Properly Interpreting Scripture

It is no secret that many people interpret Scripture in a way that is totally off base. We wonder how they come to that conclusion, especially when the come back is “What does the Bible say?” We are forced to admit that indeed the Bible may SAY that, but THAT is not what it means. No wonder Christianity is so confusing to those on the outside.

The Bible must be read, understood, interpreted and then it’s teachings applied. The first stop here is an understanding of the type and genre of the passage you are reading.

When interpreting HISTORICAL NARRATIVE, these are some principles to keep in mind:

  1. Context and intent are key.
  2. Characters are not always heroes; authors are not always intending to present moral lessons.
  3. God is the ultimate character of Scripture, and He is active in the lives of real people and in the events of history.
  4. Scripture interprets Scripture.
  5. Historical narrative describes, not prescribes.
  6. Example: Genesis 30:1-6

When interpreting WISDOM LITERATURE, these are some principles to keep in mind:

  1. Proverbs are general truths that are not to be interpreted as true all the time in every situation.
  2. Wisdom literature incorporates poetry and figurative language.
  3. Negative illustrations teach just as much as positive ones.
  4. The psalms should be interpreted within their categories and subheadings.
  5. God is involved even in the nitty-gritty of everyday life.
  6. Example: Proverbs 22:6, 26:4-5, 3:1-3 (balanced with Acts 7:54-60)

When interpreting PROPHECY, these are some principles to keep in mind:

  1. Seek to discover the original message of the prophet in his immediate context.
  2. Expect figurative language.
  3. Be aware of themes in prophecy, such as a call to the covenant, to social justice, and for faithfulness from the remnant of God’s people.
  4. Do not assume that all prophecy has been fulfilled.
  5. Test modern-day prophesies against the truthfulness and coherency of Scripture.
  6. Example: Joel 2:28-32, Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 18:21-22

When interpreting LETTERS, these are some principles to keep in mind:

  1. Seek to discover who wrote the letter.
  2. Seek to discover to whom it was written and why.
  3. Investigate the historical context of the audience of the letter.
  4. Consider the structure, sections, main points, and themes of the letter.
  5. Determine whether the passage is culturally mandated. If so, seek to understand the principles behind the passage, and apply them to your own circumstances.
  6. Example: Galatians 1:1-7, 1 Corinthians 11:6

The great thing is that Jesus does not leave us alone to interpret Scripture for and by ourselves, Luke 24:27 is quite an encouragement. He escorts us along the journey and shows us how to properly interpret the Bible.

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Wrong Ways to Read the Bible

We always encourage people to read the Bible but how often do people get bogged down in some of the chapters that appear to have nothing to do with real life?

Because the point of the special revelation of the Bible is to illuminate God’s plan for redemption of the world and to glorify Christ, this means there are ways we ought NOT to read the Bible. Here are a few bad ways of reading the Scriptures:

  • Treating its stories as morality tales, where we rush to apply the stories of God’s people to ourselves as if WE were the heroes in God’s story of redemption, not Jesus.
  • Taking parts of the Bible out of their narrative contexts.
  • Reducing the epic story of the gospel of Jesus Christ to a disjointed list of statements, propositions, principles or practical tips.
  • Treating the Bible like it is Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, or worse, a bag of fortune cookies.

Also, because the point of the Bible is to glorify Jesus and to capture our hearts in worship of Him, we need to be careful we don’t worship the Bible itself. We are to honor God’s Word, trust God’s Word, treasure God’s Word, and believe God’s Word, but we are called to worship God. This means the only Word we ought to worship is Jesus the Word.

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Self-Understanding & Self-Giving

These are notes from my reading John R. W. Stott’s classic book, The Cross of Christ.

What is the attitude we should adopt for ourselves? In society today, secular humanism teaches that we basically worship ourselves, literal self-deification. Jesus said to love God, then others as we love ourselves. Some counselors emphasize loving ourselves before we are able to love others. A song on K-love by Natalie Grant has a line very similar, “you can’t love, when you don’t love yourself.”

Jesus emphasized only one commandment, to love God, and the second is like it. It is a practical guide to loving others since no one ever hated his own body (Ephesians 5:29). This is similar to the golden rule (Matthew 7:12) but we cannot always know how others would like to be treated themselves, so perhaps I would not want to be treated that same way. The love mentioned is the agape love, unconditional, meaning sacrificial love. The problem is elevated by Paul that in the last days, men will become lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:1-5) instead of lovers of God.

