Reading the Bible part three

Understanding and Applying the Bible

Week 3

Context of the Author:

Since the Bible is of Divine Authorship via human languages through human authors, we must always approach our Bibles in this order to find out exactly what God is communicating. He has communicated His Living Word to us in human language, because we are human! This being said, we should see two immediate contexts that arise in our goal of understanding exactly what God is saying. Divine Authorship through human authorship. First we settle in our heart, mind, soul, and strength that God has said this. Second, we see which human author He chose to write His Word. Their person, location, culture, time or historical setting, and language it was written in, because all this affects the message that the Holy Spirit used the precisely chosen men to write exactly what God Himself is saying. During the rest of the weeks of the lessons we study together, we will apply the supernatural-naturally unfolding and outlining of the books, letters, chapters, passages, verses and sentences that Theologically unfold by God’s design using human languages that He created and breathed into chosen men He created to write His Word to us. All in accordance of course, prayerfully, under the unction of the Holy Spirit and the “Whole Counsel of God” or unity of the whole Bible.

“God did not reveal Himself and His Will, in a catalogue of propositional truths recorded in a celestial language only but to people in human language.” (McQuilkin pg 78) So in our bodies designed by God, human ability to speak, hear, read, and write, also design by God, we have His Word written by Him, through chosen human authors, first scrolls, now the complete revealed will of God manifested to us in the Holy Bible or Hagios-Biblios or “Set Apart Book.” That being said, we have a duty and responsibility to prayerfully dig, read, and study as we as we do other human written communications, for us to read for information asking the questions: “Who, what, when, where, why, and how come?” is God saying this. The grammar, type of noun, adjective, gender, singular or plural, verb, object and subject of the sentence, the punctuation, in short, basic elementary grammar and English. Why? Because we speak English.

True in ALL its Parts

All the Bible is Truth and will not and cannot itself distort Biblical interpretation: or reject verses, passages, chapters, books, or letters because it doesn’t agree with our emotions, secular education in society, history, psychology, sociology, and anthropological (depraved flesh of our fallen nature that wars against the Holy Spirit ie Galatians) worldview. The Christian that has settled in their heart, mind, soul, and spirit, the evaluation of our Lord Jesus the Christ concerning everything He said concerning the Old Testament Scriptures, is already in the position to correctly interpret the Word of God, and has to interpret on the FACT that ALL the Bible is True!

Unity and Harmony in ALL its Parts

Since the Bible is Truth in every word written, its words, sentences, passages, chapters, books, and letters are in COMPLETE HARMONY AND UNITY! Therefore we must be like Jesus and our Berean brothers spoken of in the Acts of the Apostles or (Acts of the Holy Spirit) and labor and search the Scriptures with and for unity of the Whole Counsel of God to wholly understand what God is saying. Always hold Scripture against Scripture. Questions will arise when we do this. “How does the Old Testament relate to the New Testament?” “Why do the historical books of the Old Testament seem to contradict one another?” “Why do Matthew’s genealogy of Christ seem to contradict Luke’s genealogy of Christ?” To first understand this we must fix our minds on the fact all Scripture is truth and always in harmony.

The Purpose of Divine Revelation

God revealed and reveals Himself for His glory and our redemption and salvation. That “salvation” is complete from initial “justification” to and through “sanctification” to finally “glorification.” God’s purpose is His glory and our salvation:

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17 KJV)

To say that salvation is the purpose of Scripture is to say revelation is limited. Consider that our infinite Creator is peeling back the layers of understanding, of His finite and limited creation we humans. Read Job chapter 38 to understand this precept of Theology. As Isaiah states, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God has revealed what He wants us to know and understand in the Scriptures and the fullness of His revelation in our Lord Jesus Christ.

To use the Bible as a textbook on secular human derived fields of study such as: biology, psychology, or sociology is to misappropriate Scripture and undermine its authority, unless we are led by the Holy Spirit to take a stand and defend the Truth against human lies and theories, and we are stating exactly what God says in these areas or arenas of theories and lies.

This however is not the purpose of Divine revelation. Divine revelation is for God’s glory and our salvation.

The Goal of Biblical Study

The Bible is our standard of authoritative revelation of spiritual truth, so the goal of Bible study must be to understand what God is saying through His chosen human authors. “What exactly is God saying in this verse, chapter, or passage?” Since the purpose of God is His glory and our salvation, that purpose can never be fulfilled unless God’s message is understood. Simply understanding the Bible will not bring salvation. It must be trusted and obeyed to come to salvation in Christ. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15 KJV) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10 KJV)

Extent of Authority

“We have already seen that God’s authority does not rest upon our fallible interpretation of Scripture BUT ONLY upon Scripture itself. But does that authority reside only in teaching of Scripture, or does it also extend to the words of Scripture? If so, does it extend to every part of Scripture equally? First, our presupposition is that all Scripture is God breathed and infallible. This is not the place to defend the position of verbal inspiration or scriptural inerrancy. However, it is appropriate to remember that our models for interpretation are Jesus Christ and the New Testament writers. They treated the Old Testament Scriptures as not only authoritative but wholly trustworthy-even to the individual words. Following that example, we affirm the authority of Scripture covers the words as well as the concepts. Some interpreters affirm the truth of the concepts of Scripture while holding that some of the words are in error. But there is no meaning without words true to that meaning. Furthermore, the “inspired concept” theory violates the independent authority of Scripture. The criteria for distinguishing between true meanings or concepts, and untrue words through which the meaning is given, shifts the authority to those criteria or the one using them.” (McQuilkin pg 81)

Distinguishing Between Interpretation and Application

Our first task is to understand what God is saying or “interpret.” Next we must apply what God is saying from the text of Scripture to our current contemporary setting. This requires us to examine the general precept that lies behind any specific instruction. In this way, if we are praying, walking in the Spirit, and obedient, we will see the revealed authoritative speaking of God.

