Can the Bible be understood apart from interpretation?

[francisdesales]

One's human reasoning and understanding too often gets in the way of the Holy Spirit, and even the most simple among us can have greater spiritual insight than any scholar or historian.

It's the Holy Spirit that enlightens the Word of God to those who come humbly as little children.

Brother,

I think you are misappropriating the role of the Holy Spirit in the enlightening of our minds when reading Scriptures...

The Spirit of God connects our own experiences, hardships and joys, to those of the Sacred Scriptures. The reason why the Bible comes "alive" for people is because they are enlightened by God's Spirit to see a connection between their life and what they read. They are thus embolded to take Godly action in their lives. They EXPERIENCE God THROUGH the reading of Sacred Scriptures.

The Spirit of God does not come to individual Christians, even those "simple of heart" and whisper words of doctrinal theology for digestion by the entire Church.

Unless you propose that thousands of a variety of often-contradictory Christian "doctrines" are all from the same Spirit...

 

[chestertonrules]

Jesus didn't write a book, he built a Church. He gave this Church the commission and authority to spread his message throughout the world.

The Church wrote down his teachings and protected the Truth of the gospel. It is still doing so today.

Those who reject the Church are rejecting Jesus to some extent.

 

[truthlover]

In response to all,

In the interests of intellectual integrity, I wonder what the scriptures say about using the scriptures.

We naturally read a history book and a book declaring itself to be historical fiction differently. So with a cook book, and a nutritional guide. What sort of book does the Bible declare itself to be?

I'll start with (NKJV), "...the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim 3:15.

1) Wise, before or instead of knowledgeable, or understanding. What's the plan? The pathway?
2) for salvation, fixing something that is wrong, overcoming evil with good.
3) if you have chosen to fix it with faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Just a start. But the book begins with, "In the beginning,..." implying that it might be wise to start in the beginning. Is this the best beginning point?

Truthlover

 

[Drew]

I think you're entirely right to stress the importance of historical context, but I disagree with you about "render unto Caeser." I'd be interested to here what those facts you refer to there are.

My views on the "render unto Caesar" teaching are shamelessly pirated from English theologian NT Wright. Here is how Wright understands that teaching:

Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius. 20And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's.â€
Now this is a cryptic statement whose meaning is not obvious. For some reason, it has been taken to mean that the world is split into two spheres, one in which God rules and the other in which secular human governments rule. However, this is not what Jesus is trying to tell us. And if it was, then Paul would be contradicting Jesus when, in Romans 1, Paul announces the “gospel†of Jesus Christ.

Of what relevance is Romans 1? Well, in Paul’s world the term “gospel†was frequently used to denote the news that a new emperor has ascended to the throne in Rome. So when Paul uses this same term to refer to Jesus, his point could not be more clear – Jesus supplants Caesar as lord of this present world.

Back to the account of the coin. Just as it is important to know something about what the term “gospel†meant in that time and place, it is also important to know the echoes that Jesus might be eliciting when He makes his coin pronouncement.

The double command Jesus makes (give x to Ceasar and y to God) can be argued to draw on material found in 1 Maccabees 2.68. In that text, Mattathias is telling his sons, especially Judas, to get ready for revolution. ‘Pay back to the Gentiles what is due to them,’ he says, ‘and keep the law’s commands’. And clearly, “paying back†the Gentiles was not meant to refer to money. Instead, it is a subtle suggestion that the Gentiles are about to be overthrown. And I suggest that Jesus is making a cryptic allusion to this account to make a similar point.

So while Jesus is, on the surface, saying “pay the taxâ€, His more fundamental point is that Caesar’s regime is a blasphemous nonsense and that one day God would overthrow it.

Jesus’ teaching about the Roman coin, understood in it context, is not advocating a separation between the spheres of Caesar and God, with secular human governments ruling in one domain and God in the other. Given the overall context of Jesus’ life and ministry – entailing the revolutionary announcement that the Kingdom of God has already broken into history – and given the arguable allusion to 1 Maccabees, Jesus is probably saying, albeit cryptically, that God’s dominion extends to all spheres. One can almost see Jesus wryly smiling as he says “give Ceasar the things that are His†– suggesting that there really is nothing that falls into that category.

