Understanding Scripture – Principles of Interpretation

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Evangelist St Matthew and the Angel by Guido Reni, 1635-40

Now that we have a translation with which we’re comfortable (and again, there are no perfect translations, although some are more accurate than others), it would be helpful to review a system of interpreting that has proven to result in the most precise understanding.

Hermeneutics is such a system and is simply the art and science of interpreting the original intent of the Bible. To accomplish this objective, hermeneutics promotes four disciplines as follows:

1. Understanding the original meaning of the Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew expression. These languages are often more precise than English and need to be studied for grammar, syntax, gender, as well as meaning, etc.

2. Understand the context of the passage. It is not uncommon to take a snippet of text out of context and try to make it say something it doesn’t.

3. Understand the synthesis principle. True concepts and doctrines are repeated throughout the Bible, while singular understandings are often misinterpretations.

4. Understand the history and culture behind the biblical passage. It helps to know the history, culture, and even geography of the writer and subjects surrounding a particular passage of the Bible.

Can we understand Scripture? 2 Timothy 2:15 implies that we can when it states, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Let’s use these ideas to understand some commonly misconstrued verses. 

Applying the four hermeneutic principles

Understanding the Original Language

Here is a simple but powerful illustration of understanding the original language. One of the most common verses of the Bible is John 3:16, which reads, “God so loved the world…” We could assume, using the standard English understanding of “so,” that the meaning is along the lines of “how much” or “God loves the world so so much.” But that little word “so” does not imply quantity; it implies quality. “So” is an adverb from houtos, meaning “in what way.” In other words, this is how God showed His love for the world, not this is how much He loved the world. He showed His love for the world by sending His son as a sacrifice and substitute for our sins. That takes on a completely different and much more nuanced meaning.

Understanding the Context

Matthew 7:1 states, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” Many misinterpret this as a command never to judge anyone! Although this aligns nicely with our woke culture, where you wouldn’t want to offend anyone or even admit the concept of absolute truth, this is not what this verse is stating.

When we read this verse in its full context, what Jesus condemns is hypocritical judging. Jesus, in verse 5, actually encourages judging when He states, “…first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Additionally, many of the remaining verses in chapter 7 include judging statements: “…beware of the false prophets..,” “…you will know them by their fruits,” and “I will declare to them, I never knew you.” We cannot beware or know, and  Christ couldn’t declare without judging.

Applying the Synthesis Principle

To continue with Matthew 7:1, using the synthesis principle, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 sheds some additional light on the subject of judging. Here, Paul states, “…what have I to do with judging outsiders [non-believers]? Are you not to judge those who are within the church [which assumes an affirmative response]? But for those who are outside, God will judge. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”

Christians are not tasked with pointing out the vices of non-believers. This doesn’t mean we can’t discern sin, but our objective is to share the gospel’s good news and pray for their redemption, not run around pointing our finger and making judgments. 

Conversely, we are to guard the church’s purity, which requires judgments and which several cross-reference verses support. For example, Matthew 18:15-17 details a sequential process for judging and restoring fellow believers who are entangled in serious sin. Galatians 6:1-2 instructs believers to restore fellow believers caught in sin and bear one another’s burdens. Finally, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 instructs believers to judge so they can determine not to associate with any so-called brother if he is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a reviler, a drunkard, or a swindler.

Understanding the History

Understanding the history and the culture surrounding this verse provides another clue. Continuing with the same “do not judge…” the Pharisees were famous for seeing others’ sins while being blind to their own faults. The word “Pharisee” is even often used as a synonym for “hypocrite.” Christ frequently spoke of their false religious legalism as illustrations of what not to do, and false judgment was even the topic when Christ, speaking to the Pharisees, states in John 7:24, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Another example

Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

As common as John 3:16 is among the stadium’s spectators, Philippians 4:13 is equally popular with its athletes. Many believe this verse means that Christ is my energy source for success and achievement.

Joel Osteen illustrated this misconception in Today’s Word, on January 21, 2013; “all things are possible to those who believe. That’s right! It is possible to see your dreams fulfilled. It is possible to overcome that obstacle…all you have to know is that if God said you can…you can!…open yourself up to possibilities…by simply declaring this verse, “I can do all things through Christ….”

When you study the context of this verse, however, it is not about success and personal achievement; it’s actually about contentment, contentment in any circumstance, and happiness via the sustaining power of God.

From a historical perspective, Philippians was written while Paul was in prison. He received a financial gift from the Philippians and authored this letter to express his gratitude. 

In Philippians 4:10, Paul thanks the Philippians: “…I rejoiced…that now, at last, you have revived thinking about me.” Verse 11 continues, “I learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” He elaborates on this contentment in verse 12: “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in abundance….”

In Philippians 4:13, Paul concludes, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” The Greek word for “strengthen” means to “put power in.” Paul states that God’s power can sustain believers regardless of their circumstances.

It’s not uncommon to read into a verse when just a snippet of the verse is taken out of context. Paul is not a walk-on for the quarterback position on the Prison football team; he expresses his appreciation and contentment, even in dire circumstances, because of the power of God. 

It helps to understand the meaning of “strengthen,” but the supporting keys to understanding this verse are simply to read and understand it in its literal flow and context and recognize what historically was going on when Paul wrote Philippians. 

Note: Several free Bible resources can help in your studies, including, but not limited to, blueletterbible.org, netbible.org, and stepbible.org.

Conclusion

It’s disconcerting to observe how frequently many treat God’s word in such a cavalier fashion. Unfortunately, the mischaracterizations are the fault of both non-believers and believers.

No doubt, many politicians will “appeal to a higher authority” to leverage their position with any verse they think fits the occasion. 

Equally offensive (if not more so), these same verses are printed on coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets, to be sold in every Christian bookstore in America. I’m pretty sure neither is acceptable.

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was asked if “God was on his side?” Instead of glibly misquoting some Bible verse in support of the war effort, he responded as follows:

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Next week, we’ll cover the structure of the Old Testament.

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