Interpretation, unity and the whole council of God.

I have often been asked “Can't you make the Bible say anything you want?” It's called twisting scripture. I usually answer, tongue in cheek, “Oh yes, and using the same rules of interpretation, I can make the dictionary say the same thing! And since I discovered that, I stopped using the dictionary!” Thank the Lord for spellchecker! Twisting words is a fine art both in the church, and in the wider culture. But Peter warns that when we twist Scripture, we do it to our own destruction (2 Peter 3:16).

If you think you have a pretty good handle on interpretation let me ask you what you do with the obscure passages such as the one coming up concerning the Nephilim (Genesis 6:1-4). Or what do you make of “angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode” (Jude 6). But if all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16), then so are the above passages. And if we are to take the whole council of God (Acts 20:27), should we simply ignore them? I have the impression that most Christians don't think much about interpretation. They just do it, but not always well! However, if we are to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21), then we need to test our interpretations! There are many pitfalls, and since we are coming to a particularly difficult passage, I want to use it as a spring board to talk (mostly afterwards) about some of the tools of interpretation (hermeneutics).

One basic approach to Bible study is called the inductive Bible study method. We ask the text three questions: What does it say: what does it mean: how does it apply? It's easy to confuse what it says with what it means. Of course there are times when the meaning is plain and literal. 'Do not commit adultery' means 'do not commit adultery.' And the application is 'do not commit adultery! But what do you do with “Unless you hate your mother and father, you cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). One 1970's cult I know of took it literally, capitalizing on family bitterness. But it's a literary device called hyperbole, an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally. So what does it mean? One way to look at it, is to say that our love for Jesus needs, in comparison to our love for mother and father, to look like hate. We are to honour father and mother, and we are to love our enemies (Exodus 20:12; Luke 6:27), so there's no way that it's meant to be taken literally. In terms of application, sometimes in wanting to honour our parents we can put them, or their opinions, above God. It's not just parents of course. Anything or anyone, that comes ahead of God is an idol!

Concerning testing our interpretations, the Bible says “The first to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbour comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). So when there are disagreements, we need to hear and weigh, apposing arguments. Paul tells us there needs be differences among us, to show who has God’s approval (1 Corinthians 11:19).

Father, it's not always easy to love those with whom we disagree. But this is where unity comes in. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies (1 Corinthians 8:2). Give us grace and humility to hear each other out. Help us Lord to be willing to be shown where we are wrong, and to be correctable, in Jesus Name Amen.