Paul also challenges us to view ourselves in sober judgment (Romans 12:3). The cross supplies the answer because it calls us both to self-denial and self-affirmation.

Stott mentions that the cross must be called representative as well as substitutionary.

  1. A substitute is one who acts in place of another in a way as to render the other’s action unnecessary: a football player off the bench, a soldier in place of a civilian, one is now inactive, and replaced.
  2. A representative is one who acts on behalf of another, in a way as to involve the other in his action: an agent represents a player and can act on his behalf; he does not speak instead of the player, but for him.
  3. Jesus was our substitute because we could never do what he did for us. As our representative, he has done what we have also done, by being united with him, have died and risen with him.

Paul writes about the conflict in Romans 6, that we are dead to sin and can therefore no longer live in sin (Romans 6:2). Baptism dramatically expresses our participation in going from death into life. When we speak of Jesus dying to sin, we understand that he died and bore its penalty, since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). It is a fact that we must constantly remember each day.

Self-denial (Mark 8:34): We each must be both Barabbas (he escaped the cross) and Simon of Cyrene (he carried the cross). To carry the cross is to be in a position of a condemned man, on his way to execution. To carry a cross is for no other purpose. A hard life or a handicap is never “a cross to bear.” Self-denial is never depriving ourselves of something we enjoy, but rather disowning ourselves, and renouncing our right to go our own way.

Three deaths and resurrections in Scripture:

  1. Death to sin and subsequent life to God: this is inherent in our conversion and baptism. This death is basically legal, death to sin by union with Christ in his death to sin.
  2. Death to self: called taking up our cross, or denying or crucifying ourselves: it is done daily and willfully. This death is moral, a death that puts down the old sinful nature and its desires, and the resurrection which follows leading us into a new life of righteousness.
  3. Carrying the dying of Jesus in our mortal bodies, so the life of Jesus may be displayed in our bodies (1 Corinthians 15:30-31, Romans 8:36, 2 Corinthians 4:16). This death is physical, death to safety, being given over to death for Jesus’ sake.

This teaching is that we are wholly bad and we need to be totally repudiated and crucified with Christ.

Self-affirmation: Alongside Jesus’ explicit call to self-denial is his implicit call to self-affirmation (which is not the same as self-love).

  1. Jesus’ teaching about people: he drew attention to the ugly things and evil inside of people (Matthew 7:21-23) but he spoke about the value of human beings in God’s side. Mankind is the crown of God’s creating activity and is made in God’s image. God don’t make no junk.
  2. Jesus’ attitude to people: he went out of his way to honor those who were dishonored by society; embraced little children, approached Samaritans and Gentiles.
  3. Jesus mission and death for people: he came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). “My worth is what I’m worth to God.”

Is it possible to value ourselves and deny ourselves at the same time? True self-denial is not the road to self-destruction but the road to self-discovery.

  1. The self we are to deny, disown and crucify is the fallen self (everything that is incompatible with Jesus Christ).
  2. The self we are to affirm and value is our created self (the teaching on losing self in order to find self).

We must affirm: our rationality, sense of moral obligation, our sexuality, family life, gifts and creativity, stewardship of the earth, hunger for love, experience of community, awareness of God’s majesty, the inbuilt urge to worship.

We must deny: our irrationality, moral perversion, blurring sexual distinctiveness, lack of sexual control, selfishness which spoils family life, fascination with the ugly, lazy refusal to develop God’s gifts, anti-social tendencies, proud autonomy, and idolatrous refusal to worship the living God.

The next level: we are not just created and then fallen, but rather created, fallen and redeemed: regeneration, resurrection, redemption and re-creation.

Self-sacrificial love: self-understanding should lead to self-giving. The community of the cross is a community of self-giving love, expressed in the worship of God (Mark 10:35-45):

  1. The choice between selfish ambition and sacrifice: the brothers express selfishness at its worst, which is incompatible with the way of the cross.
  2. The choice between power and service: asking to sit on either side of Jesus, essentially have their place on throne to rule over others. Zebedee has servants and the boys likely missed having them around. They would follow Jesus for a while as long as there was just compensation at the end of it all. Lust for power is incompatible with the way of the cross.
  3. The choice between comfort and suffering: they would become vagrants and vagabonds, missing the comforts of home. Insistence on security is incompatible with the way of the cross.

Spheres of service: home, church and the world. There is a paradox that suffering is the path to glory, death is the way to life, and weakness is the secret of power.

