INTERPRETING
SCRIPTURE CORRECTLY
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How do we know when we have the right interpretation of Scripture? Actually, there are many ways we can know. I will concentrate here on just one of them.
According to the book of James, the correct interpretation of God's Word bears good fruit:
• But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:17-18)
Our good fruit shows off the wisdom of God to the world. When our interpretation of Scripture guides us to live wisely and morally in the eyes of the world, this is a good indication that we have the proper understanding of God's Word.
Israel's godly influence upon their neighbors was most definitely a demonstration of the wisdom of God in their lives. After all, Moses had taught the Israelites that if they would live according to His laws, they would reveal God's wisdom to the nations around them:
• “See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?” (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)
By living out God's truths as He intended for them to be practiced and understood, Israel would be a light to the nations.
This same guiding principle pertains to us today. When we interpret and apply the Word accurately, our conduct will show forth God's wisdom and put our oppressors to shame:
• Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation...For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. (1 Peter 2:12, 15; also see Titus 2:5-10)
These teachings reflect the unassailable fact that, not only Christians, but non-Christians alike have the moral laws of God written on their hearts (Romans 2:14-15). Therefore, it is certain that those who do not know Christ indeed know what is good and what is not. Even if they walk in the darkness of evil, they still know what is morally right. That is why, even if they hate the light of God's wisdom, they can only deny it with great difficulty.
However, if the way that believers interpret Scripture causes unbelievers to dismiss our faith, then perhaps we have failed to show God's wisdom in our understanding of what the Word is saying.
For example, many Christians have misinterpreted Jesus' teaching on "turning the other cheek" in Luke 6:29. Some feel so confident in their literal understanding of what Jesus said that they would even refuse to report a burglary.
How do we know conclusively that such a response is wrong? The answer is simple and makes so much common sense: any interpretation of the Word is wrong if it leads one to respond in a way that would bring sincere disrepute upon the faith and upon the church.
What if my sister is raped and I know the identity of the rapist? But, because of my horribly misguided understanding of what it means to "turn the other cheek," I do not bring charges against the perpetrator. Then, when my neighbor's wife is raped by the same man, her husband learns that I had refused to bring charges. He has every right to regard me—and my faith—with contempt.
This should teach us an essential lesson. If our interpretation of Scripture fails to reveal the wisdom of God, it is likely that we have the wrong interpretation.
If we speak and act according to God's wise teachings, we will be blessed; and we will have the opportunity to bless others, as well:
• Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor. (Proverbs 13:13-15)
When we live this way, it is highly likely that we are correctly interpreting Scripture and walking in the truth of His Word. And, as Proverbs 13 declares, we will win favor.
However, it is important for us to remember as well what Jesus clearly taught: if we faithfully bear forth the light of Scripture, just as the world hated Jesus, so the world will hate us:
• “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:18-20)
How do we reconcile these two very different Scriptural teachings? On the one hand, we will be rewarded and favored; on the other hand, the world will hate us. I think that there are two ways to understand these seemingly contradictory messages. For one thing, I think all of us are well aware that people are walking, breathing contradictions. They might truly hate us and yet still recognize our goodness.
The other possibility is this: those who are hardened to the truth will hate us, while those who are being drawn to the light will hold us in esteem:
The other possibility is this: those who are hardened to the truth will hate us, while those who are being drawn to the light will hold us in esteem:
• But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life…(2 Corinthians 2:14-16a)
Some will hate us…and some will love us.
Here is one last thought about how to know if we are interpreting Scripture accurately. Interpretation is like doing a puzzle. We know that the last piece of the puzzle belongs where it does because it fits in with all the other pieces. In the same way, the interpretation of a single verse must agree with all the other “pieces” of the Biblical puzzle, if that interpretation is to be accurate.
Of course, it is not always as easy as that. The pieces of a puzzle are made to fit clearly into certain positions according to the various openings in the rest of the puzzle. However, sometimes our interpretations and theological conclusions are much more tenuous.
Why is that true? For one thing, in this life we are able to see only in part, like a poor reflection in a mirror (Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Corinthians 8:2; 13:9-12). God has hidden much from us, perhaps because we are not yet ready to know certain things:
• It is the glory of God to conceal a matter…(Proverbs 25:2a)
For another thing, Scripture is infinitely deeper than the created world, of which we are but a part. Therefore once again, in this life, we will always be dependent upon God for any wisdom we might hope to possess:
• If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)
This is most certainly as it should be. In this life and in the next, we are totally dependent on God for wisdom and, in fact, everything we need. What a great journey of faith we are on!
New York School of the Bible: http://www.nysb.nyc/