I do not think I am reaching when I suggest that when Jesus holds up the coin and inquires about the image and the inscription, He knows the Jews will be reminded of the graven image to Caesar that it contains. Any Jew familiar with the Torah should have rightly bristled at such blasphemy. And remember, the emperor in Rome did indeed set himself up as a god. Jesus is being very shrewd here. The holding up of the coin and the question about its image constitutes a critique of the blasphemy that it expresses. And so Jesus’ clever answer is effectively this: “Pay the tax, but remember who is the real Lord, the one who says ‘You shall have no other gods before me’â€.

Now that I have attempted to give an account of what this teaching is really all about. To be fair, those who think it advocates a church-state separation need to actually make a case for that position – they should not simply claim that meaning, as though it were self-evident. The teaching is indeed cryptic and the instruction to “give Ceasar what is Hisâ€, aside from the obvious superficial instruction to pay the tax, is highly open-ended as to what it is that we actually owe to Ceasar.

 

[Drew]

One's human reasoning and understanding too often gets in the way of the Holy Spirit, and even the most simple among us can have greater spiritual insight than any scholar or historian.

It's the Holy Spirit that enlightens the Word of God to those who come humbly as little children.

Why do you seemingly think that you are spared the hard work that one normally has to do in order to understand any document? I politely suggest that you, and many others, are using the promise of guidance from the Spirit to avoid doing the hard work of getting into the world from which the scriptures sprang.

The Bible was not written by 21st century westerners. It was written by Palestinian Jews (for the most part) who lived over 2000 years ago in an entirely different culture. We need to understand that world in order to understand what they were writing about.

An example: Many - you including you I believe - misunderstand Paul to be denying salvation by good works when he, in fact, only denies salvation by doing the Law of Moses. One of the reasons that this error is so common is that readers project the idea that 1st century Jews believed that they could be "saved by doing good works" and that Paul was challenging that belief.

Well, if you do the historical research, the evidence suggests that Jews generally did not believe that they could be saved by doing good works. So knowing the history is indeed important.

 

[logical bob]

I completely agree with Drew there (and thanks for the other info Drew, an interesting read). Surely if something is really important to you, you'll want to know as much about it as you can. Yet the "God makes the wise foolish" approach seems to actively make a virtue out of not understanding the Bible.

Anyway, most of the verses used to justify not understanding the Bible come from Paul. Yet Paul had a Pharisee's education - he knew his scripture backwards and was extensively trained in very complex ways of interpreting it.

 

[MMarc]

I do not hold the view of the RCC that is, only priests have the authority to understand and establish doctrine above what was done by Jesus and the apostles. Just look at the Sanhedrin in Jesus day, the established church of Judaism and their leaders the Pharisees accused Jesus and the apostles of being ''unlearned'' and yet Jesus and the apostles filled with the Holy Spirit could run rings around them in terms of Heavenly knowledge...

The Catholic Church's priests do not have that authority, either. The "Magesterium" - the successors of the Apostles - are the only ones who have the power to BIND AND LOOSEN. In other words, to sort out explanations of what we would call "doctrines".

Naturally, these men, also, have "heavenly knowledge", since the Spirit has been promised to the Church, and specifically to those who are shepherds of the flock. It depends upon having faith that God is doing what He promised to do - to guide the Church to all truths and to keep it the pillar and foundation of the truth.

The church leaders who are not righteous were blind to the depth of the Word of God. Today it is the same sadly. The elders of some major denominations are proud and therefore blind, like in the day of Jesus.

One doesn't necessarily need to be "righteous" to know something about the depth of the Word of God. No doubt, bad priests and Prot. pastors who abused some of their flock, nevertheless, knew something about the Word of God. Apparently, knowledge and action are not necessarily related in humans...

So interpretation can be very personal and or collective in scope. The leaders of denoms refuse to hear those who have not been taught by flesh and blood according to there doctrines. Sad that they believe that they alone hold all truth. Puffed up by knowledge, sad really.

I am not aware of any organization that believe they ALONE have ALL the truth, as you say. No doubt, most believe they hold more truth than others. Otherwise, the Apologetic threads would be bare...

Anyone with the guide of the Holy Spirit can interpret scriptures, this is why it is the living word of God.
It can mean different things to different people.

Guides can be blind. The sheep do not necessarily know the difference. The Scriptures clearly note that believers can be led astray by false teachers, thus, ruling out your idea of how the Spirit leads within the Church.