The cross lies at the heart of mission. The cross-cultural missionary pays costly family and individual sacrifices, renounces economic security, professional promotion, replaced with solidarity with the poor and needy, repenting of pride and prejudice, and modesty of living and serving under national leadership.

Only the incarnation can span these divides, because it means entering into the worlds of other people, their alienation, loneliness and pain. Incarnation led to the cross, where Jesus took our flesh and then bore our sin.

Love is self-giving (1 John 3:16-18): our most valuable possession is laid down for others. The essence of love is self-sacrifice. Murder is taking another’s life; self-sacrifice is laying down your own life.

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Desires of Husbands & Wives

Although everyone has three God-given inner needs (for love, significance, and security), God designed the husband to have a greater need for significance, while the wife is uniquely created with a deeper need for security. A crucial element in the marriage relationship is becoming aware of your partner’s desires and learning to meet them creatively. Philippians 2:4 says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

How Wives Fulfill Their Husbands’ Desires:

  1. Admiration (Proverbs 31:23)
    1. Praise his positive character traits.
    2. Respect his burden of responsibility.
  2. Domestic Support (Proverbs 31:27)
    1. Provide a peaceful home atmosphere.
    2. Manage the home efficiently.
  3. Companionship (Mark 10:8)
    1. Develop mutual interests together.
    2. Learn to talk knowledgeably about your husband’s occupation.
  4. Attractiveness (Proverbs 31:25)
    1. Develop inner beauty that earns respect.
    2. Display inner strength regardless of outward circumstances.
  5. Sexual Fulfillment (1 Corinthians 7:4-5)
    1. Communicate your sexual desires.
    2. Give assurance that your husband is sexually adequate.

How Husbands Fulfill Their Wives’ Desires:

  1. Affection (Song of Solomon 1:2; 2:6)
    1. Give hugs, kisses, cards, flowers, and gifts.
    2. Tell her how much you care for her.
  2. Communication (Ephesians 4:29)
    1. Listen with concern and interest.
    2. Encourage and praise her positive character traits.
  3. Honesty (Proverbs 24:26)
    1. Commit to total truthfulness.
    2. Share your true thoughts, feelings, and desires.
  4. Financial Security (1 Timothy 5:8)
    1. Shoulder the financial responsibility.
    2. Prepare a budget together to plan for the future.
  5. Commitment (Hebrews 13:4)
    1. Schedule quality and quantity time alone with her.
    2. Make your wife and family your highest earthly priority.

This is information I discovered from June Hunt, the founder and CEO of Hope for the Heart.

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Five Troubled Marriages

God uses marriage as a chisel to chip away your character flaws. Rick Warren once tweeted something like “marriage is the original on the job training.” The only guidebook is the Bible, and so many people don’t crack it open.  God intends both partners to move from selfish to sacrificial behavior, reflecting the sacrificial love of Christ. If selfishness creeps in, marriage is in trouble. I read this information by June Hunt, which gives the characteristics of five troubled marriages:

The Make-believe Marriage—lacking honest and intimate communication by:

  1. Not working through problems (stubbornness)
  2. Not accepting responsibility (defensiveness)
  3. Not acknowledging your mate’s feelings (rejection)
  4. Not concerned about your mate’s needs (self-centeredness)
  5. Not displaying affection (apathy)

Make-believe marriages are marriages in name only. To enjoy intimate communication is to be as concerned about your partner’s needs as about your own. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

The Maladjusted Marriage—experiencing sexual difficulties because of:

  1. Frigidity (fearfulness)—from false guilt, sexual abuse, psychological problems
  2. Impatience (insensitivity)—being demanding, coercive
  3. Infidelity (selfishness)—indulging in adultery, pornography
  4. Fatigue (exhaustion)—caused by excessive busyness or overcommitment
  5. Anger (bitterness)—unforgiveness, manipulation

Maladjusted marriages fail to experience the unique expression of physical oneness. As an act of love, God’s design is that both partners yield their bodies to one another. True sexual fulfillment comes through seeking to provide pleasure to the other. The Bible says, “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife’ (1 Corinthians 7:3-4).

