Principles of Bible Interpretation & Application
Let us let the Bible help us understand how to study and apply its teachings…
1. Man cannot understand (on his own) the mind of God – 1 Corinthians 2:11.
2. The Spirit of God has revealed the mind of God – 1 Corinthians 2:12-13.
3. The Spirit of God has revealed the mind of God through the apostles & prophets of Jesus Christ – John 14:25-26; 15:26-27; 16:13 (this promise was given directly only to the apostles – Mark 14:17)
4. The apostles and prophets have revealed the mind of God through their (inspired) writings – 1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 3:3-5
5. We can understand that message – Ephesians 3:3-5; 5:17 (although some things are “hard to understand” – 2 Peter 3:15-16)
6. We must study that word – John 5:39
7. We must accurately handle the word of truth – 2 Timothy 2:15:
1. We must recognize that the Old Law is obsolete as a binding law on the Jews – Hebrews 8:13
2. We must recognize that some things are matters of the first century culture:
1. Women wearing the veil – 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
2. Anointing the sick with oil – James 5:14; Luke 10:34
3. Kissing as a greeting – Romans 16:16
4. Washing feet – John 13:14; 1 Timothy 5:10
3. We must recognize that some things were spoken to the first century church that do not apply today – 1 Corinthians 14:1
4. Yet, we must recognize that there was a unity to the pattern of Christianity taught by the inspired writers:
1. 1 Corinthians 4:17
2. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
3. Philippians 3:17
4. 2 Timothy 1:13
8. We are obligated to obey what the inspired writers taught and commanded – Luke 10:16; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14
9. We cannot:
1. Go beyond what is written – 1 Corinthians 4:6; cf. the definition of “lawlessness,” i.e., doing something without God’s authority.
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3. Add to or subtract from the commands – Revelation 22:18-19
10. How do we know?
1. We study the immediate context of the specific passage (paragraph and/or chapter).
2. We study the near context (the whole letter).
3. We study other writings of the same author relative to the given topic.
4. We study the remote context of other authors relative to the same topic.
5. We study the Old Testament on the same theme.
6. We might study first century Greco-Roman culture and words and their meanings.
7. So, we can determine if there is theology behind the command or if there is simply culture behind the command.
8. We recognize the Bible is composed of different genre of Scripture that requires a slightly different approach:
1. Law
2. History
3. Poetry
4. Prophesy
9. As a rule of thumb, we take a passage literally unless there are compelling reasons to interpret it figuratively.
10. Recognize:
1. The tense of verbs can make a difference – Matthew 22:32
2. The number of the noun can make a difference – Galatians 3:16
11. We ask ourselves:
1. What is it that Jesus wants all Christians to know, obey, feel?
2. For all time?
3. In every place?
–Paul Holland