Regards

Sorry, the magestarium then... As for guides being blind, I see you are referring to the Holy Spirit. I wasn't talking about false teachers, I was referring being led by the Holy Spirit. Big difference.

You know the same Spirit that Jesus Christ said He would send at Pentecost. I agree many false teachers out there.

I pray the RCC will teach the baptism in the Holy Spirit, because without it you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Again I stand by my words Jesus Christ said that God reveals His wisdom to babes (unlearned) and hides it from the wise. If you have an issue with this, you should talk to Jesus THE Christ the ruler of your church. Not Mary, Peter or Paul, but King Jesus. The one who comes to judge the quit from the slow. LOL

You're right there are many false teachers out there...

 

[MMarc]

One's human reasoning and understanding too often gets in the way of the Holy Spirit, and even the most simple among us can have greater spiritual insight than any scholar or historian.

It's the Holy Spirit that enlightens the Word of God to those who come humbly as little children.

Brother,

I think you are misappropriating the role of the Holy Spirit in the enlightening of our minds when reading Scriptures...

The Spirit of God connects our own experiences, hardships and joys, to those of the Sacred Scriptures. The reason why the Bible comes "alive" for people is because they are enlightened by God's Spirit to see a connection between their life and what they read. They are thus embolded to take Godly action in their lives. They EXPERIENCE God THROUGH the reading of Sacred Scriptures.

The Spirit of God does not come to individual Christians, even those "simple of heart" and whisper words of doctrinal theology for digestion by the entire Church.

Unless you propose that thousands of a variety of often-contradictory Christian "doctrines" are all from the same Spirit...

I guess that's one enlighten opinion. :D

 

[francisdesales]

Sorry, the magestarium then...

So you think God has abandoned His Church and it no longer is the pillar and foundation of the Truth. I see...

Any Scriptural warrant for this "belief"? Or is this something you were "told"?

As for guides being blind, I see you are referring to the Holy Spirit. I wasn't talking about false teachers, I was referring being led by the Holy Spirit. Big difference.

Really? Anyone can CLAIM they are led by the Holy Spirit and spout off all kinds of false teachings. Most certainly, the false teachers of the first century claimed to have been led by the "Spirit". A number of false teachers in particular claimed they were individually guided by new revelations of the Spirit. Really, making the CLAIM means very little, without any authority to back it up.

I pray the RCC will teach the baptism in the Holy Spirit, because without it you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Of course the Catholic Church teaches that, we don't just get wet during Baptisms...

Again I stand by my words Jesus Christ said that God reveals His wisdom to babes (unlearned) and hides it from the wise. If you have an issue with this, you should talk to Jesus THE Christ the ruler of your church. Not Mary, Peter or Paul, but King Jesus. The one who comes to judge the quit from the slow. LOL

What makes you think you are one of these "babes?"? That is the problem here. By what authority do you claim to have the 'correct' teachings..? Because you are an infant??? Jesus was not stating that infantile Christians were going to have "all knowledge". Paul does not agree with that take. Have you read Hebrews?

You're right there are many false teachers out there...

Which means we are fortunate to have access to a Church that continues to remain the pillar and foundation of the truth, if only people would follow the Scriptures and history to where it leads them. Which Church did Christ commission and give authority to, one that continues to exist to this day?

 

[francisdesales]

Brother,

I think you are misappropriating the role of the Holy Spirit in the enlightening of our minds when reading Scriptures...

The Spirit of God connects our own experiences, hardships and joys, to those of the Sacred Scriptures. The reason why the Bible comes "alive" for people is because they are enlightened by God's Spirit to see a connection between their life and what they read. They are thus embolded to take Godly action in their lives. They EXPERIENCE God THROUGH the reading of Sacred Scriptures.

The Spirit of God does not come to individual Christians, even those "simple of heart" and whisper words of doctrinal theology for digestion by the entire Church.

Unless you propose that thousands of a variety of often-contradictory Christian "doctrines" are all from the same Spirit...

I guess that's one enlighten opinion. :D

It has Scriptural backing. All people are not given the gift of interpretation. Haven't you read 1 Cor 12?

Regards

 

[truthlover]

The problem that needs fixing, I take it, is "How do we get the true interpretation of scripture?"

