Biblical principles and guidelines for studying scripture

[reddogs]

The teachers who have sign up for November 2007:

Thecountrydoc
Reddogs
Jimlamore


Also Doc and I will do the Daily Lesson which will be considered as one Thread for all intents and purposes..

 

[reddogs]

How to Study the Bible



First, we must understand that the Scriptures are Holy, inspired writings from God Himself. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. Let us take a brief moment to break down the second half of that passage.

All Scripture is profitable for:

1. for doctrine. All of our church doctrines are to come from the Bible, not from views and ideas of men.
2. for reproof. Reproof means to rebuke, so we are to use the Scriptures to rebuke false doctrines, practices, and ideas.
3. for correction. We are to correct our doctrines, practices, and ideas based off what the Scriptures say.
4. for instruction in righteousness. The Bible is our instruction manual in the ways of righteous living, and we need to continually return to the Bible to be sure we are doing things the way God says to.

The Bible is very clear that the Scriptures are not for us to interpret ourselves, no matter if we are average people or theologians or pastors or church leaders. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (1 Peter 1:20) Why are we not to put our own interpretations into what we read in the Bible? “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.” (vs 21) Because the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, were written by the inspiration of God, we cannot say: “Well, I think this passage means…”

So how can we know what the Scriptures mean? The Bible tells us very simply to “prove all things” (1 Thess. 5:21) and “to the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). We must put all of our doctrines and ideas to the ultimate test: does it stand up to Scripture? We cannot interpret the Bible to prove our ideas; we must allow the Bible and only the Bible to interpret itself for us!

But how? How does the Bible interpret itself? Let us ask the Bible.

Isaiah 28:10 says: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” We must take the subject we are studying and search for what the Bible says on that subject. Not one passage or verse, but all the passages and verses that speak on that subject!

Remember, the Bible is the written Word of God… holy because it was inspired by God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16), and because of this, the Bible never contradicts itself. If something appears to contradict, it is not the Bible that is at fault—it is our doctrines and preconceived ideas that are wrong. We must never approach the Bible with the intent of finding support for our own opinions and ideas; we must come with a clean mind, allowing the Bible to share with us what the Lord has said on a subject.

The only way to understand a subject is to study the Bible the way the Bible says to: “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Um, we need to pause here for a moment. What does precept mean? According to the wonderful Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged from 1976, precept means: “a command or principle intended as a general rule of action.” So the Bible is telling us, to understand the Bible, we must study according to similar principles, similar ideas, by finding the lines that speak on the same subject.

Did you know that most Bibles include a Topical Index (Concordance) in the very back? It has topics that are of interest and a few Bible verses that speak of that topic. Get out your Bibles and look in the back. Does yours have one? If not, hunt around your house for a Bible that does. Now, together, let us turn to this index, commonly referred to as a concordance, and choose a topic to study. How about… Truth.

Wow! Look at those verses that talk about Truth!

My small KJV Bible has 26 verses under Truth. Your Bible’s concordance might have more or less. I challenge you to carefully look up each of the verses under truth and learn what the Bible teaches about Truth before you read any more of this.

Done? Well, this short study on the topic of Truth has hopefully revealed to you what the Bible teaches on Truth. We have allowed the Bible to interpret itself, placing no preconceived ideas into it, but just followed where the verses led us. By following Isaiah 28:10 and allowing the Bible to interpret itself, we have learned:

The Truth of God is everlasting. (Psalms 117:2)
The law, the Spirit, and the word of God is Truth. (Psalm 119:142; 1 John 5:6; John 17:17)
Truth shall be your shield and shall set you free. (Psalms 91:4; John 8:32)
Jesus Christ is the way, the Truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

This is how the Bible says to study the Bible: choose the topic that you wish to study, look up all of the verses referring to that topic, and read for yourself what the Bible says.

It is important for me to mention that studying the Bible and reading the Bible are two different things. It is perfectly fine to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, to pick a book like John to read through, or to jump from one Bible story to another. This is called reading the Bible, but to really, truly dig deep into the Bible—to study the Bible—you must follow the instructions of the Bible: you must study “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10).

I hope that this may help you in your future Bible studies to locate the issues you wish to know more about and also to empower you into researching topics on your own without having to rely on what others have said.

Jacquelyn J.M. Fisher
19 October 2005

 

[reddogs]

RULES OF HERMENEUTICS


1. Every Bible passage has only one meaning (except some Prophecies that contain information about contemporary people as well as about Christ).

