How To Read The Bible
Hermeneutics is the science or method of interpreting the Bible. When you read your Bible there are some basic rules that you must follow in order to understand it properly. Remember, you have access to the same Bible that theologians and pastors do. They do not have any special insight that you do not have. As a Christian you have the privilege and obligation to go to God's Word for yourself. You would be amazed at how little pastors and theologians really know.
1. The Bible is Literature
The Bible is literature. It is the infallable Word of God, but it is also literature. It uses poetic, apocolyptic, symbolic, and literal language. It is imperative to determine the literary genre of each passage in order to unerstand the true meaning. The Bible cannot be read like a newspaper.
2. The Bible is a Covenantal Book.
Remember that the Bible is a covenantal book from Genesis to Revelation. It is not concerned about the physical and literal so much as it is with the spiritual and covenantal. The creation and prophetic portions of scripture are primarily covenantal, not literal.
3.. Scripture interprets Scripture.
Compare Scripture with Scripture. This helps us to determine if language is literal or symbolic. For example, we can know that the sun, moon, and stars language in Matthew 24 is symbolic because it is used symbolically in other parts of the Bible. This rule allows the Bible to define itself.
4. Audience Relevance.
None of the Bible was written to us. It was written for us, but not to us. For example, when John wrote Revelation, he was writing to seven historical churches that existed at that time. He was not addressing Christians in America in the 21st century. When we read the New Testament epistles we are literally reading somebody else's mail. How did the original audience view that particular book in the Bible? What did it mean to them?
5. Subject Context.
What is the subject being discussed in the text? Keep every verse in context.
6. Historical Context.
When was the book written? To whom was it written? Why was it written? Under what circumstances? If someone 2,000 years from now got a hold of a newspaper from our time and saw cartoons with elephants and donkeys, they would not understand the true meaning of those cartoons if they tried to take them literally. They would have to understand that the elephant and donkey were symbols for the political parties. Such is the case when we read the Bible. If we try to take the images given in Revelation literally, we completely miss the point.
7. Chapter Divisions
There are no chapter divisions in the original manuscripts. Therefore the subject does not necessarily change just because the chapter changes.
8. Bible Transalations
Most Bible translators are biased and interpret the Bible according to their own views. They paraphrase instead of translating. The Young's Literal Transalation is the most accurate translation in English. The King James Version is also pretty good.
Home