I've read here four proposals: the Holy Spirit tells us what the scriptures mean, the scriptures tell us what the scriptures mean, the church tells us what the scriptures mean, and our understanding of the historical context is essential. Actually, some combination seems good to most. But what do the scriptures themselves say?

In the scriptures we find Jesus saying, (NKJV) (John 5:39), "You search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."

Now the rest of the scriptural admonition is to solve this problem through faith, which in turn comes from hearing rhema words from the mouth of God, and then confessing them unto salvation. This is how scripture counsels us to become confident that the hoped for way of knowing what scripture means is found and true.

Regarding wisdom for getting His voice and faith, we find that "My sheep hear My voice." (Jn 10:27) and " (Matt 28:20) "...lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age."
So, it seems so far that scripture recommends using scripture to get to Jesus (and His Spirit), to ask Him what other scriptures mean.

 

[truthlover]

francisdesales wondered,

So you think God has abandoned His Church and it no longer is the pillar and foundation of the Truth. I see...

Any Scriptural warrant for this "belief"? Or is this something you were "told"?

I asked Jesus about this, and He said this was exactly the case. He said He warned the church at Ephesus that He was going to do this to them (Rev 2:5). He has been removing lampstands ever since, and at present, He said to pray that He would start over from scratch. He said He sent His Spirit to put it in writing that no temple of His, meaning His church, should ever call itself by any name, or in any way go beyond what is written (1 Corinth 1:10-4:6). It's a sin unto death (3:17).

He did say that, if He could find disciples who would commit to His gospel of the kingdom (Matt 28:17-20), he would use them as living stones, even in the rough, and would build a church where counsel for prophetically arriving at the meaning of scripture would be found. As His body, asking His church, trusting in the authority there, is the same as trusting Him.

I remind all that this is prophecy, that we all prophesy in part, and all prophecy is up for judgment by other prophetically speaking hearers. There is probably much missing from what I have.

Hope that this helps.

 

[Drew]

Yet the "God makes the wise foolish" approach seems to actively make a virtue out of not understanding the Bible.

Agree - we need to resist the temptation to take the easy road.

Anyway, most of the verses used to justify not understanding the Bible come from Paul. Yet Paul had a Pharisee's education - he knew his scripture backwards and was extensively trained in very complex ways of interpreting it.

I entirely agree and would elaborate on this. When we read Paul, I think it behooves us to be open to the possibility that he is an exceedingly sophisticated and complex thinker. I believe that Romans has been largely misunderstood throughout the centuries for a number of reasons, including not understanding the socio-political context, but also because we do not understand's Paul's status as a highly educated Pharisee with deep knowledge of the Old Testament. I think Paul's argument in Romans is exceedingly complex and subtle and has been basically missed by most. If we do not account for the subtlety of the mind of a trained Pharisee, we may misinterpret.

 

[MMarc]

Sorry, the magestarium then...

So you think God has abandoned His Church and it no longer is the pillar and foundation of the Truth. I see...

Any Scriptural warrant for this "belief"? Or is this something you were "told"?

As for guides being blind, I see you are referring to the Holy Spirit. I wasn't talking about false teachers, I was referring being led by the Holy Spirit. Big difference.

Really? Anyone can CLAIM they are led by the Holy Spirit and spout off all kinds of false teachings. Most certainly, the false teachers of the first century claimed to have been led by the "Spirit". A number of false teachers in particular claimed they were individually guided by new revelations of the Spirit. Really, making the CLAIM means very little, without any authority to back it up.

I pray the RCC will teach the baptism in the Holy Spirit, because without it you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Of course the Catholic Church teaches that, we don't just get wet during Baptisms...

Again I stand by my words Jesus Christ said that God reveals His wisdom to babes (unlearned) and hides it from the wise. If you have an issue with this, you should talk to Jesus THE Christ the ruler of your church. Not Mary, Peter or Paul, but King Jesus. The one who comes to judge the quit from the slow. LOL

What makes you think you are one of these "babes?"? That is the problem here. By what authority do you claim to have the 'correct' teachings..? Because you are an infant??? Jesus was not stating that infantile Christians were going to have "all knowledge". Paul does not agree with that take. Have you read Hebrews?

You're right there are many false teachers out there...

Which means we are fortunate to have access to a Church that continues to remain the pillar and foundation of the truth, if only people would follow the Scriptures and history to where it leads them. Which Church did Christ commission and give authority to, one that continues to exist to this day?