2. The most obvious meaning of any passage is usually correct.

3. The author's own explanation of a passage is obviously correct.

4. Scripture must be interpreted in harmony with the context.

5. Scripture must be interpreted in harmony with the environment of the author.

6. Scripture must be interpreted in harmony with other passages.

7. Obscure passages must be interpreted in harmony with clearer ones.

8. Scripture must be interpreted in harmony with idiomatic usage.

9. All passages on every subject should be studied.

10. Observe a proper balance ‑‑ do not over‑emphasize one part of a passage to the detriment of another part.

11. Rightly divide Covenants, Books, Dispensations, etc.

12. Rightly divide language: e.g.. Symbolic, Prophetic, and Literal language.

13. Know the meaning of words and sentences.

14. Know the limits of revelation. The Bible was not meant to be a scientific handbook or a complete history book.



Bible interpretation is for the purpose of letting God speak to man. God speaks through His word.

A. God's word must be approached with an open mind, in humility, with the idea to learn.

1. The student must keep himself busy with EXEGESIS, i.e. Getting out of God's word what God has put in there in the first place.

2. The student must guard most against EISEGESIS, i.e. Reading into God's word what you have already decided to believe.

(Quick Note: The post above was based on a essay or written by PaleHorse a true christian and has no copyright)

 

[reddogs]

Principles of Biblical Interpretation


By William Miller

"IN studying the Bible, I have found the following rules to be of great service to myself, and now give them to the public by special request. Every rule should be well studied, in connection with the scripture references, if the Bible student would be at all benefited by them.




1.) All Scripture is necessary, and may be understood by diligent application and study.

2 Timothy 3:15-17.

2.) Every word must have it’s proper bearing on the subject presented in the Bible.

Matthew 5:17-18.

3.) Scripture must be it’s own expositor (explainer), since it is a rule of itself. If I depend on a minister or teacher to explain it to me, and they should guess at it’s meaning, or desire to have it so on account of their creed, or thought to be wise... then their guessing, desire, creed, or wisdom is my rule and not the Bible!

Psalms 19:7-11; 119:97-105; Matthew 23:8-10; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16; Ezekiel 34:18-19; Luke 11:52; Malachi 2:7-8.

4.) To understand doctrine, bring all the Scriptures together on the subject you wish to know; then let every word have it’s proper influence, and if you can form your theory without contradiction, you CANNOT be in error.

Isaiah 28:7-29; 35:8; Proverbs 19:27; Luke 24:27, 44-45; James 5:19; 2 Peter 1:19-20

5.) Nothing revealed in Scripture can or will be hid from those who ask in faith, nothing wavering.

Deuteronomy 29:29; Matthew 10:26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Philippians 3:15; Isaiah 45:11; Matthew 21:22; John 14:13-14; 15:7; James 1:5-6; 1 John 5:13-15.

6.) God has revealed things to come, by visions, in figures and parables; and in this way the same things are often-times revealed again and again, by different visions, or in different figures and parables. If you wish to understand them, you must combine all in one.

Psalms 89:19; Hosea 12:10; Habakkuk 2:2; Acts 2:17; 1 Corinthians 10:6; Hebrews 9:9, 24; Psalms 78:2; Matthew 13:13, 34; Genesis 41:1-32; Daniel 2:7-8; Acts 10:9-16.

7.) Visions are always mentioned as such.

1 Corinthians 12:1

8.) How to know when a word is used figuratively. If it makes good sense as it stands, and does no violence to the simple laws of nature, then it must be understood literally; if not (then it must be understood) figuratively.

Revelation 12:1,2; 17:3-7

9.) Figures always have a figurative meaning, and are used much in prophecy to represent future times, and events; such as mountains… meaning governments; beasts… meaning kingdoms; waters… meaning people; lamp… meaning Word of God; day… meaning year.

Daniel 2:35, 44; 7:8, 17; Revelation 17:1, 15; Psalm 119:105; Ezekiel 4:6.

10.) To learn the true meaning of figures, trace you figurative word through the Bible, and, where you find it explained, put it on your figure, and if it makes good sense, you need look no further; if not, look again.

11.) Figures sometimes have two or more different significations; as day is used in a figurative sense to represent three different periods of time. 1. indefinite. 2. definite, a day for a year. 3. day for a thousand years.

