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, James 3:13-18, James 4:1-6, John 1:1, Hebrews 4:12, Matthew 18:1-6, Matthew 17:14-20 and lastly..

Matthew 19:24 paired with Matthew 16:19

 

[com7fy8]

"to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:19)

I suppose this is the purpose-interpretation of any scripture (1 Timothy 1:5) . . . how we know His love (Romans 5:5) in which is all the good, all the fullness, of God Himself sharing Himself with us . . . as much as each of us is > "one spirit with Him" >

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

So, the interpretation is all which God does with us, in us . . . all He knows His word means, coming from His heart. So we trust God beyond words (Proverbs 3:5-6) and submit to Him for His meaning in His peace ruling in us (Colossians 3:15) to produce His interpretation.

 

[Victor E.]

"to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:19)

I suppose this is the purpose-interpretation of any scripture . . . how we know His love in which is all the good, all the fullness, of God Himself sharing Himself with us . . . as much as each of us is > "one spirit with Him" >

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

So, the interpretation is all which God does with us, in us . . . all He knows His word means, coming from His heart. So we trust God beyond words and submit to Him for His meaning, all the time, in His peace ruling in us to produce His interpretation all the time.

YES! His Word guides us and His Spirit empowers us! Although this can easily be interchanged and is is not absolute. Absolutes are very bad I feel. Except Truth and Deception. I like that Absolute...wait that was an absolute too. See how bad they are???

 

[Victor E.]

YES! His Word guides us and His Spirit empowers us! Although this can easily be interchanged and is is not absolute. Absolutes are very bad I feel. Except Truth and Deception. I like that Absolute...wait that was an absolute too. See how bad they are??? That is why we are encouraged to use few words where possible.

 

[com7fy8]

"swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (in James 1:19)

 

[faroukfarouk]

YES! His Word guides us and His Spirit empowers us!

Yes, it's the essential combination of the Word and prayerful dependence on the leading of the Holy Spirit through the Word, which is so vitally important in the believer's daily life.

 

[dysert]

More than one interpretation, and there is only one correct interpretation.

Amen.

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "People have more trouble with the passages they do understand than with the passages they don't understand."

 

[Victor E.]

Amen.

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "People have more trouble with the passages they do understand than with the passages they don't understand."

2 Timothy 4:1-8. It's easy to do if we stop sparing feelings and let everyone hate us. That sounds terrible but we were called to love GOD as the first and greatest commandment were we not?