By what authority? Not FLESH AND BLOOD. Remember what Jesus told Peter. ''Flesh and blood did not teach you this but my Father who is in Heaven.''

So by what authority did Jesus walk? Was it by the authority of the Pharisees? The religious leaders of His day? Who gave Jesus the insights He had, the religious rulers of His day killed Him out of jealousy to fulfill all righteousness.

God just withdrew His wisdom from the rulers so they would crucify Jesus, for if they had known, they would not have dared crucify the Lord of Glory.

See we see here how God can give or take away wisdom. Pride leaves people blind and those who think they are the only holders of the truth and puff themselves up sadly are the most blind, like in the day of Jesus and most periods where the prophets and saints were led to the church, they were all persecuted.

Yet they spoke for God Himself. And they were humble unto death, like Jesus.

And as for teaching the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I came out of the RCC, NEVER ONCE DID THEY BAPTIZE PEOPLE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. So go ask you priest to baptize you in the Holy Spirit and look at his blank stare as to what you mean.

I'm telling you some put their faith in a physical church, the church will not get you into Heaven, only Jesus can and Jesus said you must be born from above.

And I would like to read where it is mandated by Rome to pray for people to receive the HS. Please show me where this is written in the priestly acts. I never saw it.

Padre Pio walked in amazing power and instead of having him travel to impart his gifts, the popes kept him almost hidden. When they should have let him travel the world. Why is that you think?

 

[glorydaz]

One's human reasoning and understanding too often gets in the way of the Holy Spirit, and even the most simple among us can have greater spiritual insight than any scholar or historian.

It's the Holy Spirit that enlightens the Word of God to those who come humbly as little children.

Brother,

I think you are misappropriating the role of the Holy Spirit in the enlightening of our minds when reading Scriptures...

The Spirit of God connects our own experiences, hardships and joys, to those of the Sacred Scriptures. The reason why the Bible comes "alive" for people is because they are enlightened by God's Spirit to see a connection between their life and what they read. They are thus embolded to take Godly action in their lives. They EXPERIENCE God THROUGH the reading of Sacred Scriptures.

The Spirit of God does not come to individual Christians, even those "simple of heart" and whisper words of doctrinal theology for digestion by the entire Church.

Unless you propose that thousands of a variety of often-contradictory Christian "doctrines" are all from the same Spirit...

There is doctrine that is truth and there is doctrine that is error. There is only one Truth, however, and we each find that truth as we spend time in the Word of God. God reveals the truth in increments, and the Holy Spirit is the agency through which we receive it. The problem comes when we allow our understanding to be formed by any doctrine of man. We then get something fixed in our brains that should not be there. We end up reading the word with that particular doctrine in mind, and the Word is no longer read with a clear understanding. We need to build line upon line and precept upon precept...rightly dividing.

When we read a portion of scripture that we've read many times before and one day the Holy Spirit quickens the truth to our heart, we take it and hold onto it...as we should. The other can then be seen with that view. There are things, even today, that the Lord has not given me that spiritual clarity on...and I wait until He does before I add it to my own "doctrine". The Lord can quicken something to my heart that you have said, Joe, or other brothers and sisters in the Lord. There is no doubt when that happens...a peace and clarity comes that cannot be shaken, and suddenly I see other portions of scripture that only confirm it. We're all being led unto the same understanding of the Truth found in the Word of God. While there will ever be areas of disagreement, we, as a body, come closer all the time. It's in those areas we need to continually seek guidance ...being open to the teaching from the Holy Spirit and being willing to let go of those doctrines that we've held onto before that enlightenment from the Spirit comes.

 

[glorydaz]

One's human reasoning and understanding too often gets in the way of the Holy Spirit, and even the most simple among us can have greater spiritual insight than any scholar or historian.

It's the Holy Spirit that enlightens the Word of God to those who come humbly as little children.

Why do you seemingly think that you are spared the hard work that one normally has to do in order to understand any document? I politely suggest that you, and many others, are using the promise of guidance from the Spirit to avoid doing the hard work of getting into the world from which the scriptures sprang.

The Bible was not written by 21st century westerners. It was written by Palestinian Jews (for the most part) who lived over 2000 years ago in an entirely different culture. We need to understand that world in order to understand what they were writing about.

