Just to be clear, the basic doctrines of the Christian faith are clearly taught in Scripture without any difficulty in understanding. However, in the same Bible, there is something called difficult doctrines or controversial issues. These are the cause of fierce debates and divisions in the Body of Christ. Even worse, these issues can easily develop into false doctrines…not because the Bible contains heresy but wrong interpretation of Scripture is the birthplace of heresy.
Emotions aside
It is very easy to manipulate a verse to suit your agenda, say to win your side in a debate or to defend yourself when under criticism. Such Bible interpretations can never be honest because they are based on momentary moods and emotions. That is called a theological bias. However, once in a while, we must all find some quiet time with the Lord, and then we open Scripture with an open heart and allow the Lord of Light to show us the true meaning of His Word without any emotional hindrances.
Embrace the inerrancy of Scripture
The inerrancy of Scripture simply means that the Bible has no error because it is the Word from the Almighty who never lies. And it is not just Scripture but all of Scripture is inspired by God. I have been appalled by some men who reject the writings of Paul because according to their insane minds, Paul and Jesus have different Gospels. Dear friends; every book, every chapter, every verse and every word inside the Bible is part of the Holy Scriptures written by the Spirit of God (2 Tim 3:16-17). Therefore, if you come from that direction, you will shun the habit of many who read Scripture to look for errors to use as an excuse for not believing the Word of the living God.
Humility vs. I already know
If you are going to correctly handle the Holy Scriptures, first understand that they are Spirit inspired, which means it also takes the Spirit to open the minds of us wicked men who can by no means understand spiritual things with natural intellect (1 Cor 2:14). This is overlooked by many; instead of approaching the Word with student humility, they are Bible professors in their minds. The result of that is a misunderstanding, misinterpretation and wrong application. Nobody ever outgrows the knowledge of the eternal Word of the Eternal One; therefore, we must all be humble enough to sit at the feet of Christ and His Word as knowing nothing, ready to learn from the Master Himself.
Exegesis (word-for-word observation)
Exegesis is another big word that means to interpret a Bible passage based on the words used in that paragraph. Each word that makes up a verse has its own purpose and meaning in connection with the whole passage. It is to let the Sacred Text say what it says; not to superimpose your own ideas that you came with from other places – all you do is to put your ears close to your Bible and let them record what they hear. This is where the educated Greek scholars have a one-goal advantage because they can understand the original meaning of the Greek words. But does that mean that us untrained common believers who just what to correctly handle the truth cannot understand Scripture in our own languages? Yes, we can – a close observation of the words written, grammar, verbs and adjectives, together with context (the subject of the whole passage) can bring out the original meaning of a Bible text the same way a Greek scholar can – at least he wins on penalties.
The point is; God has given the Bible in our own languages and versions for our own benefit and understanding. Let us use that and faithfully study what it means. Again we stress the issue of context. This is when you read a big portion of the Bible before and after your target verse, this will give you a big picture of the matter at hand. This is key to proper Bible understanding. In your word-for-word observation also take note of the connection words like “therefore”, this word means that what you are reading connects with the previous verse or chapter (originally there were no verse and chapter divisions). This helps you to go further backwards as you understand where the meaning starts.
Historical setting
There is also a time barrier to our understanding of that ancient Book. Certainly, we are not living in tents anymore, are we? Therefore, it is helpful to put yourself in the shoes of the people of that time. Imagine yourself as an Israelite, now exiled in Babylon with seventy years of captivity ahead of you. What would it be like to hear God then say to you “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” You see that already we now understand the meaning of Jeremiah 29:11 after we imagine the kind of situation that the Israelites were in, the year when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to them.
Christ in every verse
Let us learn about Christ in every verse is not only the mission statement of Gospel Africa but the true definition of what real Bible study is about. When we say Christ is in every verse we mean that everything you read in Scripture connects one way or the other to Christ – the life He lived as an example to us, His daily supply of grace and ultimately what He has done on the Cross for our salvation (the Gospel). For example; the suckling lamb that Samuel sacrificed in 1 Samuel 7 pointed to Christ the Lamb of God sacrificed for our sins. The high priest of Israel who approached the Tabernacle on behalf of the people pointed to Christ the Great High Priest who is worthy to approach the Holy One on behalf of sinners like us.
Therefore, when studying the Bible, do not miss those pictures of Christ such as animal sacrifices, prophets, priests, kings, water, bread, rock and even direct prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. This is what Dr. Luke meant when he said, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27).”
Conclusion; Friends, the Bible is for our understanding and learning. Let us be the kind of believers who care about these things; to rightly divide the Word of truth without fear or favour – for our own salvation and also for the benefit of our neighbours.
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.
Let us, therefore, digest this meal today and wait for the next part where we take this issue to its final destination. Salute.
Sinothi Ncube
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