The Mixed-up Marriage—having conflicting values over:

  1. Opposing religious beliefs
  2. Opposing parental responsibilities
  3. Opposing marital commitments
  4. Opposing friendship choices
  5. Opposing moral principles

Mixed-up marriages produce power struggles, tension, and criticism. With basic values in conflict, the couple has great difficulty developing oneness of mind, heart, and will. However, Philippians 2:2 says, “Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

The Money-troubled Marriage—experiencing financial disagreements over:

  1. How family income will be earned. . .and spent
  2. How credit cards will be used
  3. How credit card misuse will be handled
  4. How the budget will be followed
  5. How the lack of money for essentials will be handled

Conflicting answers to these questions and other financial difficulties can result in an unhealthy focus on money and material needs. However Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.”

The Misaligned Marriage—failing to recognize/respond to God-given roles

Failure of the husband:

  1. To be a spiritual leader
  2. To be financially responsible
  3. To make wise decisions
  4. To seek to solve problems
  5. To be attentive to his wife

Failure of the wife:

  1. By not having a gentle spirit
  2. By trying to control her husband
  3. By becoming involved in power struggles
  4. By withdrawing emotionally
  5. By being bitter and sarcastic

God’s design is for the husband to feel significant through providing for his family and receiving the respectful love of his wife. He fulfills her need to feel secure through his love, acceptance, and sensitivity to her desires. It may sound old fashioned, but these verses are right out of the Bible. Once we have a proper understanding of love and submission, it’s not such a bad deal. Ephesians 5 paints the picture:

“And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ” (Ephesians 5:21-23,25).

This is information I discovered from June Hunt, the founder and CEO of Hope for the Heart.

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What to Do With the Bible

The Bible is a great book because it divinely inspired and supplies us with the knowledge of God, His plan of redemption and mission for the world, as well as the knowledge of the nature of mankind, and of the universe. No other book can be compared to it on these topics. It not only informs us about these important truths, but it also tells us what we are to do with this information and truth. The Bible is our only source of faith and practice, so we ought to:

1. “Read it” (Nehemiah 8:8). May we read slowly, carefully, prayerfully, in large portions, repeatedly, reverently and with a willing spirit to follow what it says.

2. “Believe it” (Romans 10:8). Since it is the Word of God, it has been given to us to increase our faith in God and His working in the world.

3. “Receive it” (James 1:21). It is the grafted word that is to be received as the soil received the seed, or the tree receives the graft. Taking the Word of God in our lives, allowing it to grow and to bear its own fruit in motives and actions.

4. “Taste it” (Hebrews 6:5). It is the good Word of God. Some seem to be afraid of the Bible for fear it will require them to do something they do not wish to do. Don’t be afraid; it is good and right in all its requirements.

5. “Eat it” (Jeremiah 15:16). Eating it suggests that we not only taste but actually live by it, as Jesus said, “You shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

6. “Hold it fast” (Titus 1:9). The Bible is faithful. All the promises are true and will come to pass. All its history is true and has been or will be confirmed. All its statements are true, about God, mankind, living and salvation. Therefore we are not to put our in it, but put our faith upon it.

7. “Hold it forth” (Philippians 2:16). The Bible is the Word of Life. All who come under its teaching will feel its life giving power.

8. “Preach it” (2 Timothy 4:2). Here it is called simply the Word. It suggests that we are not to preach just parts of it or any one section of it, but to preach it in its entirety and fullness.

9. “Search it” (Jeremiah 29:13). This word “seek” suggests work and patience (Endeavor, Inquire, Inquiry, Require, Seek). The Greek word carries the idea of “ransack” as the housewife goes through the home at housecleaning time; or “to track” as the hunter laboriously follows the game through the brush, so we are to search for truth and run down the tracks of God’s revelations to man.

10. “Study it” (2 Timothy 2:15). Here is a word that means close application to the Word of God, as the builder carefully studies the plans of the architect before building the structure.

11. “Meditate on it” (Psalm 1:2). This word has much the same meaning as “eat” because it means literally “to chew the cud.” Turning the Word of God over and over in the mind until the sweetness of its message feeds our souls.

12. “Compare it” (1 Corinthians 2:13). We don’t often do this. It is not so much what we do with the Scriptures as what the Holy Spirit does with them in our hearts. This is a divine commentary always at hand. Or as John puts it (1 John 2:27) “Now as for you, the anointing that you received from him resides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is not a lie. Just as it has taught you, you reside in him.”

13. “Rightly divide it” (2 Timothy 2:15). This is not an arbitrary division of subjects but following a line of truth from the first place mentioned to the last place mentioned; noticing it in relation to other truths and as the word literally means “the cutting of a straight line” of truth in the Bible.