Ecclesiastes 7:14; Ezekiel 4:6; 2 Peter 3:8.

12.) Parables are used as comparisons to illustrate subjects, and must be explained in the same way as figures, by the subject and Bible.

Mark 4:13

13.) To know whether we have the true historical event for the fulfillment of a prophecy… if you find every word of the prophecy [after the figures are understood] is literally fulfilled, then you may know that your history is the true event. But, if one word lacks a fulfillment, then you must look for another event, or wait its future development. For God takes care that history and prophecy agrees, so that the true, believing children of God may never be ashamed.

Psalm 21:5; Isaiah 14:17-19; 1 Peter 2:6; Revelation 17:17; Acts 3:18.

14.) The most important rule of all is, that you must have faith. It must be a faith that requires a sacrifice, and, if tried, would give up the dearest object on earth, the world and all its desires, character, living, occupation, friends, home, comforts, and worldly honors. If any of these should hinder our believing any part of God’s word, it would show our faith to be vain. Nor can we believe, so long as one of these motives lies lurking in our hearts. We must believe that God will never forfeit His word. And we can have confidence that He takes notice of the sparrow, and numbers the hairs of our head, will guard the translation of His own word, and throw a barrier around it, and prevent those who sincerely trust in God, and put implicit confidence in His word, from erring far from the truth, though they may not understand the Hebrew or Greek.

 

[reddogs]

How to interpret the Bible.


Read the text with an open mind.

Come willing to learn, your attitude that of the boy Samuel: “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10, NIV). We must not seek to read our ideas into the text, which is called “eisegesis.” Exegesis, to the contrary, means to bring the meaning from the text. Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance to discover not only its meaning but also its applicability to our life today.

Ensure a correct text.

How can we determine what a text says when Bible versions themselves differ on what the original language means? Further, the translation that sounds best to you may not be the most accurate. I would suggest that you (1) compare good translations, which often complement one another; and (2) recognize that no translation can capture every nuance of the original text..."

Seek to understand each word in the text.

Words are the smallest unit of a sentence. Their meaning cannot be determined only on the basis of etymology; context may be definitive. What do we do when a word is used only once in the Bible? For example, sabbatismos in Hebrews 4:9. We turn to extra-biblical literature. There studies show that the term consistently denotes literal seventh-day Sabbathkeeping. Thus the correct translation of the Hebrews passage is: A seventh-day Sabbathkeeping has been left behind for the people of God." ..."


Determine the literary nature of a word or phrase.

Words in the Bible, as in modern literature, are often used symbolically, metaphorically, or typologically. For example, the phrase "Horn of salvation" or "horn of my salvation" (2 Sam. 22:3; Luke 1:69) is a metaphor used to characterize God as a "Great Saviour." The metaphor derives from the horns of animals that connoted strength and power (Ps. 132:17; Jer. 48:25)...."



Seek to understand the whole sentence.

To interpret a sentence, we must consider its grammatical and syntactical construction. Grammatically, one needs to define the subject, the tense of the verb, the object of the sentence; syntactically, the relationship of words to one another. The syntax of a verb pays attention to the tense, the voice, the stem, and so on. In interpreting poetry we must remember the correspondence of thought in successive lines, known as parallelism. The basic thought may be repeated, contrasted (Ps. 59:1), or paralleled (Ps. 55:6). The parallelism may be within lines and between lines...."

Seek to understand the unit.

A text's meaning often is clarified by the theme of the unit, which may consist of one or more paragraphs. A good example of interpreting a text in the light of its larger unit is Romans 6:14, perhaps the most frequently quoted Pauline text to prove that Christians have been released from observance of the law. The text reads: "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law but under grace" (NRSV). The common interpretation of this text is that Christians are no longer under the Mosaic law as a rule of conduct because their moral values derive from the principle of love revealed by Christ.

The problem with this popular misinterpretation is that it ignores the immediate and larger context of the text, in which Paul contrasts the dominion of sin with the power of God's grace. "Under law" simply means that Christians are no longer under the dominion of sin and, consequently, under the condemnation of the Law. The grace of Christ has liberated them from both. Paul goes on to say that believers should not transgress the Law simply because God's grace has "set [them] free from sin" (Rom. 6:18, NRSV). It is only the sinful mind that "does not submit to God's Law" (Rom. 8:7). Christians, on the other hand, have the mind of the Spirit, who enables them to fulfill "the just requirement of the law" (Rom. 8:4), the moral principles of which still govern them. Thanks to God's grace, believers become obedient from the heart to the teachings (Rom. 6:17).