An example: Many - you including you I believe - misunderstand Paul to be denying salvation by good works when he, in fact, only denies salvation by doing the Law of Moses. One of the reasons that this error is so common is that readers project the idea that 1st century Jews believed that they could be "saved by doing good works" and that Paul was challenging that belief.

Well, if you do the historical research, the evidence suggests that Jews generally did not believe that they could be saved by doing good works. So knowing the history is indeed important.

If we had no other books in the world, we could still understand the Word of God. In fact, we'd be a lot better off today if there were no other books to be read. More often than not they cloud the truth for they are but the wisdom of men. The portion you cite from Romans in an excellent case in point. The time you've spent reading Wright, or whatever his name is, has caused you to become confused on the entire idea. That is one portion of scripture that is as clear as day...because the Holy Spirit did enlighten it to my understanding many years ago. I wasn't taught it by any man or any man's doctrine. I'm often perplexed by your insistence that Paul is suggesting any such thing as our being saved by our good deeds. It is so contrary to the Word...in spite of what you claim.

 

[glorydaz]

I guess that's one enlighten opinion. :D

It has Scriptural backing. All people are not given the gift of interpretation. Haven't you read 1 Cor 12?

Regards

Actually, that is speaking of the interpretation of other languages.

 

[glorydaz]

The problem that needs fixing, I take it, is "How do we get the true interpretation of scripture?"

I've read here four proposals: the Holy Spirit tells us what the scriptures mean, the scriptures tell us what the scriptures mean, the church tells us what the scriptures mean, and our understanding of the historical context is essential. Actually, some combination seems good to most. But what do the scriptures themselves say?

In the scriptures we find Jesus saying, (NKJV) (John 5:39), "You search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."

Now the rest of the scriptural admonition is to solve this problem through faith, which in turn comes from hearing rhema words from the mouth of God, and then confessing them unto salvation. This is how scripture counsels us to become confident that the hoped for way of knowing what scripture means is found and true.

Regarding wisdom for getting His voice and faith, we find that "My sheep hear My voice." (Jn 10:27) and " (Matt 28:20) "...lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age."
So, it seems so far that scripture recommends using scripture to get to Jesus (and His Spirit), to ask Him what other scriptures mean.

:amen

 

[Drew]

If we had no other books in the world, we could still understand the Word of God. In fact, we'd be a lot better off today if there were no other books to be read.

Obviously not true. The original texts of the Bible were written in Hebrew and Greek. Will the Holy Spirit magically translate this for you? History tells us that the coin Jesus held up to the Pharisees probably had a phrase deifying Ceasar written on it. This helps us understand Jesus' true intent in the "render unto Ceasar" teaching - that Caesar is a blasphemous subsitute for the real king - God. Will the Holy Spirit tell you this important historical fact?

There are many other examples. This idea that you can get away with not "doing your historical homework" to understand the Bible is frankly naive. It would be nice if this work could be avoided, but it cannot. There is no shortcut - proper exegesis requires understanding a lot of things over and above what it is laid out in the scriptures.

More often than not they cloud the truth for they are but the wisdom of men. The portion you cite from Romans in an excellent case in point. The time you've spent reading Wright, or whatever his name is, has caused you to become confused on the entire idea

Code for: I do not agree with Drew so I will label his argument "the wisdom of men". Same old, same old.

 

[daynayee]

.
Christianity today is made up of a myriad of distinct denominations with distinct interpretations of the Bible. There are as many methods of Bible interpretation. So Can the Bible be understood apart from interpretation? And if not, how can we determine which interpretation is correct?

JamesG

I believe that i can be. And it's not so much as interpretation, as it is takiing it and applying it to our own situations and our own life.

Sometimes when we read the Bible we try so hard to "read between the lines" and interpretate to hwere we can lose sight of what God is plainly telling us. I've lately been trying to just take what God says in His word and not try to figure out some deep imbedded meaning to it. Most of us, I being one of them, over-complicate things too often. And we just need to take it for what it says.

Yes, in the Old Testament it is a lot harder to do that. And when there are parables, which Jesus taught the disciples through a lot of the time, we need to try and figure out what God is saying through those situations and whatnot.


But for the most part, i've been trying to not over-complicate and read between the lines of God's Word and what Hes speaking to me through it.