Consider this example: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22 KJV) We cannot say that this is a culturally conditioned statement, and therefore no longer today. To do so would negate the next verses that are written: “23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the church. 24 Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it; 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, 27 that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” (Ephesians 5:23-28 KJV)

In conclusion, the Bible’s authority is violated in two primary ways when we work to harmonize apparent incompatible passages of teaching:

“1.) Obscure passages, uncertain interpretations, or minor Biblical emphases are forced to prevail over clear or more pervasive teaching. On the surface, it would seem that method is simply allowing the Scripture. However, when an uncertain teaching is made to prevail over far clearer revelation, it is the interpreter or his interpretation that has become authoritative.

2.) The interpreter violates the authority of Scripture through logical deduction from clear Bible teaching. That kind of deduction violates the Scripture when [1] it is t treated as infallible truth, or worse, [2] it is turned against other clear teaching of Scripture. It then becomes an extra- biblical, philosophical position that has been used to subvert the plain intent of the author.” (McQuilkin pg 85)

Prerequisites for Interpreting Scripture

Even though God desires to communicate, to speak to all men for His glory and our salvation, not just anyone can understand Scripture. Faith is required as a prerequisite for having the ability in understanding Scripture. A lost person not being filled by the Holy Spirit cannot fully understand the life giving, life changing, Living Word. The Bible is clear on this, without the work of the Holy Spirit one cannot do it! They are spiritually dead and can’t perceive the Spiritual Life Giving Word of God as Paul wrote: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV)

Regeneration:

At the very beginning, for the lost soul, he cannot understand the revealed things of God in the Scripture without the aid of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told Nicodemus at night that he must needs be born again. Spiritually born again and by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we have all we need to hear from God in His Written word.

1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 2:15-18 (KJV)

Commitment or Discipline:

Born again and spiritually alive or made a new creation is required, but this alone will enable us to understand and hear exactly what our Father in heaven is saying! We must have complete confidence in the Word of God, because faith is not just an intellectual proposition. On the contrary, true saving faith is a commitment, submitting to the Bible for every revealed Truth He speaks to us and we understand its meaning, and its Divine Author, we are accountable for applying that nugget of truth into our life. Faith increases and causes us to seek, to dig, to labor to arrive at exactly what God is saying. We have to discipline ourselves to daily search the Scriptures and rely less and less on five or ten minute devotionals written by someone else. “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself-[Jesus]” (John 7:17 KJV)

Building on this first requirement, is a heart, mind, soul, strength, attitude, intent, and desire to obey the truth, to want to hear from God and understand everything He is saying. “Commitment to obedience has another characteristic: hard work.” (McQuilkin pg 87} The Christian that is sold out and committed to obey what they learn, will study to show themselves approved, correctly dividing the Word of God, and not be ashamed as Paul instructed young Timothy. “Faith does not mean that we lay aside our intellectual cognitive design God created us with, and rely on our “feelings and emotions” or subjective impulses to understand Scripture, NO trusting salvation faith in Christ alone and trusting every “jot and tittle” of the Bible. We use our brains as Bible students to read and use all the resources God has given him [us] sic J.B. to understand Scripture so we can obey it.

Prayer

Psalm 119:125; James 1:5- Faith in the Author of the Word, the residence of the Holy Spirit, must be pouring out of us. Our prayer life when it is consistent, praying the Spirit, with faith is the only avenue to invoke the Holy Spirit to reveal the true meaning of the verses, passages, and books of the Bible. In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus says to keep seeking, keep knocking, and keep asking in prayer, and “How much more of the Holy Spirit will He give to those that ask...” and Jesus was teaching on prayer in this passage. So this should be one our first petitions when we wake up every day and pray before we dive into the Bible to hear God speak to us after we initiated the conversation by prayer! He the Holy Spirit, or ‘parakle’sis’ - is the One Whom told the human authors what message from God to write down, and His job is to teach us how to pray and read the words He wrote. This prayer is essential.

Humility

This should be the heart and attitude in which we first pray and invoke God’s Hallowed Name. Because He is Holy, Holy, Holy, El Shaddai Adonai- LORD God Almighty; Creator and King of the universe. This posture will aid us in the swarming attack of the flesh to be puffed up when we began to really, really understand exactly what God is saying. Spiritual pride will quench the Holy Spirit, taint our hands and heart, and put a wedge of sin between our fellowship with our Father in heaven. We must needs walk humbly before Him.

In closing the summary of two chapters of the textbook, consider this:

1.) Since thee Bible was written through the Person of the Holy Spirit, using human minds, personalities, and three separate languages: we must use then means which God physically gave us to work with the Spirit, human languages, letters, sentences etc.

2.) God breathed the Word through specific predestined men, various cultures, segments of linear human history, and it is absolute objective truth, it is in complete harmony from cover to cover.

3.) God said it, therefore it is His Owner’s manual for his purchased children to guide us in living as children of light, advancing His kingdom, and growing deeper in our relationship with Him, and bring Him Glory!