Determine if the unit is descriptive or prescriptive.

The Bible teaches us principles explicitly through positive commands and implicitly through positive and negative stories. Thus we must determine whether a passage is descriptive of what people did or prescriptive of what God wanted them to do. A good example is the story of Noah becoming drunk (Gen 9:20-24). Does this incident teach that God approves of the use of alcoholic beverages or demonstrate the negative consequences of drinking them? This descriptive passage teaches us that drinking weakens the moral sensitivity of even good people.

Discover the historical and situational context of the passage.

Since the books of the Bible originated in a historical context, they can be understood only in the light of that context. A good example is Jesus’ offer of living water made in the context of the drama of the water-drawing ceremony that took place at the Feast of Tabernacles. “On the last day of the feast [of Tabernacles], the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me, drink. As the Scripture has said “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water”’” (John 7:37, 38, NRSV)....

Consider the theological meaning.

After understanding the passage grammatically and historically, we must understand it theologically, remembering that no part of the Bible was written in a theological vacuum. On the contrary, each passage contributes to understanding the progressive revelation God has given, and each must be placed in the context of a developing theology...."



Compare Scripture with Scripture.

After examining the text in its immediate and larger context, the next step is to compare it with the entire testimony of Scripture on a particular topic. Biblical doctrines must not be developed out of isolated statements. And we must remember that God's revelation is progressive. For example, in the Old Testament we find only hints of the doctrine of the Trinity. Thus any Old Testament text suggesting plurality or unity of the Godhead must be interpreted in the light of the fuller revelation of the New Testament.

A number of issues troubling the Adventist Church might be closer to resolution if this basic principle of interpretation were followed. Among them: the ordination of women, which in some forums has had only a cursory examination. Whatever the conclusion, we would be closer to fulfilling God's creation design for the harmonious functioning of humanity. And such issues as the one I spent my Sabbath afternoon examining would surely be eliminated as worthy of lengthy scrutiny. Particularly we could expect end-time scenarios based on futurist assumptions to be readily discarded.

Seek to harmonize apparent contradictions.

...the Bible contains numerous apparent contradictions. The proper method of biblical interpretation insists that we seek to understand them, not by fabricating artificial harmonizations but by seeking rational resolutions. God, we should recall, is a God of sense rather than nonsense. ..start with the following apparent contradictions in Paul's statements about the law. He says: The law is good and has been fulfilled in Christ and also that it is bad and has been abolished in Christ (see Ephesians 2:15 and Romans 3:31). In Romans 7:6 he says "we are discharged from the law" (NRSV), but a few verses later writes that "the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good" (7:12). In Romans 3:28 he maintains that a person is "justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law," yet in 1 Corinthians 7:19 he says that neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but obeying the commandments of God.

How can Paul view the law both as "abolished" (Eph. 2:15) and established (Rom. 3:31); unnecessary (Rom. 3:28) and necessary (1 Cor. 7:19); Eph. 6:2, 3; 1 Tim. 1:8-10)..."

Distinguish between the principle and its cultural application.

Principles are permanent; the cultural application can vary in different cultures. A good example is the Sabbath commandment, which contains both a principle and a cultural application. The principle is: "Every human being has the right to rest on the Sabbath." In Bible times the cultural application required that servants, strangers, and even the cattle also were to rest.

Allow Bible scholars to evaluate your interpretation.

...far too many Christians are propagating new "truths" that have not been evaluated by scholars in their church. We must remember that the task of biblical interpretation belongs not only to the individual Christian but also to the church at large. This corporate principle demands that we be sensitive to what competent fellow believers have to say about our interpretation of Scripture....."

Don't expect interpreting the Bible to be easy.

If it were, we would not be plagued by so many conflicting interpretations espoused by hundreds of denominations and scores of individuals within the Adventist Church itself. Discerning truth requires an open mind, receptiveness to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, self-discipline, and willingness to master history, archaeology, culture, grammar, and language skills. But the effort is rewarding. It enables us to come to come to a fuller understanding and experience of biblical truths. The Bible is God's revelation of His will. We dare not abuse this gift by forcing our preconceived ideas onto the Bible or by shoddy scholarship misinterpreting the ideas we draw from it....excerpts from Avoid Twisting Scripture by SAMUELE BACCHIOCCHI, Ph.D.