14. “Delight in it” (Psalm 37:4, 119:92). Seven times in this Psalm the Psalmist speaks of delighting in God’s word. This should always be the heart ambition and attitude.

* Based on “What to Do With the Bible” by the Reverend W. H. Pike, frontier preacher and pastor from Ontario to Alberta, Canada around a hundred years ago.

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Disciple-Making Pastor, Part 6

The Understanding of a Disciple Making Pastor:

He commits time and resources to this effort. He understands the big picture – ideology, revolution for structural change. Theology of the church must be secure.

  1. The kingdom is the model: (Matthew 12:28, Luke 17:20-21, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14, Mark 6:12).
  2. The cross is the means: with respect for resource and character, not methodology – (Mark 10:45, Mark 8:31-34).
  3. The commission is the method: clearly understood objectives produce sustained conviction. The church exists for mission – salt, light, leaven, a family, kingdom of priests, building, body, temple.
  4. The coming is the motive: to strengthen convictions and bring personal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) and accountability (what would we do without exams?).

The Commitment of a Disciple-Making Pastor:

Placing Disciple Making at the Heart of the Church (Isaiah 29:13). Why so often disciple-making gets only lip service? First, a belief that discipleship is a program that fits into a department of the church. Second, the pastor does not always make disciple-making his personal responsibility, Third, disciple-making may be believed to be too narrow for the local church (for only a small group of ultra-committed soldiers of the church).

  1. Proclaim is from the pulpit.
  2. Write it down and make it church dogma.
  3. Model disciple-making at the staff level.

Providing Clear Identification and Communication: avoid fuzzy thinking and call people toward obedient action of making disciples. The pastor is in charge of the cardiovascular concept, care for the heart of the church.

Proclaiming Priesthood of All Believers: (1 Peter 2:5, 9, Revelation 5:10) – Christians have the authority and responsibility to minister for Christ as the priesthood traditionally did. The word “called” (kletos) means vocation (1 Corinthians 1:26, Ephesians 4:1, Romans 1:6-7, Ephesians 4:11-12, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

  1. Pastor gives permission.
  2. Pastor gives direction – Reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-21), Edification (Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Peter 4:10-11), Physical need (Luke 4:18-19)
  3. Pastor give training.

Planning on a Process of Multiplication: You did not choose Me but I chose you, to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last (John 15:8). Would you rather have $1 million today or 1 penny today doubled each day for 30 days? ($10,737,418.24). The world will not be reached through addition!

Prioritizing Disciple-Making: (Matthew 28:18-20). Fruit is expected (John 15:8, 16).

Proper Selection of Personnel: (2 Timothy 2:2). Multiplication requires several passes of the baton. Multiplication requires that those who have it pass it on. Multiplication means passing the baton to the right people (reliability) – Luke 16:10, 1 Corinthians 4:2). Multiplication means passing it on to qualified people (proven they can be trusted) – giftedness and suitability, not spirituality.

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The Holy Spirit in Real Life

We desire for God to be so evident in our lives that He shines through with unmistakable evidence that He is real and involved in our lives. Besides an incorrect theology that speaking in tongues is evidence of the Spirit in our lives, how can we know He is there?

Quotes:

So it is when our spirits (small s), as distinct from our souls, that the Spirit (big S) comes to live. Our spirits have direct communion with God’s Spirit as we cultivate the spiritual life. — Jerome Daley

The Holy Spirit establishes the righteousness of heaven in the midst of the unrighteousness of earth, and will not stop or stay until that is dead has been brought back to life and a new world has come into being. — Karl Barth

It is through the Word, and the Word alone, that the Spirit teaches, applying the general principles or promises to our special need. And it is The Spirit, and The Spirit alone, who can really make the Word a light on our path. — Andrew Murray

Top 10 Implications of the Spirit’s Activity in Your Life:

  1. You find it unrepentantly easier to be patient and kind (Galatians 5:22).
  2. You sense a sudden urgency to pray for a friend or family member.
  3. You long to spend time with God and be in His presence.
  4. The Bible makes sense to you like never before.
  5. Scriptures to encourage others pop out of your mind.
  6. Your appetite for God’s Word gets stronger and stronger.
  7. You recognize that the Spirit has gifted you in a certain way to allow you to serve God with a certain ease and effectiveness.
  8. You may develop dreams that illuminate God’s heart.
  9. You sense God’s nearness and comfort when you are grieving.
  10. You feel an inexpiable peace in the midst of stressful circumstances.

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